Business support & Entrepreneurship

Our community (Bronx) has an encouraging number of small businesses, usually operated by the owner/CEO and a few other helping hands. The struggle for such businesses is not having the resources necessary to compete in the internet or mobile application world of today. This presents a perfect opportunity to connect them with local young and tech savvy students or aspiring professionals without much experience or confidence, but with great potential.

The Bronx community has an amazing numbers of dynamic “go getters”, and “self-starters” which is the hallmark of a thriving immigrant community. This presents a perfect opportunity for entrepreneurship since those are essential characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. To address these opportunities, a program called Traincube was developed to provide unique training to connect local students, programmers and tech enthusiasts with businesses in the community. Trainees gain real life experience building software solutions directly for a business, while businesses gain access to the latest mobile and web technologies.

Training Programs

There is an enormous need for technical people in the United States. Locally, that burden is felt even deeper, not only because students need to “catch-up” in terms of academics but also because a degree in Computer Science or related fields is not enough. The fast pace of technology requires individuals to keep sharpening their skills and gain experience through self-learning, practice, and challenge. A hopeful candidate in the field needs to stay current with all relevant and emerging technologies to remain competitive. We spend a lot of time thinking about such problems and decided it was best to create a series of short “Challenges” to motivate trainees while at the same time preparing them to be competitive.

Traincube Mobile Challenge and Traincube Web Challenge are both examples of such program. These programs help trainees sharpen their skills and gain experience. The participants were trained on the skills required to build a project for a business. The motivation was to create a safe environment in which trainees can build their confidence and learn through practice. A side effect based on past results, has been that trainees also become more entrepreneurial.

Networking Event

Many people feel uncomfortable about social networking and find it challenging for several reasons. Typically, they are unsure of how to start a conversation with people they have just met and fear rejection. Members of minority groups face an even higher challenge due to the lack of professional networking opportunities. We set out to foster an environment where we celebrate diversity in technology while at the same time providing networking opportunities. The mission was to conquer fear and teach the benefits of networking. With the help of Google Developer Groups, O’Reilly book publishing, and other technical organizations in the community the Innovation Lab hosted several networking events. Four tech-oriented networking events were organized. In all, over 350 people have attended and fully participated in those networking 4 events. A “group field trip” on 18th March 2016 to an external networking event, the Launchpad Day Latino, was hosted at Google's NYC offices.

At each of these events, we instill the benefits of meeting and interacting with like-minded individuals. Each event was unique and had its own focus and agenda. The opportunity to learn from or work with others, create meaningful relationships as well as grow personally and professionally was at the core objective of all the networking events.

The Bronx Business Tech Incubator Clients

City Council funding has enabled Lehman College to lead initiatives such as:

• Incubator Clients Information
• SCPS Social Media
• Technology Traincubes. (E.g. Web Development)
• Computer Science After-School and Summer Program at Lehman High School
• Virtual Reality Training Academy- EON
• Scholarships to Computer Information Systems majors

Bronx Business Tech Incubators is a unique work space that provides extensive business support, counseling, and services for entrepreneurs from underserved communities.

11 startup businesses and entrepreneurs are currently using the incubator facilities, and we have room for more.

VR Training

As a result of City Council funding which made possible the renovation and development of CUNY on the Concourse Lehman College has been able to create an Information Technology Hub in the Bronx. The business incubators are part of Lehman’s multi-year vision which now includes a Virtual Reality Training Academy and Development Lab to train the borough’s growing sector of technology professionals. As industries continue to be disrupted by technological advances, new fields are emerging and workers will need retraining to adapt and stay competitive.

Augmented and Virtual Reality are some of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. These technologies are spreading far beyond the gaming world and into business and education, where it’s being used to train employees and better educate students. The Virtual Reality Training Academy and Development Lab at Lehman College (CUNY) teaches the skills needed to create Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality applications for industry and education covering many diverse fields, including: architecture, product visualization, game creation, multimedia design, and broadcast media. In this fast-track program, students receive 10 months of training, including 6 months working directly on real-life projects in different market segments.

Small Business Consulting Practice

• Small Business Consulting Practice Full Report
• Small Business Consulting Practice
• Small Business Consulting Practice, 2nd Cohort, student website
• Student video

As higher education continues to adapt to new expectations from students, hands-on (“experiential”) learning in business programs has become more important. Graduating students need to build skills, which can only be taught via experiential learning.

