Eagle Works is a new program on campus geared toward collaborative entrepreneurial startups, and it gives students the means to start their own business.
Previously the Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Sprint, Russell McGuire has founded or co-founded three startups: Digital Frontiers, Seek First Networks and the Christian Homeschool Network (CXfriends). Currently, Entrepreneur in Residence McGuire is the faculty adviser for Eagle Works.
“It’s a limited liability corporation that is intended to be a way that we can incorporate and have a corporate structure around these entrepreneurial activities that we have,” McGuire said. “It’s technically set up as a series LLC, so that you can have other LLCs within it.”
McGuire said this program could create long-term value for the university.
“We’ve had a lot of entrepreneurs that have graduated from OC and we benefit from that in terms of credibility and they tend to send money,” McGuire said.
Eagle Works aims to help students better understand areas they are passionate about while working within a business team. McGuire said he wants students from many different fields of study and backgrounds to come together with one business idea and use their individual strengths to make it successful through this new program.
McGuire said this program would help students be well rounded in their future endeavors.
“What I’ve had increasing passion for is entrepreneurship,” McGuire said. “In my career what I’ve seen is that at the times I was doing a startup was when I grew the most and developed a perspective that served me very well in the rest of my life – both career and outside of that. So, what God placed on my heart is this desire to help young Christians have that kind of entrepreneurial experience.”
McGuire said his goal for Eagle Works is to make “cross-shaped people” – an idea adapted from Tina Seelig, executive director for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program.
Cross-shaped people, according to McGuire, are those who have a deep knowledge and technical base in their field through their specific degree programs. They also have broad understanding of how diverse disciplines can work together to contribute to the overall success of organizations through entrepreneurial experiences and ultimately are passionate about focusing their efforts on glorifying God.
0
0
Be First to Comment