2018 Nonprofit of the Quarter- Institute of Entrepreneurship & Leadership

1. What is the mission and vision of IEL?

• Our Mission
  • To develop technology and entrepreneur leaders who, through commerce, usher solutions that solve problems and meet the needs of others
• Our Vision
  • End poverty through entrepreneurship
  • Increase diversity in the tech economy (entrepreneurship and employment)

2. Tell us more about your pillars of Entrepreneurship and how you work to instill them within your Community.

We believe the four pillars of entrepreneurship are game changers in anyone’s life. We further understand that understanding money is the cornerstone to having a successful life.  We teach all of our students about money, how to manage it and what to do with it.  We reiterate that money follows the path of least resistance, when it is not told where to go.  Additionally, we facilitate workshops which force our students to introspectively assess themselves, leading to an understanding of who they are and ultimately their purpose. We believe entrepreneurship is the key to eradicating poverty.  We train our students to launch businesses that yield profits with small financial investments. By having students define the problem they are addressing in their communities with their business idea’s we are teaching individuals to transform the world around them.  What’s more, we believe that every employee is an entrepreneur with one client which makes our training versatile and useful for everyone.  The four pillars of entrepreneurship are:

1. Understand Money

1. • If people do not know how to handle their personal finances, they will have issues with their business finances.
   • A fool and his money will surely part, so it is important that entrepreneurs understand money and its place in their life.
   • Generated wealth will not endure if wisdom is not exercised over the handling of finances.
2. Know Individual Purpose
   • To be poor is to have little and to have no hope of more.
   • Poverty is a mindset with symptoms of lack and greed.
   • Without a mindset to change, people will always need help and support, instead of becoming self-sufficient.
   • Understanding that one can be a part of his/her own solution and discovering his/her place in society (one’s purpose) is a key to bringing about this mindset shift.
3. Start Businesses/Career
   • Once money is understood and purpose is known, now individuals will be able to start solid businesses – purpose-driven businesses.
   • Businesses exist for two reasons and two reasons only…to solve problems and to provide a platform for individuals to fulfill their life’s purpose. The better businesses are at doing these two things and telling others about them, the more money they will make.
   • Run Businesses Effectively & Excel in Career
   • Running a business is not the same as starting a business. The new businesses will now need support.  Use processes that have already been tried and tested.
4. Leave a Legacy
   • A wise person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.
   • The cycle of poverty will be ended by ensuring that the children of the once poor do not become poor.

3. What are your upcoming short-term and long-term goals? How does the IEL model work?

Our short-term goals are:

1. Train, certify, mentor, provide internships for and place 120 long-term unemployed or underemployed individuals into a tech career
2. Start or grow 30 new businesses
3. Increase collaboration with organizations with overlapping mandates
4. Increase our brand awareness

Our long-term goals are:

1. End poverty through entrepreneurship
2. Increase the diversity in the tech economy
3. Connect our entrepreneurs with existing funding sources.

IEL has two tracks, entrepreneurship (called Bootstrap Bootcamp) and tech career (called Tech Bootcamp).

Bootstrap Bootcamp helps new and existing entrepreneurs start and grow their business in a practical way. Bootstrap Bootcamp is for all types of businesses.

Tech Bootcamp trains and mentors anyone who wants to start a career in any of the software development team roles (such as developer, UI, UX, QA, BA, PM). Whether no experience or some experience, Tech Bootcamp is that last mile from training to an empowered career in tech.

4. The boot camp offerings are quite appealing and highly necessary as we are seeing a clear shortage of skilled workers for open positions. How can individuals enroll and what are the associated costs?

Interested individuals can visit our website at ieleadership.org/register to register for our courses.

Tech Bootcamp scholarships are available for qualified unemployed/underemployed RI residents.

We are actively pursuing funding sources to expand our scholarship opportunities to anyone not meeting the aforementioned criteria.

Costs:

Bootstrap Bootcamp – $397

Tech Bootcamp – “Key Skills for Career Success” and “Designing and Scoping Tech Projects” – $397 each, Fast Track to a Software Career – $4,200

5. How are you working with the State of RI to foster innovation and safeguard the future leadership of our state?

Tech Bootcamp is currently funded by a Tech Force contract with Workforce Solutions Providence/Cranston. Tech Force Rhode Island is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. Funds were awarded to Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston with partnering agency Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island.

We are actively working to build collaborative relationships with other organizations, city and state offices. As a newcomer, it’s not always easy to get a seat at the table but we trust that our model of open collaboration, hands-on practical training and mentorship delivered by real entrepreneurs and tech practitioners will create an environment for some amazing solutions.

7. How can the community get further involved and support your initiative?

Bootstrap Bootcamp – Learn, do, now

We are always looking for brand ambassadors, funders and mentors.

Tech Bootcamp –

We are always looking for brand ambassadors, funders, mentors, hiring businesses and business offering internships. We love feedback and working together others to achieve common goals.

We are mind changers.
Innovative. Creative. Entrepreneurial.

We are passionate problem solvers
with super powers to create the future with ones and zeroes.

We welcome all to partner with us on our liberating journey in tech to benefit each, and all.

The future is geek.

8. Where can we learn more about IEL?

You can learn about IEL by visiting our website at ieleadership.org, calling us at 401-404-4290 or by scheduling a tour of our space where you’ll get to meet the team by contacting [email protected].