News-Gazette Profiles Entrepreneurship Ecosystem at Illinois
The entrepreneurship ecosystem at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has robust resources for students, The News-Gazette has learned.
Ferritiva, a startup that has advanced through the pipeline and has operations at EnterpriseWorks, is highlighted in the story.
‘But the journey hasn’t always been smooth, said co-founder Jeffrey Lu, now a student at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. He recalled a “botched” pitch he made at a recent event, where he didn’t even finish what he’d prepared.
What he learned: Trust the people who work with him. At a recent showcase, he delivered his pitch alongside his team.
“It’s a process of failure,” he said. “You gotta embrace it. Be proud of your idea, talk to people and be very open to feedback. People are going to bring perspectives you don’t have yourself.” ‘