Zamorano Center for the Entrepreneur:
Zamorano encouraging the creation of new businesses in the Latin-American region.
The economic growth of a country or region largely depends on its level of entrepreneurship, the ability to create new businesses with the potential to generate employment and wealth. Every year in the Latin American region there are programs for the creation of new businesses and encouragement of entrepreneurial spirit, both at national and municipal levels. Frequently they are developed by private entities but also have public support. Within the academy, in business and administration schools, the spirit of entrepreneurship is presented in classrooms as an ideal to meet. However there are few practical tools that provide the opportunity to new generations for the development of real businesses.
Faced with regional need of real programs for the formation of young men and women in the creation of new businesses, in 2004 Zamorano created the Zamorano Center for the Entrepreneur with the purpose of contributing to the formation of Zamorano leaders and entrepreneurs in Latin American, encourage the establishment of businesses, companies and initiatives through the training of its faculty, student education and outreach in rural communities.
“The Zamorano Center for the Entrepreneur is dedicated to the support of Zamorano students and helps them become founders of businesses and leaders. We accomplish this through leadership and entrepreneurship classes, and we invite business leaders and other experts to classes and workshops. For example, we celebrate “Entrepreneurship Day” in mid-October and have the participation of a Zamorano graduate and a non- graduate to participate in a dialogue,” said Luis Fernando Velez, director of the Zamorano Center for the Entrepreneur and a professor in the Agribusiness Management career.
Boosting the competitive spirit and providing seed capital
Currently the Zamorano Center for the Entrepreneur has a program called “Business Plan Competition”. Around 30 third year students annually create and present a business plan. The three best plans are awarded with seed capital, advice and logistical support in the hope that some of those ideas might be developed into real businesses. “The competition gets tougher every year and picking only three business plans becomes a hard task because many of the other participating plans look very promising,” said Mr. Velez.
The Center for the Entrepreneur also teaches seminars and courses about entrepreneurship, which include many motivational, theoretical, and practical aspects. As an extracurricular activity, the center promotes the Entrepreneur Club for Zamorano students with a globalized vision and belief in the development of Latin American countries.
