Kellogg, Booth partner to host entrepreneurship conference
By Tommy Jackson
Stockton and Malone. Chip and Dale. Han Solo and Chewbacca. Kellogg and Booth. Some of the great companionships of all time. Only one of these pairs is not like the other. Kellogg and Booth are often thought of together, but on more of a different type of list. Think Ali and Frazier, Celtics and Lakers, and Ohio State and Michigan.
However, on Friday, October 30, Kellogg and Booth will come together and partner to host the second annual Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) Conference at the University Club of Chicago. ETA Investors and CEOs will congregate with roughly 300 students to share valuable insight into their experiences with this unique form of entrepreneurship.
While this event marks the second year of the conference, this will be the first time Kellogg and Booth will serve as co-hosts. The synergy between the two schools has already been noticed as this year’s conference is on pace to more than double last year’s attendance number.
The conference will include four panels, a fireside chat, and a networking lunch. Panel discussions will help budding entrepreneurs learn valuable ETA skills such as fundraising and structuring a deal, being an effective leader to a more experienced workforce, understanding the mindset of an investor, and identifying and sourcing attractive businesses to buy.
Some of the speakers include:
- Dustin Sellers ’97, who purchased an HR outsourcing company and grew it from $13 million in annual sales to more than $120 million
- Jamie Turner, who purchased and grew an educational business from $3.5 million to more than $400 million in sales
- Brad Morehead ’05, who bought a home security business and later sold it for $67 million while receiving a substantial return.
For a full list of speakers, please visit www.etaconference.com.
Whether someone wants to one day buy, operate and run a business of their own, are looking to scale a family business or would like to be a private equity investor, this conference has something for them.
Learn more about entrepreneurship at Kellogg.
Tommy Jackson is a second-year Kellogg student and is passionate about pursuing a search fund of his own upon graduation in June. This past summer he worked for ConsumerAffairs, a search fund operating company in the digital marketing industry.