By Brandon Reichelt
The Demystifying Media series took on a different direction for the final talk of the term. RAIN Eugene was visited by journalism students to learn more about the unique opportunity they present to future entrepreneurs. RAIN stands for Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network.
RAIN best states what it does on its website:
“RAIN Eugene connects the local innovation ecosystem around the University of Oregon and the cities of Eugene and Springfield with the entrepreneurial community to create high impact, innovative, traded-sector companies that can grow and thrive in our community. RAIN Eugene is managed as a virtual nonprofit by the University of Oregon, the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Eugene.
RAIN Eugene includes the RAIN Eugene Accelerator, a twice-yearly 16-week program offering intense training and mentoring to early growth-stage companies in and around Eugene, Oregon and the RAIN Eugene Innovation Network, a growing coalition of partners and affiliates willing to realize the vision of innovation-based economic growth through the application of real action and resources to support entrepreneurs in the region.”
To fully understand the influence of RAIN Eugene, here are 3 takeaways from the stimulating visit:
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Entrepreneurship starts with mentorship
One of the main point RAIN made on the visit was that funds may be very important to the building of a start-up company, but mentorship is even more so; it’s vital.
On that subject, Angela Chan wrote: “When I think of a growing business/entrepreneurship I absolutely agree about how you should be seeking mentors for guidance and have funds as well. Interesting that RAIN Eugene is doing just that and allowing growth in where there is a need in the market.”
RAIN makes a very large business world/model/picture much more digestible. They help direct new start-ups through a world they may not know, but one that RAIN and Joe Maruschak, Chief Startup Officer and Executive Director, know very well.
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Students are prime candidates to succeed in the accelerator
RAIN Eugene works with many local businesses and start-ups in the Eugene area and surrounding neighborhoods, but their connection to the University of Oregon seemed to be the most important in many students’ minds.
Michaela Bourgeois wrote: “While RAIN is an independent company, what sets them apart from other startup support programs is its relationship with the University of Oregon. By collaborating with University of Oregon’s College of Design, this creates a pipeline for UO students to turn their ideas for a startup into a successful business.”
Jake Fintzy felt similarly. “The second surprise [after the building and welcoming space] was the amount of U of O students working there. They all seemed hard at work on their own respective projects and I was unaware how valuable of a resource this company was to students entering the start-up field,” he wrote.
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RAIN is making Eugene a better place to be a business
Eugene is often times considered just a “college town” which isn’t incorrect, but that doesn’t mean that businesses have no place starting and thriving here. Maruschak and RAIN believe that Eugene is a growing community of brilliant ideas that have a stable-enough consumer base to have successful businesses.
As any large city is an example of, good businesses drive people to stay and grow a community.
Fintzy summarizes annotates this thought nicely:
“When I heard that the company assists start-ups in Eugene, I was a bit skeptical. Why would anyone want to create a start-up here in Eugene? I never saw this city as very “up and coming” so I was thrown off by the whole idea.
Turns out the goal of RAIN is to alter the stigma of Eugene and actually help turn this town into a place of opportunity. I was nice to hear about all the mentoring and apprenticeships that they offer to UO students and graduates. They seem very professional and knowledgeable about what they are doing, and if I were in the career field to create my own start-up, this would be the ideal place for me to start.”
