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Community Corner

Atlanta Teens Get a Head Start on Entrepreneurship

ATLANTA (Nov. 11, 2013) – Invest Atlanta wants to create a culture of entrepreneurship in the City and believes the innovative educational symposium “TrepStart Day” will launch the next generation of Atlanta entrepreneurs. The inaugural event for Atlanta-area high school students will take place on Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Georgia State University Student University Center. The symposium will help to cultivate students’ entrepreneurial skills and encourage outside-the-box thinking.

The program will teach students about business fundamentals and encourage them to actively pursue their own business ideas. Participants will get hands-on entrepreneurship training from successful teen business leaders, like Lily Sandler, of Atlanta, who created “Blamtastic lip balm” which is now sold nationwide.

“Developing talented young professionals is one of the key components to our vision of making Atlanta the most economically dynamic and competitive City in the world,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “We want our students to know that Atlanta is a place that welcomes new ideas and embraces thinking big.”

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The event will provide another resource to the City’s burgeoning entrepreneurial community.

“We want to spark interest in entrepreneurship among high school kids in Atlanta as a viable career option and as a way to solve problems in their day-to-day lives,” said Brian P. McGowan, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta. “Introducing students to entrepreneurship at an early age helps them take responsibility for creating their own future and helps foster future growth in our economy.”

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Michael Coles, co-founder of Great American Cookie Company and former CEO of Caribou Coffee, will give the keynote address to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship in his journey to success.

“Programs like TrepStart Day teach students that starting a business is an excellent gateway to a good future and a good life,” said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, Managing Director of Business Development at Invest Atlanta and board chair of Startup Atlanta.  “We hope to bring more innovative events like it to the metro region.”

Students between the ages of 13 and 18 can sign up for TrepStart Day at http://independentyouth.org/event/atlanta-trepstart-day/

                                            

About Invest Atlanta

Invest Atlanta is the official economic development authority for the City of Atlanta. Its purpose is to strengthen Atlanta’s economy and global competitiveness in order to create increased opportunity and prosperity for the people of Atlanta.

Chaired by the Mayor of Atlanta, and governed by a nine-member board of directors, Invest Atlanta’s programs and initiatives focus on developing and fostering public/private partnerships to create jobs, grow the economy, revitalize neighborhoods, attract investment, spur innovation, and encourage entrepreneurship. To achieve these goals, Invest Atlanta leverages the benefits of bond financing, revolving loan funds, housing financing, tax increment financing and tax credits.   

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