Capital One and Next Gen Support Young Entrepreneurs at Philadelphia Summit

November 08 23:37 2018
The Fortune 500 Organization Backs Student Entrepreneurs through Education, Mentorship, and Financial Support!

Philadelphia, PA – A 6-month partnership between Capital One and Next Gen Summit aimed at empowering a community of collegiate-aged founders culminated on October 20th at the Next Gen @ Philadelphia event powered by Capital One. More than 200 diverse student founders from 20+ universities joined the invite-only event and pitch competition. 

“Entrepreneurship and small business development are at the core of what we do here at Capital One, both as a philanthropic endeavor through our Future Edge initiative but also as a business strategy,” said Joe Westcott, Delaware Market President at Capital One. “Next Gen embodies the spirit of small business and entrepreneurship in impactful and inspiring ways. We believe in the unlimited power and potential of people, no matter their age, and know that the world is in desperate need of new ideas, new solutions and new leaders. We’re honored to partner with the Next Gen Community in their pursuit of these new leaders.” 

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/embed/xXAaUUrqg5U

As students competed digitally for a chance to pitch their startup at the event, Capital One and Next Gen created opportunities for personal and professional development. Capital One associates Lisa Ford, Morgan Brandt, Amanda Cronin, Patrick Reen, and Adam Davis served as competition mentors, working through one-on-one feedback with ambitious founders. Simultaneously, Capital One associates Ryan Swartz and Rasheeda Creighton educated the entrepreneurial community through webinars on various business aspects. Finally, Capital One executives Jennifer Windbeck and Sunjay Pandey shed light on their personal career journeys. 

Praising the success of the partnership, Next Gen Co-founders Justin Lafazan and Dylan Gambardella said: “Capital One’s support of small business and entrepreneurship is extraordinary. We are proud to partner with an organization committed to the success of the next generation of leaders.” 

Co-founder of SportsVest and senior at the University of Pennsylvania, Next Gen @ Philadelphia attendee Ben Danzger attributes the partnership to newfound inspiration. “Thanks to mentorship from Capital One and the entire conference experience, I have decided to pursue my startup and continue growing my entrepreneurial dreams.” 

Event speakers included Wayne Kimmel of SeventySix Capital, Jess Edelstein of PiperWai, Adrian France of Odyssey, Antonia Dean of Venture for America, Nick Pirollo of First Republic, and Zak Slayback of GAL. Dorm Room Fund, Rough Draft Ventures and Contrary Capital joined dozens of investors and mentors in supporting the event participants. From Capital One, Jay Michelini and Marcin Bielecki served as ‘Office Hours’ mentors, and Tom Houlihan joined as a Judge in the Pitch Competition. Amelie-Sophie Vavrovsky walked away as the Next Gen @ Philadelphia PITCH! Winner for her startup Formally, which streamlines the immigration application process online. 

At the event, Nassau County Legislature Joshua A. Lafazan presented Joe Westcott and Jenn Walters-Michalec, representing Capital One with an official state proclamation, recognizing their service in supporting youth. 

To learn more about the event and its partnership, visit Next Gen’s website at https://www.ngsummit.com/philadelphia.

About Next Gen: 

Next Gen Summit is the premier community and conference for young entrepreneurs, as well as a global network of the brightest millennials. With a direct reach to 5,000+ founders, hundreds of college campuses, and millions of online viewers/followers, Next Gen curates this talented group and brings them together to connect, collaborate and inspire each other. 

Next Gen aims to connect this community with the resources necessary for entrepreneurial success, including funding, mentorship, educational opportunities, and more. The 2018 Next Gen Summit in NYC featured nearly 800 participants selected from thousands of applications, and over 150 speakers and mentors including the founders of Rotten Tomatoes, Priceline, Modell’s Sporting Goods, and more: www.NGSummit.com

About Capital One: 

Capital One Financial Corporation, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a Fortune 500 company with branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Its subsidiaries, Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. We apply the same principles of innovation, collaboration and empowerment in our commitment to our communities across the country that we do in our business. We recognize that helping to build strong and healthy communities – good places to work, good places to do business and good places to raise families – benefits us all and we are proud to support this and other community initiatives: www.capitaloneinvestingforgood.com 

Press Contact:

Haley Hoffman Smith 
Next Gen Director of Community 
[email protected]

Media Contact
Company Name: Next Gen Summit
Contact Person: Haley Hoffman Smith
Email: Send Email
Phone: 8449309323
Country: United States
Website: https://www.ngsummit.com/

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