Student Entrepreneurship Club Wins Campus Sammy Awards

UMass Amherst’s Entrepreneurship Club won two awards at the 15^th annual student-run Sammy Awards ceremony—livestreamed on Instagram because of the coronavirus pandemic—on April 17. On top of receiving the Outstanding Recreation Student Org Award for the second year in a row, the Entrepreneurship Club also took home the Campus Impact Award, which recognizes an innovative initiative that has had a positive effect on the university.

Among the 30-40 members who regularly attend meetings of the club, which is supported by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, 15-20 are Isenberg students. The club fosters student entrepreneurship through a mix of startup events, networking, and guest entrepreneurs from many walks of business.

“I believe the club’s award was attributable to our ability to attract diverse students and develop a strong, meaningful community looking to change the world,” notes OIM major Max Breslau, one of two copresidents (pictured, front row at left). “The award recognizes what the club is capable of and the tenacity of our board and ambassador team, who work so hard to form this community.”  The club’s most impactful event, he adds, is ULaunch, a 2-day hackathon where entrepreneurial students form teams and compete for over $1,000 in prizes. The goal, he says, is to create startups in just one weekend.

“When the school moved to online learning, so did we,” Breslau continues. “It gave us an opportunity to reach out to entrepreneurs beyond the Amherst area as guest speakers. That would have been unlikely without the online medium.  Our virtual meetings also allowed our community to remain intact and to progress.”