Using funding from the City Council, the Small Business Consulting Practice is designed to accommodate the demanding work and academic schedules of 30 accounting and business students, divided into two cohorts. The program, managed by the Department of Economics and Business, is training the cohorts in marketing (including social media), procurement of government contracts, Excel, PowerPoint and providing them with the opportunity to work with small businesses, chosen and supported by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

CS Training

Lehman High School hosted a computer science and coding afterschool program.

The program was run collaboratively by Lehman College and Code/interactive, a proven leader in computer science education. It was an immersive program that focused on web development (HTML, CSS), programming (Scratch, JavaScript), and technology entrepreneurship. One of the goals of the program was to prepare students interested in this subject to take AP computer science courses in high school. An additional goal of the program was to prepare the students to study computer science at Lehman College as a College Now course (pending CUNY approval) offered through CUNY and taught by Code/Interactive.

Scholarships Programs

Scholarships for A+ technician and Certified Networking Academy were offered to 21 students during summer, fall 2017 and spring 2018. The selection and evaluation was based on CIS major students’ Number of Credits and GPA within the required courses. Below listed students were invited to receive the scholarship.

Number one criterion was that the selected students should have completed the course and to take and pass the certification. All 21 students have been notified and confirmed their interest in the course.

Impact of City Council funding

For the past three years Lehman College’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies has received funding from New York City Council to set up and maintain a Business Tech Center in the Bronx for tech freelancers, local small business, and entrepreneurs from underserved communities.

Virtual Reality Training Cohorts – Where are they now?

We gratefully acknowledge EON Reality, Councilmember Andrew Cohen, New York City Council, New York University’s Media Lab and R-Lab, Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Economic Development Corporation and Ronald M. Bergmann, Chief Information Officer of Lehman College and Vice President of the Information Technology Department, for their partnership and contribution towards our program’s success.

Small Business Consulting Practice (SBCP), 2nd Cohort final report

Lehman is committed to providing the highest quality education in a caring and supportive environment where respect, integrity, inquiry, creativity, and diversity contribute to individual achievement and the transformation of lives and communities. SBCP provides Lehman business students with a solid platform to become successful entrepreneurs and business leaders to create economic opportunities in their community. Links will be placed here:

• SCPC 2nd cohort student video
• SCPC 2nd cohort final outcomes

Virtual Reality Training Academy, Lehman College School of Continuing and Professional Studies served more than 200 Bronx residents at its VR/AR booth.

City of Science returns to the Bronx! World Science Festival and Con Edison for this larger-than-life touring event where the wondrous properties of science, technology, engineering, and math collide. Filled with interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities, this family-friendly program unleashes everyone's inner scientist.

See More Photos

• SBCP Cohort 4 report, internship (PDF)
• SBCP Cohort 3 & 4 report, training (PDF)

Virtual Reality Training Academy, Lehman College School of Continuing and Professional Studies served more than 200 Bronx residents at its VR/AR booth.

City of Science returns to the Bronx! World Science Festival and Con Edison for this larger-than-life touring event where the wondrous properties of science, technology, engineering, and math collide. Filled with interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities, this family-friendly program unleashes everyone's inner scientist.

See More Photos

CUNY's Lehman College Wins $100K Verizon Grant to Launch Emerging Tech Mentoring Program for Veteran, MWBE-Owned Small Businesses Across NYC

The grant will support emerging technology training and mentorship for 250 NYC small business owners over the next two years. As home to the only Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Lab in the Bronx, Lehman College's Bronx Business Tech Incubator is well positioned to lead training in emerging technology for small business owners and to connect owners to local Verizon technology mentors. This workshop and mentorship at the Bronx Business Tech Incubator will be replicated in each borough through a partnership with our sister CUNY schools Queens College, College of Staten Island, Baruch College and New York City College of Technology.

Bronx Business Council & Small Business Development

Clarence Stanley, Executive Director of the Small Business Development Center at the Lehman College School of Continuing & Professional Studies, and Kimberly Kendall, Director of Workforce Education join Bob Lee for a look at the Bronx Business Council, the Small Business Development center, and their many programs.