Newsletter

where entrepreneurship can thrive  Monday October 5th, 2020  Theme: Impact Investing • Learn more here • Follow us on Instagram • Contact us at bobcatventures@bates.edu  “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Warren Buffet  Dear Bobcat Ventures,  This week we sat down with Omar Sarr (‘23) who started Teranga Invest: “an investment research and marketing organization that aims to promote diaspora-investment in Senegal and help scale up local businesses through diaspora financing.” To read more about his fascinating work, keep scrolling, or listen here.  We thought this presented an opportune moment to think about “Impact Investing.” Impact Investing aims to provide capital that addresses social/ environmental issues. Essentially, investors make impact investments to unleash the power of capital for good, while also generating a financial return. The impact investing market has seen an uptick in recent years, and presents many opportunities for investors who are interested in seeing measurable positive social and environmental change.  To learn more about Impact Investing, click here.  We will be in touch — and soon we will be able to reveal the identity of our fantastic fall speaker, and an exciting first workshop we are planning. Stay Tuned!  To the innovators of tomorrow – All the Best,  Kerry Manuel ‘21 Andres Carranza Betancourt ‘21 Marianne Cowan ’92 (PW) Peter Osborne (PW)  What is Bobcat Ventures? – a reminder:  Partnered with Purposeful Work, Bobcat Ventures is a group at Bates for student entrepreneurs and those who want to learn more about entrepreneurship. Bobcat Ventures is a place where innovative minds can collaborate to build businesses and come up with creative solutions to solve problems. Bobcat Ventures hosts a pitch competition in April where students can win $15,000 for their business or business idea.  Throughout the year you will have opportunities to:  Network with successful Bates entrepreneursListen to captivating speakers Participate in a number of workshops relating to EntrepreneurshipGain valuable tools for starting a businessWork on your presentation skills  Learn more about us here.  Want to get involved?  Please fill out this survey to let us know you are interested. We will be in touch shortly to start planning our workshops and speaker series.  SURVEY   This Week’s Spotlight Entrepreneur Omar Sarr (‘23) – Teranga Invest  “Teranga invest is an investment platform made for the diaspora. […] …because Africa is the future.”  Teranga Invest was founded this year by Omar Sarr (‘23) who, after seeing the resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement in March, wanted to find a way to continue bringing prosperity to his home-country of Senegal. Teranga Invest is “an investment research and marketing organization that aims to promote diaspora-investment in Senegal and help scale up local businesses through diaspora financing.”  When asked about where the name “Teranga” came from, Omar said:  “Terange means to feel welcome, and  we want to make sure when people from the diaspora want to invest in Senegal, they feel welcome and receive the best treatment.”  Since 2013, there has been a significant increase in the amount of money the diaspora is sending to Senegal. Because of this, Omar believes strongly in the future of Senegal.  Currently, Omar has six people in his team: 2 in Senegal, 2 in France, and 2 in the US. They are working on a strategy plan for 15 small businesses in Senegal — They have 6 investors from the diaspora, and they are making sure the businesses they advise them to invest in will be profitable in the future. Eventually he hopes to have a database full of enterprises and investors alike.   A lot of people have contacted Omar saying “this will work,” but he is still working on building the right relationships and finding the best resources to expand his outreach. In response to what other entrepreneurs should do to find the motivation to build a business, Omar said:  “You just have to start, and you will figure things out along the way.” Listen to the full interview here.  Follow Teranga Invest on Instagram, Here!  Internship Spotlight: – apply on Handshake!   CitiBank Early ID Leadership Spring Program Application Here; due Dec 7thWatson Institute Semester AcceleratorEmerging Industry – Sales Job (Cyber/Hacker Insurance) at Evolve MGAInternship – SEO and SMO Specialist Fall 2020 at CliffHanger AcademySales Development Representative at RingCentralInnovation Intern at GOALOOP – Connecting the World through GoalsHealthcare Innovation Fellowship (Full-Time) at OhanaHealthSync Licensing / Music Publishing Internship at Terrorbird Media In the Community  Opportunities at Amazon Varun Sunny Piplani’21 interned for Amazon Web Services (AWS) this past summer and accepted a full-time offer after graduation. He has shared with us a list of internship and full time opportunities at Amazon. Sunny will be working as a Lead Development Representative for the Worldwide Public Sector for AWS. Feel free to reach out to him at vpiplani@bates.edu Jobs Retail Undergraduate Program 2021 (Entry-Level)Undergraduate Candidates – Amazon Finance Rotation Program (AFRP)Amazon Operations Finance Rotational Program 2021 (Entry-Level)Finance and Accounting (AFRP) Full Time Positions 2021UX Designer 2021UX Researcher 2021 Intern AWS Sales Internship – Undergraduate2021 Business Analyst InternMarketing