History
The Vanderbilt Innovation and Entrepreneurship Society was formed in March 2013 by a group of students that sought to bridge the gap between Vanderbilt students and the Nashville entrepreneurship community.
Since then, we have grown to an organization with over 400 members, comprising of engineers, business majors, writers, programmers, artists, and students who are generally interested in and passionate about innovation.
Mission
To serve as an educational resource for students of Vanderbilt University with an interest in entrepreneurship or innovation;
To act as a liaison between Vanderbilt University students and Vanderbilt University faculty, Vanderbilt University staff, outside organizations, companies, and individuals;
To inspire and support student involvement in entrepreneurial endeavors;
To foster the growth of an entrepreneurial community of students, faculty, and supporters;
To accommodate meaningful communication and collaboration amongst this community.
Regular Gatherings
VINES regularly holds gatherings throughout the year to help us stay connected. These give an opportunity to share time and ideas with other, like-minded people, and are open to all interested people.
Events
Our events are designed to promote our mission statement. We regularly host guest speakers, including founders of Everly and Emma, both Vanderbilt alumnae, and the Co-Founder of Reddit, Alexis O’Hanian.
We also organize workshops and business pitch competitions to foster collaboration, hands-on learning, and to encourage students to take their ideas into their own hands.
We have held our annual weekend accelerators, called either 48 Hour Launch or 3-Day Startup, collaborations between VINES, the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, the Nashville Mayor’s Office, national non-profit organization 3-Day Startup, and others. Dozens of students have came together to work with mentors to bring their ideas from the initial development phase to a point they were able to launch their business.
We will hold many events like this, as well as other networking events, to further encourage and inspire students to innovate, and integrate with the Nashville community.