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-   -   Is business too overlooked by FIRST? (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129213)

Conor Ryan 05-05-2014 15:04

Re: Is business too overlooked by FIRST?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan Norris (Post 1382826)
YES! I believe that FIRST needs to have a bigger emphasis on entrepreneurship. STEM shouldn't be just about getting a better job, we should inspire our incredible students to start companies and create NEW jobs.

610 has had a great history of helping to develop great entrepreneaurs, the founder of Kik (Canada's largest consumer tech startup), one of the founders of BufferBox (YC, acquired by Google), and all 4 co-founders of my startup Taplytics (YC) are all 610 alumni. And I know there are many other FIRST alumni who have started great companies and are very senior employees at great companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple. I've been saying for years that the experience of building a FRC robot directly relates to building a startup. We need to do a better job of inspiring our students to start great new companies.

Edit: Almost forgot, a talented group of current 610 students are well on their way to adding to that list with Nimja, here is their thank you video.

Now this is the type of Business FIRST needs to encourage.

Startups Are Cool. FIRST is Cool.

FIRST = Startups? Fastest way FIRST can start changing the world.

SpaceBiz 14-07-2014 17:33

This is how I see it

One of the major problems FIRST has is teams that are unable to continue existing because of lack of funds.

If the business side of FIRST is emphasized more, so that teams put a larger focus on business, teams will be more self sufficient, less likely to fail, and able to start more first teams in their communities.

Another often overlooked major advantage to business is sponsorship money. If becoming a sponsor means something other than helping stem grow, but helping other fields as well, non stem charities will be more likley to help fund first.

With the growth of first we have seen in the past 22 years, hopefully sponsorship will also improve corporate visibility, so that companies see supporting first as an investment more than a charitable action. When this happens (it already is) it will be important to have many business people on each team to represent each team, and first, well.

One big step first can make, is having the entrepreneurship award qualify teams for worlds, so business will be taken more seriously among first teams. FIRST is already making worlds larger next year so the extra teams need a way to qualify anyway.

jpetito 14-07-2014 20:36

Re: Is business too overlooked by FIRST?
 
I'm not the first to say it, but unlike the sports programs promoted in most schools, every kid in FRC or some other robot program is gonna be a professional somewhere in the business world. The kid who does not go to the university will still go pro in some area of the business/workplace. We give them skills to accomplish the daily needs of life no matter the direction they finally go.

We get a lot of money to run our team (1197) from local business small and large. I think this business connectivity (not merely the engineering side) could be pulled into the education aspect and provide more opportunity during the school day, and afterwards as well.

Citrus Dad 16-07-2014 18:06

Re: Is business too overlooked by FIRST?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by jpetito (Post 1393170)
I'm not the first to say it, but unlike the sports programs promoted in most schools, every kid in FRC or some other robot program is gonna be a professional somewhere in the business world. The kid who does not go to the university will still go pro in some area of the business/workplace. We give them skills to accomplish the daily needs of life no matter the direction they finally go.

I've thought that FIRST should take page from the various advertisers who riffed on the "got milk?" tag line. FIRST would should take off the NCAA ad: "Going pro in something OTHER than sport." Instead FIRST should should say: "Going pro in in their passion" or something along that line. Could use the same voice over announcer to highlight the parallel.


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