For the second consecutive year, Byline Bank is serving as mentor and helping to fund DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center’s Social Impact Incubator Program with a $15,000 donation to reward graduates for their hard work. Participants were challenged to scale and grow business ventures with a strong social impact mission and each received mentorship from successful entrepreneurs and a stipend of $1,000 from Byline Bank to help elevate their company.
DePaul Bootcamp entrepreneurs each receive $1,000 and mentorship to grow their business
“It was an incredible experience mentoring Elijah Obasanya, owner of software development and digital marketing company, Termnl, and watching the creativity, passion, and talent the Termnl team demonstrated each week,” said DePaul Advisory Board member and incubator mentor Stephen Ball, Senior Vice President at Byline Bank. “Small businesses make up a majority of the economy and workforce, and this group of future business leaders is not only looking to make a difference, but their willingness to do what it takes to be successful also teaches us all that hard work pays off.”
Founders from 13 startups participated in a six-week bootcamp that included guest speakers, an entrepreneurial curriculum, group discussions, and assignments. These sessions provided resources to incubate and accelerate startups that have a clear social impact purpose to help their community, create jobs, support sustainability, or otherwise create positive social change.
“We are thrilled to have completed our second annual CEC Social Impact Incubator and are grateful to Byline Bank for its $30,000 sponsorship over the past two years to help make this program a success,” said Bruce Leech, Executive Director and Clinical Professor at the Coleman Center. “The collaboration of our participants with each other and the instructors was fantastic, as they learned a lot from each other. We look forward to our ongoing support of these startups in leveraging our additional resources at DePaul and the CEC to help them move their businesses forward.”
Now in its second year, DePaul’s Social Impact Incubator program helps students, alumni, and Chicago area entrepreneurs, interested in having a social impact through their businesses, gain the skills and tools needed for their businesses to be successful and to continue the tradition of small businesses being a jobs engine in their community.
