Over the weekend, NEIA hosted the NEXTGEN Summit, a student-led conference dedicated to fostering connections, providing education, and empowering the future wave of entrepreneurs, CEOs, and innovators.
The summit commenced with an inspiring opening address delivered by Erdin Beshimov, a Lecturer and Senior Director of Experiential Learning at MIT. Following Beshimov`s keynote, attendees engaged with a dynamic CEO panel featuring industry luminaries such as Raymond Chang, the Founder of NEIA and CEO of Agrify, Erik Fogg, Founder of Futures Forge, and Steve Messineo, Director of Operations at Physical Therapy Innovations and Former President & CEO of Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The following sessions delved into essential topics for aspiring entrepreneurs, including personal branding led by John Turner, President of Flannel Inc and Director of Branding at NEIA, as well as financial literacy workshops facilitated by Beth Robillard, Senior Vice President and Advice & Planning Strategist at Truist Wealth, Ken Connors, Wealth Advisor at Truist Wealth, and Douglas Rogers, Senior Vice President and Investment Manager at Truist Wealth. Attendees also heard from Marc Oliveras, PhD, Co-Founder of AIKreate, who led the future of AI panel.
The summit finished off with an impressive pitch competition where three student-founded companies pitched their business ideas for a $1,000 prize to fuel that company’s growth. The winner was Pop Soap, a soap company established by three NEIA students. Notably, Pop Soap will transition ownership to the school, with a new set of student leadership each year to continue education on entrepreneurship along with a legacy of innovation.
A huge shoutout to Langston, grade 11, for leading this initiative! NEIA also recognizes the dedication, hard work, and commitment of the 12 NEXTGEN ambassadors who made this inaugural event possible!
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