by Ayla McDonald
CobraVenture, Parkland College’s first business cohort for students, has chosen ten student applicants for Spring Semester 2019 to coach on the journey towards launching and running their own businesses.
“Part of the Parkland Entrepreneurial Network (PEN), the CobraVenture program provides students with an avenue for networking and business mentorship,” said a January 15 Newsroom broadcast from parkland.edu. “The semester-long accelerator will feature a collaborative workspace, topics taught by local serial entrepreneurs, and one-on-one guidance with business mentors. Participants will have the chance to bring their business ideas to fruition by competing for up to $3,000 in seed money in CobraVenture’s capstone Pitch Showcase this May, along with opportunities to raise even more capital as their pitches impress area leaders.”
Meet four of the ten prospective entrepreneurs and read about their business ideas!
Giscard Roland: Screenboard LLC
“My name is Giscard Roland and I am the visionary founder of ISCHUO TECHNOLOGY trademark LLC. My major is Biological Sciences. I was born in Cameroon, a place known as the Africa in miniature because of its great diversity and vast cultural treasure. My passion for Innovative Technology was born after realizing the struggles of African consumers to adapt and utilize the capabilities of technological devices that are designed and manufactured by Westernized countries mainly China, as there are no considerations made for cultural differences including language, visualization preferences and user interface customization. Poor technological capability continues to jeopardize Africa’s growth potential, and market analysis shows that a very low percentage of African Students find interest enrolling in science, technology, and mathematics as well as engineering. Further studies have shown that early exposure to technology has lasting impact on education fostering a desire to increase technological knowledge and users’ experience. As the Economist said, “Technology cannot solve all of Africa’s problems but it can help with many.” And that is our goal, to bridge the gap by recreating Technologies that are too complex for end users and make it easy to use and simple even to the most uneducated person in [the] emerging market.”
Nichole Pearson: Medical Rides
“My name is Nichole Pearson, currently I am attending Parkland full time finishing up my prerequisites for the nursing program. I am a mother of 2 sons working full time as a medical assistant, with dreams of owning my own transportation business. I would like to offer transportation with care, meaning a Certified Nursing Assistant will accompany you to medical appointments to assist with transfers, help picking up prescriptions, and recording and giving records of your medical visit. I look forward to meeting you!”
James Buhr: Brace and Byte Woodworks
“Currently I am studying Industrial Technology. I grew up in Paxton, Illinois and graduated from PBL High School,” Buhr said. “In my senior [year] of high school, I took a wood shop class. I had always enjoyed making things growing up. Fast forward a few years and I decided to participate in a craft show. I made a little money and decided to keep on doing it.” Buhr both designs his own projects and takes commissions from clients, including wood-turning, laser-cutting, and furniture production. You can view Buhr’s past works, place a commission, or shop the Brace and Byte Woodworks online store at www.braceandbyte.com.
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Mitchell Thompson: Vanguard Drone Services
Mitchell Thompson is a Media Advertising Major from St. Joseph, IL. His business idea, Vanguard Drone Services, will provide drone services for industrial, agricultural, real estate, photography, and cinematography purposes.
“Senior year of high School I started looking into drones and how they can be used in multiple different work fields and saw the potential for it in this area,” Thompson said. “I’m passionate about it because I truly believe it will be a successful business and there is a demand for drone work in central Illinois that not many are taking up on.”
Keep an eye out in next week’s edition of the Propsectus Newspaper for profiles of the other six CobraVenture student entrepreneurs.
