Five University of Memphis students have been selected for the first class of Entrepreneurship Fellows by the
FedEx Institute of Technology (FIT) at the University of Memphis: Morgan Steffy for computer science, Sankaet Pathak for computer engineering, Kait Redick for marketing management, Steven Whitney for management, Kevan Hatamzadeh for finance and Cole Roe for political science.
"It's an amazing opportunity," says Pathak, founder of the new start-up
SynapsePay, which offers merchants a less costly, secure mobile payment process. "I am excited and looking forward to working with other aspiring fellow entreprenuers."
Each Fellow gets a stipend to work at the FIT's
Crews Center for Entrepreneurship to develop a high-growth-potential start-up, and each will be eligible to maintain the Fellowship until they earn their bachelor's degrees.
"When we announced the opportunity to apply for this fellowship, we were thrilled to receive so many strong applications," says Kevin Boggs, FIT Interim Executive Director, in a statement. "Our selection committee, which included experienced entrepreneurs from our community as well as U of M faculty and administrators, was impressed with the 10 candidates that they interviewed. We are honored to be able to support these budding entrepreneurs so that they can complete their degrees while building the foundations for high-growth companies."
The Fellows will work closely with Crews Center Director Mike Hoffmeyer to develop into key members of the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Memphis and in Memphis and Shelby County.
The next opportunity to apply for the fellowship will be announced in spring 2015, and the program is open to University of Memphis students who are at least juniors and have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
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