Student Stories

  • Arthur's Testimonial | Center for Entrepreneurship | Wake Forest University | North Carolina

    Arthur Willson (’19), SimpullCork

    “I’ve always seen the world in a novel and original way, but it wasn’t until I became involved with the Center for Entrepreneurship that I discovered my true passion for entrepreneurship. I’ve been fortunate enough to engage with the phenomenal faculty and mentor network of the center through launching my first venture, SimpullCork. Being a part of Startup Lab, ACC InVenture Prize Competition, Deacon Springboard, TEDxWakeForestU, and Red Bull Launchpad taught me that no is never the answer, failure isn’t final unless I quit, and challenges present me with the greatest opportunity for innovation and ideation.”

  • George Papakonstantinou (’18)

    “Prior to Startup Lab, I believed that the most successful entrepreneurs were just lucky or just in the right place at the right time. But through Startup Lab, I learned the specific method that entrepreneurs go through including customer discovery and validating your idea, which ultimately leads to your success.”

  • Jake Teitelbaum (’17), Resilience Gives

    “Startup Lab was my on-campus entrepreneurial hub– it was an opportunity to connect with impassioned students and learn from experienced entrepreneurs.”

  • Lauren Miller (’17), UpDog Kombucha

    “In the spring of my junior year, I walked into Dan Cohen’s office with one of our first bottles of UpDog Kombucha and said: ‘Hey, Olivia and I want to start a kombucha brewery. What resources are available to us that would help us get this off the ground?’ He was so excited to help and introduced us to the Center for Entrepreneurship. The CE gave us the mentorship and resources that helped us launch UpDog and set it up for success in the future.

    Creating UpDog was a huge challenge and risk, so it was always reassuring knowing that we had a whole team of people behind us wanting to see us succeed. Not only was the Center for Entrepreneurship supportive of our venture, but they gave us invaluable resources such as networking opportunities, access to grants and seed capital, and classroom learning opportunities. I will always be grateful for the steadfast support of the Center for Entrepreneurship that has supported our fast growth over the last year.”

  • Olivia Wolff (’16), UpDog Kombucha

    “Though I grew up in an entrepreneurial family, I never considered going into business or entrepreneurship myself. I was pre-med throughout most of my time at Wake Forest, but after some reflection and contemplation, I realized that the healthcare field was not for me. I have always had a knack for creative thinking as well as customer service and sales, but I did not really know how to hone in on these skills. After starting UpDog Kombucha, the Center from Entrepreneurship really helped me delve deeper into the psychology of business and how business relationships work. Though being an entrepreneur isn’t always glamorous, I love being an entrepreneur because it has taught me to have a thick skin, how to cultivate meaningful relationships with my customers and how to push myself in all aspects of my life.”