The Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC) is relaunching e2e Wyoming in Laramie with a meeting Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 4:30-6 p.m. at the downtown Coal Creek Tap, located at 108 Grand Ave.
E2e, an educational networking program designed to improve the climate for the startup and growth of entrepreneurial companies, will now be a monthly program that will meet on the third Tuesday of the month, with locations alternating between Coal Creek Tap and Bond's Brewing Company in Laramie.
"We gave e2e a year off to rest the brand, relaunch and engage the community in a new reinvigorated format," says Fred Schmechel, assistant director of the University of Wyoming's WTBC. "We wanted to take it downtown to better engage with the community."
In its previous incarnation, the e2e meeting format included 45 minutes of networking, followed by a 45-minute formal program from a guest speaker. The programs featured successful entrepreneurs telling their stories, panel discussions on relevant topics and advice from experts in specific businesses.
The new format still will include networking time, but will be more informal with each meeting including a few announcements and a speaker who will talk approximately 10 minutes, Schmechel says. The focus will be on having more local entrepreneurial engagement.
"The primary difference will be the audience," Schmechel says. "We're looking to create an event that focuses on people who are interested in community peer-to-peer mentoring and networking around entrepreneurship."
Administered by UW's Office of Research and Economic Development, the WTBC is a not-for-profit business incubator that provides entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools necessary for success.
