Prima Civitas Invests $200,000 In Three Targeted Entrepreneurship Programs

Lansing-based Prima Civitas is using its second $200,000 Mott Foundation grant to continue three programs designed to foster entrepreneurship in the region.

The grant funds three specific areas that fall under the Moving Ideas to Market (MI2M) initiative. The first, IGNITE (not to get confused with IgniteLansing!), focuses on integrating entrepreneurship into the K-12 education system.

“It also looks at components (projects) that are fun that can get kids interested in entrepreneurship,” says Holly Hetzner, special projects administrator and legal affairs specialist for Prima Civitas.

The second piece, EnGen, works toward creating entrepreneurial opportunities for college students.

“We’re building a network that universities can use to collaborate and feel free to talk about the programs going on in their host communities,” she says.

The last component, Jumpstart is “for everyone else.”

“This is for everyone who is not a child or a college student and wants to learn how to pitch before a venture capitalist,” she says.

All three of the teams are comprised of 20-25 volunteers. A MI2M conference is being held during Global Entrepreneurship Week starting at 9:30 a.m., Nov. 17 at the Lexington Hotel in Lansing. The event is open to the public and will feature each group. To RSVP by Nov. 13, click here.

Source: Holly Hetzner, Prima Civitas Foundation

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

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