Dear Supporters,
Thank you so much for helping us build the first student startup space on the forty acres. This project has been a great success from the very beginning. We hit our stretch goal of 15k, which will allow the LEA Co-Lab to grow into a larger Student Entrepreneurship Center over the next year. The ultimate goal is to make UT Austin a premier campus for entrepreneurship and innovation. I will continue to keep you informed with updates about the project as it progresses.
Regards,
Cage Johnson
Dear Supporters,
I feel that I could have been more clear with my previous update. The LEA Co-Lab is still the main focus of the fundraiser, and it is where majority of the funds will be devoted. I envision that the Student Entrepreneurship Center will involve many different organizations, and that the LEA Co-Lab will serve as a anchor in the center. What's more, the Student Entrepreneurship Center is on a much longer time scale than the LEA Co-Lab. We've secured space for the LEA Co-Lab, but not for the Student Entrepreneurship Center. The success of the LEA Co-Lab will certainly help us in our pursuit to build the Student Entrepreneurship Center.
The updated stretch goal is $15,000.
Thanks,
Cage Johnson
Director, Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency
Dear Supporter,
I am so grateful for your support on this project. Now that $10k is in the rear-view mirror, I wanted to write to you and let you know what our plans are for any money past our original goal.
This LEA Co-Lab project was evolving even before we started raising money for it. At first, the LEA Co-Lab was something that I wanted to do for my student organization, and the student entrepreneurs that I know personally. I happen to be in the Longhorn Startup program, and also LEA, so I know tons of students with businesses. I wanted to have a place for all of us to work. At some point this semester, I realized that there are far more students who are involved in entrepreneurial organizations than actual startups. That's when I began to think about the project differently.
It turns out that there are tons of students with an interest in entrepreneurship who aren't ready to start a business. They find ways to build their entrepreneurial skill set through involvement in entrepreneurship-focused organizations.
The success that we've had on the LEA Co-Lab project allowed us to re-calibrate and think about what we really wanted to be building. The answer is: The Student Entrepreneurship Center.
The ultimate vision for the Student Entrepreneurship Center is to have a place where students can get involved in running entrepreneurship programs and organizations so they can build social capital, and get real experience running things. Many of these students will go on to start businesses, but right now they don't know it. This place would facilitate collaboration between multiple student organizations that each have a different focus within entrepreneurship. For example, the Genesis program is a great student-led program which is focused on funding student startups, while Enactus is focused on social entrepreneurship. There is so much overlap, yet a low amount of collaboration between the two programs.
Your support caused our project to get interest across campus, and suddenly, it became more than just a co-working space for student entrepreneurs. It is now headed toward being a campus-wide collaboration which will live on past my time at the University.
It is an honor to be able to work outside of my narrow focus in LEA. I know we are building something that will fundamentally transform the student-run entrepreneurship experience. Any money that we raise past our original goal will go toward building the Student Entrepreneurship Center. LEA's members will serve as champions to get the project done, but the ultimate goal will be to involve as many student-run entrepreneurship organizations and programs as possible.
Again, I want to say thank you for your generosity. You are helping us make UT the best campus in the world for entrepreneurship!
Hook'em,
Cage Johnson
Director, Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency
Dear Supporters,
On behalf of the Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency, I want to thank you all for helping us hit our HornRaiser goal. We've now raised enough to: carry out the renovations, furnish the space, and sustain the operation of the LEA Co-Lab for 1 year.
The mission of the Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency is to help more students become entrepreneurs. The LEA Co-Lab is helping us do just that. Yesterday, the first day back after spring break, four different groups of students met in the Co-Lab. I've seen new relationships built and I've seen old friends reconnect. The signs are clear that what we are doing will have positive impact on the student experience at UT Austin. The Co-Lab will be a place that many student entrepreneurs will call their home on campus.
If it weren't for several people who gave this project life many years ago, I would not have the privilege to raise money for it. Getting a physical location on campus was not easy, as it took several extremely motivated people 4 years to accomplish. It is an honor to be able to continue their work.
Thank you so much for helping UT Austin become the best campus in the world for entrepreneurship!
Cage Johnson
Director, Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency
Your contribution is a first step towards improving student entrepreneurship at UT Austin.
Your name will be recognized on a special donor page on Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency's website.
Your name will be recognized on a plaque alongside other Series A donors, which will be displayed in the future student entrepreneurship center.
You will receive both the Seed and Series A perks. This helps us buy TV screens, where students can pitch their businesses to investors, practice for demo days, communicate with remote team members, and much more.
You will receive the Seed, Series A, and Series B perks. LEA will also recognize you on social media, where we have over 3K+ followers in the startup community.
You will receive a handmade laser cut “Thank You" plaque and the perks of the Seed, Series A, Series B, and Series C levels.
You will receive a handmade laser cut “Thank You" plaque and the perks of the Seed, Series A, Series B, and Series C levels. In addition, you will be invited to a special dinner with the leaders of LEA and our supporters.