This fall, E&I welcomed a new entrepreneur in residence to campus. Hailing from Kelty, Fife, Scotland, Reece Wilson’s entrepreneurial journey began as a first-year student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.
Journey as a Student Entrepreneur:
In a conversation discussing their shared experience of struggling with time management, Wilson and his peers came up with the idea for UTime: an automated scheduling app for college students.
They decided to take the idea to the Hobart and William Smith incubator program through the Centennial Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. From there, Wilson and his team took part in the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Todd Feldman ’89 Pitch Competition, where they were finalists. The competition awarded the winning team $10,000 to support their venture.
“While we didn't win the competition,” Wilson begins, “we went on to raise $60,000 in startup capital from early-stage angel investors. Additionally, we became the first student run startup to earn position in the Launch NY (early-stage VC out of Buffalo, NY) Founders Go Big Program.”
“We developed relationships with amazing alumni mentors, all of which are my mentors to this day,” Wilson says.
Why Colgate:
Wilson learned about the role of EIR this past summer, after his manager, Anne Marie Luce, attended a conference where she met Carolyn Strobel-Larsen and Christian Vischi. Luce informed Wilson of the opportunity and submitted a recommendation on his behalf.
“I did not know about the program at Colgate but was really excited by everything E&I was doing and couldn’t be happier to join the team,” says Wilson.
Serving as the entrepreneurship intern for the Centennial Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation in his senior year of college, this was an ideal transition for Wilson.
Wilson’s Dynamic Role:
For Wilson, every day is an opportunity to inspire, innovate, and make a lasting impact.
He engages in regular meetings with student founders, where he offers invaluable guidance and support to help their emerging ventures thrive. Wilson is equally committed to connecting with alumni mentors, eagerly discussing their teams’ progress and exploring innovative ways to enhance programming for students.
Much of his time is dedicated to developing and implementing additional resources for student entrepreneurs, ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed.
Additionally, Wilson leads a dedicated team of student peer advisors, collaborating closely with them to provide extra support for TIA Incubator participants and co-facilitating Entrepreneurship Wednesday sessions. Reece recently implemented new programming around this initiative, prioritizing the student experience and introducing stronger framework to support their development process.
“I want to ensure that the students feel like they are getting the most value possible out of TIA and am going to be working with them to continue building an exceptional program,” explains Wilson.
“At our core, we are completely student focused and want to help them build the skills that will propel them to success post-graduation.”
Meeting the needs of all the ventures in the program can be challenging, but Wilson emphasizes that it has become an important learning experience for him.
“It is also very exciting because I’m constantly learning and seeking to acquire new skills to provide the best possible support to our ventures,” states Wilson.
Entrepreneurship’s Value:
In highlighting the significance of entrepreneurship programs on campus, Wilson shares some insightful thoughts: “The skills you learn as an entrepreneur are not exclusive to business owners,” began Wilson.
“Ultimately, wherever your path takes you after Colgate, the skills you learn as an entrepreneur in TIA are transferable to any field and any position,” says Wilson.
Wilson feels passionately about entrepreneurship programs on college campuses and acknowledges that the experience is valuable in teaching students the fundamentals of building strong relationships, networking, and pitching to a variety of stakeholders.
Wilson’s Commitment to Mentorship:
Outside of his role as EIR, Wilson is currently working on developing a platform to connect disadvantaged high school students across the United Kingdom with mentors in leading universities and organizations.
“I was inspired by my own upbringing. I became the first member of my family to graduate high school and was fortunate enough to receive a Fulbright scholarship to attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges. I have come to understand the importance of mentorship and have developed an amazing network that has supported me in getting to where I am today. My goal is to help others access life-changing opportunities through the power of great mentorship,” explains Wilson.
Words of Wisdom:
In Wilson’s words: Just start—if you feel like you have a great idea, do something about it.
“I feel like most people waste their ideas by refusing to act on them or convincing themselves that they can’t be an entrepreneur. If you have an idea and are enthusiastic about it, go and start speaking to potential customers and begin trying to turn it into something real. Being an entrepreneur is all about testing and learning through doing, and that’s how our ventures do it in TIA,” says Wilson.
“Knowledge beats belief every time.”