By Bijan White
The Larry Wolfen Entrepreneurial Spirit Award is presented to a small group of students planning to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors during the summer between their first and second years at Anderson. The award grants the students a stipend that covers cost of living for the duration of the projects. Applications for the next Wolfen Award are due January 28.
On January 14, the family of the late Larry Wolfen (’93) hosted a reception to introduce first-year students to the program. The reception was followed by presentations from students who had received the award in previous years, focusing on the projects they had undertaken over the summer.
Alumni of the Wolfen Award launched themselves into various fields. Nikolaos Sidiropoulos (FEMBA ’16) spent the summer working on his startup Curated Fitness. Under development now, Curated Fitness comprises a network of fitness facilities accessible through one multi-pass membership. Sheeva Sairafi (FEMBA ’15) and Jennifer Grewal (FEMBA ’15) collaborated on Unveiled, a startup in the field of wedding planning, but dropped the exploratory project because of growing financial risks in the industry. However, they both pursued individual projects and emphasized that the knowledge they gained from their experience with Unveiled, made possible by the Wolfen Award, was invaluable in aiding them with their subsequent work in entrepreneurship.
Alumni from previous years, some of whom continued with their projects long after graduation, also presented. Peter Friis (’13) founded Essio, which designs and produces aromatherapy showerheads, through the Wolfen grant and continues to manage and expand the company.
First-year Anderson students are encouraged to apply for the Wolfen Award, which can lead to a wealth of opportunity in the startup sphere. Applications are due on or before January 28 at 10 a.m., and interviews will be held on February 20.
For additional information, visit the Wolfen Award Web page or email [email protected].
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