Yale Entrepreneurial Society
| Legal status | non-profit 501(c)(3) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New Haven, Connecticut |
| Location |
|
President | Brian Lei |
Founder | Sean Glass |
| Affiliations | Yale Entrepreneurial Institute |
| Website |
www |
The Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES) is a student-run nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship and business development in the New Haven, Connecticut area. YES was founded in 1999 by Yale undergraduates Sean Glass and Miles Lasater. Its social entrepreneurship program—focused on not-for-profit and socially responsible organizations—was founded the same year, with efforts led by fellow student David Pozen. Today, YES members include Yale undergraduate, graduate, professional students, and faculty, as well as several hundred Yale alumni around the world.
Y50K competition
The Y50K is YES's annual business plan competition. Y50K winners have been named every year since the competition's inception in 2000. Each year, a total of $50,000 in grants are given away to new businesses in the Yale community. In 2004, a biotechnology category was added to the usual two categories of competition, social entrepreneurship and for-profit. The Y50K also has a strategic alliance with StudentBusinesses.com that allows the competition to be conducted completely online.
Elevator Pitch Competition
The Elevator Pitch Competition promotes idea generation and presentation from any student in the Yale community. Pitches are no longer than three minutes, so this competition is accessible to more students since a fully hashed-out business plan is not required. Barry Nalebuff has traditionally been the judge for this competition.
The Yale Entrepreneur
The Yale Entrepreneur (YE), published and supported by the Yale Entrepreneurial Society, is Yale's only magazine of entrepreneurship. First published in 2001, the YE went out of publication in 2003 until being redesigned and relaunched in the spring of 2006.
Regional events
YES hosts a variety of events throughout the year to highlight entrepreneurship at Yale and in the greater New Haven and Connecticut regions. While venues vary from year to year, common events usually include YES New York, YES Boston, and the Innovation Summit (hosted in New Haven). The organization has also held events in Silicon Valley and Omaha, Nebraska, and is considering adding a third annual regional event in Hartford, Connecticut.
References
- Lartaud, Derek (April 22, 2008). "Yale Students Turn Ideas Into Cash". Connecticut Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 19, 2013.