Page 50 - Cumming NCG 2016

Economic Development

Cumming- The Chamber also works with the University
Forsyth County of North Georgia’s Center for the Future of North
Georgia in the Mike Cottrell College of Business
new spawning ground to promote entrepreneurship and new business
for startups ventures throughout North Georgia. The Cottrell
College of Business in 2015 began offering a
minor in entrepreneurship, and UNG initiated its
own Startup UNG venture to meet the needs of
students who have new business ideas and need
help taking those ideas to market.
The first ever “Startitup Conference” took
place in Cumming in October 2015 at the
Center for the Future of North Georgia. Speakers
included BusinessWeek’s #1 Entrepreneur Under
25 Johnny “Cupcakes” Earle; Yik Yak social app
CTO Tom Chernetsky; Reach Records marketing
communications and social media directors Katie
Dicke and Marcus Hollinger; and the “Lil’ Ice Cream
Dude,” 11-year-old Beau Shell, entrepreneur and the
youngest Zagat 30 Under 30 honoree ever.
These synergistic developments are quickly
establishing Cumming-Forsyth County as a hotbed
of startup and tech entrepreneurship.

>Startup Coffees
Find the next event on the Chamber’s website at
www.cummingforsythchamber.org.

>S tartup UNG
www.ung.edu/center-future-north-georgia/
startup

>E ntrepreneurship Minor at UNG
www.ung.edu/mike-cottrell-college-of-
business/academic-programs/
business-minors/entrepreneurship-minor

When you hear the word startup, you’re likely to think Silicon Valley,

Research Triangle, Austin, Boulder – and now, Cumming-Forsyth County.

With a strong business community, low living costs, and a well-educated

workforce, it’s no secret that Cumming-Forsyth County is a great place to

live and launch a startup business.

With the help and leadership creatives, and startups. Created by the Chamber,
of local entrepreneurs, the the Startup Coffee events provide participants with
Cumming-Forsyth County an opportunity to network with one another while
Chamber is working to create learning from a featured speaker who can assist
“an entrepreneurial ecosystem” them with growing their respective businesses.
in Forsyth County. Accelerating that process, Past startup speakers have included representatives
budding entrepreneurs now have access to the of the Georgia Department of Economic
advice and counsel of like-minded individuals Development, Fortune 500 executives and founders
through Startup Coffees, monthly meet-up of Atlanta- based startups.
sessions for the region’s entrepreneurs, techies,

46 Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce • 770-887-6461 • www.cummingforsythchamber.org