On April 10-11, approximately 140 graduates returned to West Point for a networking dinner followed by a full day of panels, pitches, and practical tips at the second West Point Association of Graduates Entrepreneur Summit. According to Guy Filippelli ’97, 2019 WPAOG Entrepreneur Summit Chair, the attendees of the summit were a mix of aspiring entrepreneurs, experienced CEOs, investors, and service providers, but they all came to be inspired in their business ventures and to form new avenues for partnership and collaboration with other members of the Long Gray Line. [SEE PHOTOS]
The idea for an Entrepreneur Summit began with Doug Doan ’79 and some other members of his class. “We saw a group of young entrepreneurs made up of service academy graduates, the quality of whom was greater than any of us, but they were not being valued by the investment community,” said Doan. “We agreed that we will exclusively invest in their young companies, but, more than money, we also agreed to mentor them, knowing that the leadership training they received at West Point and the skills they gained in the military made them better equipped and better prepared to run and grow a company than anybody else on the planet.” The idea of providing money and mentorship to young grad entrepreneurs led to the first WPAOG Entrepreneur Summit in October 2017. Read more.