Veterans

Female Veterans with Entrepreneurial Passion: Registration Deadline for V-WISE Chicago is March 27

Friday, February 1, 2013, By News Staff

Early registration discount available for those who register before March 1

vwiseVeteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), operated by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, will offer its sixth conference in Chicago May 3-5. The entrepreneurial training program is available to female veterans of all service eras and branches, military spouses and transitioning active duty service members with a passion for and interest in starting or growing a small business. The application and registration deadline is March 27.

The V-WISE program, founded in 2010, was designed by Syracuse University in cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration. V-WISE enables female veterans to find their passion and learn business-savvy skills in order to turn their ideas or businesses into growth ventures. The program integrates leadership, integrity, focus and drive—qualities inherent in female veterans—into a premier education and self-employment training program taught by accomplished entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship educators through a three-phase format:

  • Phase 1: What’s First? is a 15-day online, self-study course (a prerequisite to Phase 2) focusing on the basic skills of entrepreneurship and the language of business.
  • Phase 2: Ready, Set, Go! is a three-day conference where participants are exposed to accomplished entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship educators from across the country, consisting of a growth track tailored to those already in business and a startup track focused on potential future entrepreneurs focused on business planning, marketing, accounting and finance, operations and production, human resources and work life balance.
  • Phase 3: Keep Moving is post-program support providing a comprehensive listing of community-level resources covering the Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, and Service Corps of Retired Executives offices.

Admission for V-WISE programs, offered in cities across the country, is on a rolling basis. Early application is highly recommended. The deadline for V-WISE Chicago is March 27.

All hotel and conference fees for the program are covered through the support of the SBA. Accepted participants are responsible for the following expenses:

  • one-time $75 registration fee;
  • transportation to and from the on-site conference;
  • associated parking fees while at the conference; and
  • dinner on the second evening of the conference.

There is an early bird special registration fee of $50 for anyone who registers for the Chicago offering prior to March 1. To apply, visit whitman.syr.edu/vwise.

For information on the V-WISE application process, contact IVMF admissions coordinator Katherine Frontino at kfrontin@syr.edu or 315-443-8791.

For questions regarding the V-WISE program, contact program manager Meghan Florkowski at mconroy@syr.edu or 315-443-4629 or 315-877-2264.