Community Initiatives, $20,000
To support the Entrepreneurship Funders Network
Kent State University Foundation, $2,000
To support hackathons
SEA Change Incorporated, $40,000
To support the Northeast Ohio Social Enterprise Accelerator Program in 2024
The Well Community Development Corporation, $87,000
To support Akron Food Works in 2024
The University of Akron Foundation, $3,500
To connect NEOLaunchNET ventures to needed legal services in 2024
June 12-14, 2024
College Park, Maryland
Join us June 12-14, 2024 in College Park, MD for the 13th Annual Deshpande Symposium! If you are a higher education innovation and entrepreneurship catalyst, we invite you to the University of Maryland for a time of meaningful conversations, forging new connections, and celebrating the achievements of our vibrant community this summer. The theme this year is New Horizons: Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities of Regional Ecosystem Building.
February 22, 2024
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
Eddie Taylor, Jr. is President of Taylor Oswald, a venture between Mr. Taylor and Oswald Companies, one of the nation’s largest independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage firms. Mr. Taylor graduated from Allegheny College and completed the Executive MBA Program at the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.
Richard N. Seaman graduated magna cum laude from Bowling Green State University, from which he also earned an M.B.A.
Mark D. Robeson graduated from Wittenberg University in 1993 with a B.A. in Business Administration-Finance. He went on to work for Merrill Lynch in Los Angeles. In 1996, he earned an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
Jenny Peshina has worked for the American Heart Association since 1998 in a variety of leadership roles, creating the vision, direction, and strategies required to build and maintain long-term relationships with volunteers and donors, developing strategic funding requests, organizing events, implementing fundraising campaigns, and achieving mission and revenue goals. Currently, she serves as National Consultant of Volunteerism. She is also cofounder of DJP Properties, a thriving family business that includes rental properties in Canton, Louisville, and Malvern.<
J. Michael Hochschwender has more than 30 years of corporate management and consulting experience. Currently, he is CEO of The Smithers Group, a position he has held since 1996. Mr. Hochschwender holds a master’s degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. He also served five years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, deploying to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Patrick T. Finley is Founder and Chairman of Vitalia Active Living, The V Living Experience and Omni Smart Living.