By Jaclyn McVey | NC State Entrepreneurship News
At the end of each spring semester, NC State Entrepreneurship selects a new cohort of Miller Fellows. The Miller Fellowship program supports newly graduated entrepreneurs who wish to pursue their venture full-time after graduation with resources and a monthly stipend.
The creativity and passion of our Miller Fellows impresses and inspires me.
The five graduates selected for this year’s cohort represent five university colleges and four unique startups. For these students, the next six months will be a challenging and rewarding journey as they continue to develop and add critical entrepreneurial skills to their toolkits. Jennifer Capps, Interim Assistant Vice Provost and NC State Entrepreneurship Faculty, says, “each year, the creativity and passion of our Miller Fellows impresses and inspires me. But this year, amidst the trials and tribulations of a global pandemic, these entrepreneurs have set a new standard for resiliency. We are excited to support them as they take the next stamps in their entrepreneurial journey.”
About the Miller Fellowship
In 2014, Dr. Tom Miller, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Entrepreneurship, recognized a need to provide “rent and ramen” funds to NC State graduates who wanted to pursue their entrepreneurial ventures full-time after graduation. Dr. Miller created the Entrepreneurship Initiative Fellows program to meet that need. A few years later, in 2017, a group of former students came together to endow the program, renaming it the Dr. Thomas Kenan Miller II Fellows Program in honor of Dr. Miller.
Today, benefits of the program include access to mentors and industry professionals, continued access to the Entrepreneurship Garage and a monthly stipend of $750 to cover basic needs. Fellows also benefit from access to workshops and networking events through monthly meet-ups. The Miller Fellows program runs from June through November. Applications for the 2022 cohort will open in March 2022.
Meet 2021 Miller Fellows: Lindsay Wrege ’21 and Michael Evans ’21
Lindsay Wrege ’21 | 321 Coffee | Poole College of Management Alumna
Lindsay Wrege graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a concentration in entrepreneurship from the Poole College of Management. During her time at NC State, Lindsay was a Park Scholar and was highly involved with entrepreneurship at NC State by participating in various pitch competitions, being part of the Andrews Launch Accelerator and partook in mentoring and networking groups. She is the co-founder and CEO of 321 Coffee, a coffee shop and roaster that employs individuals with disabilities. Lindsay and her team are working on scaling the retail presence as well as B2B partners and she will be pursuing 321 Coffee full-time as CEO.
Michael Evans ’21 | 321 Coffee | College of Sciences Alumnus
Michael Evans holds a bachelor’s degree in statistics from the College of Science and will be graduating with a Master of Statistics over the summer. Michael co-founded 321 Coffee, a coffee shop and roaster employing individuals with disabilities, during his freshman year. During his time at NC State, Michael was a Park Scholar and was heavily involved with entrepreneurship at NC State. He participated in the Andrews Launch Accelerator and pitched 321 Coffee at entrepreneurship competitions such as the eGames and WolfDen. As a Miller Fellow, Michael hopes to make progress on a brick-and-mortar location, an in-office location, and a roasting facility for 321 Coffee. Outside of work and school, Michael enjoys watching Philadelphia sports, reading, and spending time exploring new food in Raleigh with friends and family.
Continue reading to meet all five 2021 Miller FellowsThis is an excerpt from an article originally published by NC State Entrepreneurship News.