Entrepreneurship Conference Slated for Nov. 4

SPRINGFIELD — The 12th annual Grinspoon, Garvey & Young Entrepreneurship Conference will be held this Friday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield More than 500 students and faculty representing 14 area colleges are expected to attend the event, which includes hands-on workshops, entrepreneur exhibits, a keynote speaker, and networking.

Organized by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation and the 14 area colleges, the Entrepreneurship Conference is held annually to inspire, motivate, and support college students to turn their ideas into businesses. Students will begin the day participating in the world’s largest collegiate Idea Jam beginning at 9:10 a.m. In a bracket system, the best ideas are voted on in real time and move on to the next round, until a final winner is determined.

The keynote speaker this year is Parker Burr, founder of Feat Socks. Burr launched Feat Socks while a student at UMass, selling a few dozen socks. Feat has evolved into a lifestyle brand selling hundreds of thousands of socks worldwide. Most recently, it signed Olympic gold medalist and Massachusetts native Aly Raisman, and launched her line.

College students from the participating colleges are able to attend the conference thanks to the generosity of the conference sponsors, including gold sponsors UMass Amherst Isenberg MBA Program and the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation; silver sponsor AAA Pioneer Valley, and bronze sponsor Northwestern Mutual.

There will be 25 exhibitors, including former Grinspoon student awardees who started and their businesses while in college.

Participating colleges include American International College, Amherst College, Bay Path University, Elms College, Greenfield Community College, Hampshire College, Holyoke Community College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Springfield Technical Community College, UMass Amherst, Western New England University, and Westfield State University.