From “Digitally Detangling” one’s life to the launch of the Wond’ry ArtLab exhibit which explores the intersection of Art and STEM, the Wond’ry hosted a number of new and exciting workshops and exhibits this past month. Ultimately, it has been very exciting to see so many people coming to the Wond’ry to explore the many facets of innovation.

This month, I am also excited to announce that the Wond’ry is hosting “Raising the Bar: How Female Founders are Modernizing Venture Capital” seminar on March 19^th as part of our celebration of Women’s History Month. As a former venture capitalist, I understand the incredible need for increased diversity and inclusion in this industry. I am excited to see investors like Monique Villa are making positive change and impact while setting a positive example to our future generations. I am excited for our Vanderbilt community to learn about her, and the other participants’ stories, and be further inspired.

Finally, we wish you all a safe and innovative spring break and look forward to seeing you back at the Wond’ry upon your return, energized and excited to continue your many innovative endeavors.

Innovate Onward!

-Robert Grajewski
Evans Family Executive Director of the Wond’ry

Featured Upcoming Events

Learn About  Women’s Economic Power as Founders and Investors on March 19th

In 2016, 5,839 male-founded companies received VC funding, compared to just 359 female-founded companies. To translate, men received more than 16 times more funding than women. Fast forward to 2018 and the stage has been set for female leadership, both as founders and investors, to bring the venture capital industry into the modern age. In this workshop, you will learn how to kickstart your career in startups and venture capital, explore recent market trends and industries to watch, and join a national movement of women building a bigger, brighter, and more equitable future.

Presentation and workshop hosted by venture capitalist Monique Villa. Monique has worked closely with companies of all sizes for nearly a decade, dating back to an early internship with TOMS Shoes in 2008. Her VC experience includes early stage funds Velos Partners and, most recently, Core Innovation Capital.

the Wond’ry Spotlight:

Chris Webster – Student Ambassador

Hi, my name is Chris, and I am a Next Steps student interning with the Wond’ry this semester. I am a sophomore and eagerly anticipate receiving a Bachelor degree. I enjoy meeting new people, exploring different workshops, and expanding my boundaries. I appreciate all of the help I am getting at my internship, especially from Professor Galloway. I am very grateful that I am able to share my ideas at the Wond’ry through the projects I am engaged in, such as designing the downstairs whiteboard mural. I truly enjoy being creative and collaborating on projects with others. One experience I am really looking forward to is volunteering at the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention this year, working with the other volunteers to set up and take down equipment. A fun fact about myself is that I love going to concerts and comedy shows. Some concerts I have been to include Bruno Mars, Janet Jackson, and The Weeknd, and some comedians I have seen are Kevin Hart and Sinbad.

Highlights from Recent Events:

Dynamic Panelists Redefine Tokenism for Wond’ry Audience 

The Wond’ry, the Bishop H. Johnson Black Cultural Center, and the Office of Inclusive Excellence, hosted a panel that addressed tokenism in the workplace and in business. The group of eight African-American women included business leaders from the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities, including two representatives from the Owen Graduate School of Management: Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Professor of Management Melissa Thomas-Hunt and Director of Admissions Consuela Knox.

Workshop Helps Participants Detangle Their  Lives From Their Digital Devices

On Feb. 20th, the Wond’ry guests learned how to detangle their lives from the digital world, with insights from Pete Dunlap of Digital Detangler.  Workshop participants learned how technology affects every aspect of their lives, from sleep to memory, and how small changes in the ways we manage our tech can help us replace panic with peace.

Students and Faculty Make Innovative Jewelry in the Makerspace

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, VU student Rachel Anand led a jewelry making workshop, in the Makerspace, on February 13th that gave participants an opportunity to make an array of jewelry, from earrings to bracelets, out of unexpected materials, like Legos and Scrabble tiles.

Art and Science Collided at the Wond’ry’s ArtLab Exhibit

The Wond’ry hosted the ArtLab Exhibition March 1-2. Participants gained experience in artistic and scientific processes, heard award winning artists and experts speak, and networked during the ArtLab reception on March 1st.

Celebrating Innovative Women of Vanderbilt During Women’s History Month

In keeping with our Heritage Months exhibit, we are celebrating Women’s History Month in March. The Wond’ry team felt celebrating some of Vanderbilt’s own women innovators was fitting.  This month’s exhibit features Padma Raghavan, Kate Lupton, Adena Friedman, Susan Wente, and Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey. 

Visit here for more to learn more about each woman.

You can also learn about more firsts for Vanderbilt women here.

Our Pillar Programs:

Innovation Garage

In the Innovation Garage, an array of corporate and non-profit sponsors partner with Vanderbilt student and faculty teams on cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary projects. The goal of this program is to identify disruptive and innovative solutions that improve industry all while providing unique opportunities for students to build their skills via real-world problem solving.

Entrepreneur PreLaunch and PostLaunch

For aspiring Vanderbilt entrepreneurs, the Wond’ry offers a 6-week PreLaunch program that provides the foundational knowledge needed to successfully identify and assess ideas for a quality for profit or non-profit venture. This program is now a part of Vanderbilt’s I-Corps Site program for STEM entrepreneurs that provides micro-grant funding from the NSF and access to the National I-Corps program. PostLaunch is a 7-week program aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs that have already completed customer discovery and market validation and are ready to learn the steps needed to launch a venture.

Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The Social Entrepreneurship Program is assisting students with opportunities to develop for-profit social enterprises that tackle important societal problems like food deserts, lack of healthy food options, food waste, and the eradication of poverty through entrepreneurship, which if successful can be adopted into full scale programs and potential partnerships with nonprofit and government organizations

Fostering an Innovation Culture

From artist/music exhibits and speaker series to hackathons and business plan competitions, the Wond’ry hosts workshops, speakers and events that cater to an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.

In the News:

• Wond’ry Executive Director, Robert Grajewski, Named One of the Nashville Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40
• What is Tokenism and Why Does It Matter in the Workplace

• New Vanderbilt basketball scholarship pays tribute to civil rights pioneer Perry Wallace

• “A Day in the Life” by Darko Osman

• Greater Fort Lauderdale goes to Nashville as both cities compete for Amazon’s HQ2

Past Versions of News from the Wond’ry:

To view past versions of News from the Wond’ry, please visit our website:
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/thewondry/newsletter/