Oberlin College will be using RebelBase to power a new entrepreneurship course, set to start in February 2022.
The course will offer an introduction to entrepreneurship, and open to all students, with a particular interest to those pursuing business and economics. During the semester students will get their hands dirty, focused on sustainable impact. The course will organize students in groups to build ventures and present a final pitch with judges that include alumni and supporters of entrepreneurship. Students will be graded on the evolution of their idea, and key outcomes will be a focus on career, adapting to mindset changes, and skill-building.
The leaders of Oberlin’s new course, Jesse Gerstin and Jasmine Dixon, have solid backgrounds in business development, which they’ll pair with passion and energy.
Jesse is an entrepreneur and impact investor with a focus on sustainability. He teaches sustainable accounting and impact finance at Bard College and is also a visiting professor of business at Oberlin and the entrepreneur-in-residence there. At Oberlin, Jesse leads entrepreneurship programs with a focus on community engagement. He has founded several non-traditional investment firms centered on investors who want to back high-growth, high-impact tech ventures that are changing the world.
Jasmine started her career at Chase and works in economic development. She enjoys finding ways to help businesses generate revenue. She has hands-on experience in working with small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Cleveland area, and she hopes the Oberlin course will have an impact on students and the community at large.