Internship Summer 2021Finance and Accounting Undergrad Internship 2021Amazon Operations Finance Rotational Program 2021 (Interns)Business Intelligence Engineer Internship – Summer 2021 (US)UX Design Intern 2021 2020 Presidential Debate Series The Departments of Politics and Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies, the Office of Campus Life, the Office of Intercultural Education, the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, and the Office of the Dean of Students and Vice President of Campus Life are proud to present the 2020 Presidential Debate Series.For each screening opportunity, doors open at 8:00pm, and the debate starts at 9:00pm. The debate will be screened via PBS NewsHour. Tickets are free, but required. More information here In the News  President Trump left Walter Reed Hospital Monday for the White House where he will continue treatment for Covid-19Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded for discovery of Hepatitis C virus Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin continue fiscal stimulus talks. Stocks rally on expectationsTrump administration steps up efforts to counter Chinese dominance of key minerals used in electric cars and phones  Don’t Miss out!  MCED Life Sciences Innovation Summit (for students interested in life sciences and entrepreneurship); more info & registration here Greenlight Maine Collegiate Business Pitch Competition is accepting applications until October 30th, 2020. See more information here Check out this FREE online entrepreneurship class Data and Digital Scholarship Workshops; find info here Proposals for the $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace; due January 8th Marianne recommends the Biz-Bytez newsletter. You can sign up here  Looking Ahead  Oct. 5thEarly Voting Starts in MaineOct. 7thVice Presidential DebateOct. 13th Module A Classes EndTBDFall Speaker Series Oct. 19thModule B Classes Begin Nov. 3rd2020 Presidential Election Nov. 24th Last day of classes prior to Thanksgiving Recess (finish Module B remotely) Spring, 2021 Bobcat Ventures Pitch Competition Have some time to spare?  What we are reading: Is it Insane to Start A Business During Coronavirus?  What we are listening to: Conversations with Tyler Podcast What we are watching: Undercover Boss  Who are We? – A Refresher  Marianne Cowen  mcowan@bates.edu  Marianne has been an advisor to Bobcat Ventures since its founding. Within Purposeful Work, Marianne provides guidance to students early in the process of exploring work and career trajectories, connecting their Bates education and experiences to create a path toward meaningful work. She also counsels students interested in business, finance, entrepreneurship, nonprofit and social services. Prior to her work as a member of the original Purposeful Work Design Team, Marianne served many years in senior alumni relations and fundraising roles at Bates and supported public health startup programs, faculty development and grant writing at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Buffalo and a B.A. from Bates. Peter Osborne  posborne@bates.edu  Peter has been an advisor to Bobcat Ventures since 2018. Within Purposeful Work, Peter advises students and alumni at all stages of their personal career exploration and development, as well as those with particular interests in government, policy, education, social impact, and law school. He enjoys supporting students as they explore career interests; apply for internships, jobs, or graduate school; or prepare for interviews; and has an especially soft spot for well-written cover letters. Peter holds a B.S. in secondary education from the University of Maine at Farmington and an M.S. in adult and higher education from the University of Southern Maine, and is a Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) by the National Career Development Association.  Andres Carranza Betancourt ‘21 jcarranz@bates.edu Andres Carranza Betancourt is a senior double majoring in Economics and Politics. An international student from El Salvador, Andres joined Bobcat Ventures as a leadership advisor in 2019. A former Purposeful Work Student Fellow, Andres has experience in career advisory and is passionate about networking and connecting Bates students with fellow alumni. Andres spent his freshmen and sophomore summers working in the think tank industry, at FUSADES back in El Salvador, and at the Cato Institute in Washington D.C, respectively. Last summer, Andres interned as a Sales & Trading analyst at Citi and has accepted a full-time position after graduation. International affairs, sports, historical fiction and cancer advocacy are amongst Andres main interests. Kerry Manuel ‘21  kmanuel@bates.edu  Kerry Manuel is a senior majoring in Politics. From Andover, Massachusetts, Kerry joined Bobcat Ventures as a leadership advisor in 2019. At Bates, she is on the Student Advisory Committee, serves as a Community Engagement Fellow, works as a tour guide and DCS TA, and is a co-leader of Bates Builds. Kerry spent her sophomore summer working for her state’s Governor and her junior summer interning in the investment banking division at Barclays Bank, where she has accepted a full-time position after she graduates. Community engaged work, traveling, and keeping up with the news are amongst Kerry’s interests.  Have an idea? Any notable news you want us to highlight in our next newsletter?  Submit it HERE.