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EDGE Fellows – sparking profitable business growth

August 1, 2023

Congratulations to the Summer EDGE Fellows and mentors for another success year of helping companies to explore and validate growth opportunities!  Each summer EDGE engages talented students and experienced business mentors in cross-functional teams.  Students access to university databases, gain valuable insights in working with experienced business mentors as well as conducting primary and secondary market research as students.  This summer students even applied the A.I. in each of their research efforts. Ultimately each team of Fellows provides a comprehensive report and a final presentation to senior leaders with recommended action steps based on well-supported industry evidence.

Participating companies in 2023:  Chemical MethodsDuramax MarineIntellitronixKent Adhesive Products (KAPCO), and Packaging Tech LLC.

LinkedIn Post

EDGE Fellows share short presentations on their findings, too.

In addition, EDGE is committed to helping Fellows develop their professional networks, foster personal development and expose them to professionals throughout NE Ohio (and beyond). While the work experience is great, students frequently talk about the access to quality mentoring and professional/personal networking throughout the summer as differentiators in this internship.

Impact:  Sparking profitable business growth

  • Well over 50% of the projects studied over past 17 years have generated new investment and/or revenue for NE Ohio.
  • Over 50% of the students choose to stay and work in the area after graduation. 

Special thanks for support provided by:
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, The Harvard Business School Club of Northeastern Ohio and the Participating Companies.

About Program: The goal of the EDGE Fellows Program is to research the up-side potential for new business opportunities for area companies. Additionally, the program provides students with a truly unique consulting experience, connecting area companies with top talent from area universities and skilled business mentors. Started in 2007, the EDGE Fellows Program has explored 108 project ideas, and several projects led to multi-million-dollar business ventures.

Interested in learning more? Contact Chris Keller.