JODY HANEKE HELPS GUIDE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA

Jody Haneke offers insight and guidance to young entrepreneurs at the University of Tampa.

The University of Tampa’s Sykes College of Business houses a unique opportunity for students within the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the Lowth Center has recently entered the Top 40 Entrepreneurial Programs in the world, currently listed as number 34.

As a part of its mission to engage students in “diverse learning experiences”, the Lowth Center invites several Tampa business leaders to occupy an office on campus as an entrepreneur-in-residence. Jody Haneke, Haneke Design’s Founder and President, has assumed one of these positions to help foster Tampa’s young, entrepreneurial community. As a part of his commitment, Mr. Haneke provides guest lectures to shed light on his story and experience, holds office hours for students with questions about their projects or path, and conducts reviews on pitch decks and designs. By granting them access to business leaders, the program provides students with valuable insight, connections, and guidance as they take their first steps into the business world. The Lowth Center is helping to develop real entrepreneurial opportunity for young men and women within the greater Tampa Bay area.

The Lowth Center also promotes young entrepreneurs in the area through access to the “Spartan Incubator”, which aids 9 young companies in the Tampa area. They provide those business owners, who are usually UT Alumni, with access to its faculty, peer review boards, and any entrepreneur-in-residence with insight that pertains to their ventures. Projects within the Incubator have received over 1.5 million dollars in funding since Fall 2015.

The entrepreneurial program emphasizes its desire for students to gain knowledge by learning to problem-solve in real life situations and offers plenty of unique opportunities for engagement outside of the standard classroom. In addition to its entrepreneur-in-residence program, the Lowth Center provides students with a variety of seminars, networking events, competitions, and connections to local businesses to further their experience.

“These students are not only engaged in the classroom but also within their community. They’re gaining real insight about how to approach the business world,” said Haneke. “This program creates so much potential development for young entrepreneurs in Tampa Bay, and I am honored to be involved in such an amazing program.”

The degree programs associated with the Lowth Center are just as dynamic as its approach. The undergraduate program offers both a major and minor in Entrepreneurship while also providing a curriculum that supports a double major in Entrepreneurship and International Business. The Lowth Center also offers a graduate program that allows students to pursue an MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship.

The Lowth Center promotes key aspects of entrepreneurship like innovation, collaboration, and creativity. By encouraging students to utilize those tools and make local connections, UT’s program is providing a powerful channel of growth for Tampa’s youngest businesses.