ASU entrepreneurship students followed a successful business model and are seeing the results from the program. ASU recently placed in the top 50 entrepreneurship schools in the country, according to College Choice.
With students spread across all four campuses at ASU, the University has helped over 300 start-up companies from students, faculty and staff.
Mitzi Montoya, vice president and dean for entrepreneurship and innovation, said in an email that ASU encourages students to pursue entrepreneurship and receive their diploma at the same time.
“At ASU, if you can dream it, you can do it,” Montoya said. “For students looking to make their ideas happen or help a friend make their idea happen, ASU has many programs and resources available to support them.”
Montoya said regardless of a student's major, they can make their ideas come to life when the usual focus is on business students.
“ASU is committed to creating entrepreneurship and innovation experiences for all of our students,” Montoya said. “In addition to getting a great education, we’ll help you make your ideas happen.”
Technological entrepreneurship and management alumnus Louie Cesario and communications junior Phil Albreski are just two of the success stories to come from the entrepreneurship program.
Cesario and Albreski’s company, Sudzclub.com, is a service that provides college students across universities with the essentials of hygiene, like shampoo and conditioner, and charges for the service. They came up with idea after one of their friends forgot their shampoo and conditioner during move-in day.
The two have been best friends since their childhood, even after they moved from their homes in Chicago to Arizona for school. Their long friendship makes their business relationship easier.
“It’s egos aside,” Cesario said. “It’s been pretty awesome."
Their apartment has become the headquarters, or “war room” as they like to call it when they have an issue in the office, for their business and the pantry is their inventory.
Cesario and Albreski said the help they have received through the entrepreneurship is substantial. Montoya and technological entrepreneurship and innovation management lecturer Aram Chavez have been big supporters of the duo’s cause. Cesario and Albreski are funded by the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative. The program provides roughly $200,000 a year in funding and every year, 20 students receive up to $20,000.
“In the three months of operation, we’ve gone from our ideation and concept to actually being on the market,” Albreski said.
Cesario and Albreski have been recognized in their field across the country. Cesario said an online entrepreneurship publication Gritway.com featured them and Sudz Club. Some of their sponsors like Uber, the low-cost cab service in some major cities across the country, worked with Sudz Club to provide a promo code for a free ride.
Reach the reporter at jwilli62@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @JonWilliams_23