The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Invites Applications for COVID-19 Solutions Summer Milestone Makers Program

SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center has announced open applications for the Summer 2020 Milestone Makers cohort, with the newest class of the entrepreneur-in-residence program being dedicated to supporting early-stage founders working on COVID-19 solutions in healthcare, tech, education, food, and other fields. The Center's free-of-charge, flagship program offers a select group of entrepreneurs a customized platform of support and market recognition during a virtual version of the three-month, part-time program.

Applications for the Milestone Makers COVID-19 Solutions cohort are due midnight May 7th. The Center will work one-on-one with entrepreneurs to define critical business goals and help accelerate their path to achieving them. Participants will be individually matched with mentors who are leaders in their industries.

Among the partnering organizations for this cohort is Partnership for a Healthier America, in conjunction with former first lady Michelle Obama, which will provide mentorship to entrepreneurs finding innovative solutions to food challenges during the COVID-19 crisis.

"In the wake of COVID-19, consumers need access to healthy, affordable food now more than ever. Poor diets -- a leading cause of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases -- are partly responsible for the higher COVID-19 mortality rates we're seeing disproportionately impact minority and economically disadvantaged populations," said Nancy E. Roman, President and CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America. "PHA is proud to partner with the Nasdaq Center to incentivize much needed innovation for healthy, ready-to-eat meals. By developing nutritious, affordable meal solutions for the convenience store market, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to fill a gap in the marketplace while providing consumers with healthy options they so desperately need right now."

"The Center exists to flexibly give entrepreneurs and small business owners access to mentorship when they need it, and this is that moment," said Nicola Corzine, Executive Director of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. "We're taking every offline resource we offer and making them virtual, and we will continue to find ways to be available to this essential global audience."

The program is meant for any founder addressing a current problem we're facing with COVID-19, including but not limited to these critical areas:

• Distance learning
• Connection for children & families
• Development of treatments for Covid-19
• Food insecurities
• Access to healthcare
• Supply Chain & Logistics Resilience
• Automation & Industrial IoT

This Milestone Makers cohort is part of the broader COVID-19 Resiliency Resource commitment from the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, which includes a responsive range of offerings available to all business owners during this unprecedented moment based on the needs raised directly to the Center by entrepreneurs. The Center's free resources include the following tools:

• Resource Navigator: Extensive resources specific for business owners responding to COVID-19
• Coaching Circles: Expert facilitated peer groups to work through a specific business challenge
• Mentor Office Hours: Flash mentorship with leading experts across key business topics
• Learn-Ins: Webinars with industry thought leaders on various topics requested by entrepreneurs in this moment
• Founders Leadership Series: Opportunity to hear from some of the world's greatest leaders!

How to Apply
The Milestone Makers COVID-19 Solutions cohort runs from May 19th – August 3rd.

• Apply by May 7th
• Become a mentor
• More information can be found on the Milestone Makers website

About The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center:
The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center is an independent, non-profit organization committed to advancing entrepreneurial education worldwide – for every stage, every industry, and every background. Since 2014, the Center has provided pathways for high talent, underestimated entrepreneurs to gain much needed access to founder training while also bringing new industry benchmarking to light. The Center strives to deliver critically important mentorship and connections possible to foster business innovation and advance the ideas of people who are capable of being the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Established with the support of the Nasdaq Educational Foundation and located in San Francisco, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center is a destination for the next generation of risk-takers and idea makers who take the plunge into entrepreneurship.
For more information please visit: http://thecenter.nasdaq.org/
COVID-19 Resource Navigator: https://covid19nav.thecenter.nasdaq.org/

About Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA)
PHA's mission is to leverage the power of the private sector to transform the food landscape in pursuit of health equity. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with Former First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! effort. PHA identifies, accelerates, and celebrates voluntary business practices that improve or increase choice or lead to new norms and behavior around food and physical activity. For more information about PHA, please visit www.ahealthieramerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.

About The Nasdaq Educational Foundation:
The Nasdaq Educational Foundation, Inc. was established in 1994 and is supported entirely by contributions from Nasdaq. The mission of The Nasdaq Educational Foundation, Inc. is to promote and provide opportunities through collaborations and initiatives that support and deliver innovative educational programs and charitable activities.

About Nasdaq:
Nasdaq (Nasdaq:NDAQ) is a leading provider of trading, clearing, exchange technology, listing, information and public company services across six continents. Through its diverse portfolio of solutions, Nasdaq enables customers to plan, optimize and execute their business vision with confidence, using proven technologies that provide transparency and insight for navigating today's global capital markets. As the creator of the world's first electronic stock market, its technology powers more than 70 marketplaces in 50 countries, and 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Nasdaq is home to more than 3,700 listed companies with a market value of approximately $9.3 trillion and nearly 18,000 corporate clients. To learn more, visit: nasdaq.com/ambition or business.nasdaq.com.

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SOURCE Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center