The founders of Grooveshark and other successful entrepreneurs who have ties to UF will participate in a forum today to discuss how they opened their businesses.
The Student Entrepreneurs Forum, which will be held in Bryan Hall 232 from 5:30 p.m. To 7:30 p.m., comes at a time when, according to the Department of Labor, the national unemployment rate is creeping up to nearly 10 percent.
Kyle Futch, project captain, said he is excited for Grooveshark’s founders to participate because the online music service is such a hit with UF students.
Josh Greenberg, co-founder of Grooveshark and vice president of products, said he hopes to help young entrepreneurs by sharing some of the experiences he’s had while financing and managing his company during the last four years.
“The time I spent at UF showed me how much talent there is in Gainesville, and gave me inspiration for being able to operate a tech company outside of the traditionally tech-centric regions of the country,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg thinks even in such a rough economy, younger people are more inclined to take leaps of faith to pursue their dreams.
Futch said he hopes the looming knowledge of near-double-digit unemployment rates will attract more students to the event as he added the theme for this year’s program is UF students’ success in opening their own businesses.
Each of the five speakers at today’s moderated panel either graduated from or currently attends UF.
The other businesses represented are Fracture, a company that prints images onto glass; Student Maid, a cleaning service; and Kids for Karate, a non-profit organization that teaches underprivileged children.
None of the companies were paid.
Students in Free Enterprise, the UF organization that is sponsoring the event, is an international organization that promotes student leadership in business.
Students who want to attend should e-mail sife.entrepreneurship@gmail.com to ensure a reservation.
