The Samford Startup student-led business incubator program has announced its cohort for the 2024-25 academic year. Through the program housed in Samford University’s Brock School of Business, students learn more about launching, growing and scaling new business. Students also gain a first-hand understanding of how to fully embrace an entrepreneurial mindset, enabling them to expand upon their creativity and develop problem solving skills by facing the issues and uncertainties of entrepreneurship.
 
As a significant display of Samford’s commitment to experiential learning, each student in the incubator program is operating their own business.
 
The cohort allows these ambitious students to strategically work on the planning and execution of their business. Working alongside other student-entrepreneurs provides emotional and cognitive support as well as a degree of accountability. The program also provides resources like networking events, mentoring opportunities, opportunities to compete for extra funding, and physical space to work on their business.
 

This year's cohort includes:

Emma Ferrante, Art by Emma
Mallory Matthews, Mementos by Mallory
Andrew Myers, J.A. Myers
Sam Wilkerson, Heart to Hand
Maggie Corbitt, Corbitt & Co. Lakeside Apparel and Gear LLC
Raynier Diaz, Workbench
Claire Lankford, With love, Lank LLC
Alex Dickey, DormVault
Camron Glover, Collegiate Bed Loft Company
Grayson Birch and Luke Ferris, Variety Washing
Caidan Maddux and Quinten Hall, Laudem Dei
 
Emma Ferrante, a senior graphic design major in the School of the Arts, credits the Samford Startup program and Mazzei with providing a program that allows for professional and personal growth.
 
"The Samford Startup program has provided me with an environment of hard workers and go-getters. The people surrounding me have made me set higher goals and believe in myself more because of their encouragement. They are the people who turn the 'What-ifs?' into the 'Let’s begin.' Dr. Mazzei has also pushed me in my growth as an individual, encouraging me in all aspects as an innovator. The space that I have been provided as well as the funding contribute to my weekly success."
 
“We are excited for another year of our Samford Startup program,” said Mazzei. “We celebrated our 10-year anniversary for the incubator programming last year and look forward to opening new physical space for our student-entrepreneurs in Cooney Hall in Spring 2025. We have a creative and motivated group this year, our largest ever, and I’m excited to support them as they pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions.”
 
Residency in the Samford Startup space is open to all Samford University students—business and nonbusiness majors. The Samford Startup provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for students and is a testament to why The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse has ranked Samford No. 8 in the nation for career preparation.
 
Learn more about the 2024-25 Samford Startup cohort at samford.edu/go/startup.