“It really is very organic and evolves as the program moves on,” Miller says. Some students come to Endevvr with very developed ideas they hope to turn into businesses. Others come in with nothing particular in mind other than to learn. And that mix is important, Miller says. One year, she encouraged a team of three students without a solid plan to brainstorm what they have in common— without worrying if it had anything to do with business. It turned out that all three teens had a relative on the autism spectrum. This common bond ultimately sparked their business idea: a company that provides travel experiences geared specifically toward people with autism and their families. Miller says she always asks her Endevvr students to identify the problem that they’re trying to solve—a lesson she credits as one of the biggest takeaways from her education at Tech. “ There’s a problem-solving mentality that’s absolutely instilled in Georgia Tech students and was definitely instilled in me,” Miller says. “It’s something I try to instill in my students at Endevvr, too. So there’s a ripple effect there.” Miller doesn’t just talk the talk. Asking herself that same question led to the development of Endevvr. “For me it was never ‘Gosh, I want to be an entrepreneur.’ It was, ‘What is the problem I’m trying to solve and what’s the best way to solve it?’” Though she has been working as a business consultant while dreaming up and implementing Endevvr these past few years, the program’s startup curricula finally rubbed off on her. She recently joined a startup company called Vega Factor that uses everything from the chaos theory of mathematics to the latest psychological research to study what creates a successful business culture. Still, just as she has for the past two years, Miller is looking forward to spending this summer helping teach teens how to become entrepreneurs.
∏ Top: Mary Winn Miller, IE 07, the co-founder of Endevvr. Bottom: Endevvr participants get real-world experience pitching their startups to investors. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 91 NO.2 2015
0 3 5