News by Topic: Entrepreneurship

RIT will begin offering two new Ph.D. programs beginning in the fall of 2023: business administration and cognitive science. Today, RIT enrolls 300 students in 11 Ph.D. programs.

Jorge M. Rodriguez ’15 (online Executive MBA), chief executive officer of Salt Lake City-headquartered Sorenson Communications, has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and information technology industries—including in both domestic and international markets.

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, RIT’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship is once again hosting its Business Pitch competition, open to all businesses operating within Monroe County. The winner will be awarded $25,000.

Local businessman and entrepreneur Bernard Kozel was known for having as much passion for helping others develop their businesses as he did for developing his own. Kozel’s dedication to supporting his partners, employees, and entrepreneurs in creating success is the inspiration behind several gifts to RIT.

On June 16, five business technology start-up companies graduated from RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator with a commitment to continuing to engage local and regional suppliers, expand labor forces locally and nationally, and impact the regional economy.

A panel discussion at RIT among some of the Rochester region’s key stakeholders—employers, government officials, economic development leaders, and higher-education experts—provided the launch for RIT Certified, which aims to provide a wide range of alternative education courses, certificate programs, and skill-based learning experiences targeting people beginning their careers, changing roles, maintaining their existing job, or advancing in the workplace.

RIT alumnus Erblin Ribari ’17 MBA (finance) has been named to the seventh annual Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe, which recognizes young entrepreneurs and leaders for how they are transforming business and society today.

Syracuse.com features Circle Optics, a member company of RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator.

Students from around the country—including a Webster, N.Y., high school senior attending Saunders College of Business this fall—will compete to see who will be named America’s Next Top Young Entrepreneur at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) 14th annual Saunders Scholars National Competition on June 4.

TikTok has become one of the most popular social media apps to hit the market in a decade. Billions of social media users have found both community and entertainment in the vertical short videos that are central to TikTok’s format. With a combined nearly 1 million followers and 25 million “likes” between them, four RIT alumni are establishing themselves as social media influencers.

Chinese tea culture, with its rich history existing since before the third century, has always been a lifelong passion for Tian Tian and Zining Chen. The graduates of RIT’s advertising and public relations program (2017) and master’s in entrepreneurship program (2019), yearned to share their culture in a new and exciting way—by founding Taichi Bubble Tea. 

Sherry Dadgar ’08 MS (bioinformatics) wants the future of medicine to empower patients. Dadgar, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at George Washington University, launched her company, Personalized Medicine Care Diagnostics (PMCDx), in 2020 with a goal of delivering advanced clinical genomic diagnostic testing to patients and their physicians.