Emerson class invests in rising entrepreneurs
Ideas. Creative talent. Ambition. That's all the 15 Emerson College students had when they entered the college's inaugural entrepreneurship class in September.
Seven months later, they have emerged as founders and CEOs of their own companies in fashion, publishing, event planning, furniture making, film production, marketing, music, and Web technology.
And at the first annual Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship Exposition yesterday, the newly minted entrepreneurs pitched their business plans to venture capitalists and family members to buy into their dreams.
Julia Bernshtein, 22, performed the sultry cha-cha and rumba with her dance partner to showcase Amore Studios -- Bernshtein's idea for a new Boston dating service via a dance studio by day and a nightclub by night. She wants to ignite sparks between young singles while they learn high-energy ballroom dance steps. She is seeking $50,000 to open the club in a year.
Gina Faiola needs $25,000 to move her fashion design company, wasted.knot, into a studio instead of sewing her cutting-edge ensembles from a closet in her Cambridge apartment. The 20-year-old theater-costume design major recycles thrift-shop materials and ''collages" them into rompers, tops, and dresses, which two of her classmates modeled yesterday. Her designs are sold at Proletariat, a Cambridge boutique, but she's shooting for Neiman Marcus.
''This is just sort of a side project that's blossomed into this very possible venture," said Faiola, whose spring collection will debut in Montreal and New York City.
Many of the students at the communications college said they never imagined themselves going into business, let alone running their own companies.
Initially intimidated by numbers and hesitant to project profits and losses, the students learned about finance and accounting, developed marketing strategies, and drew up financial forecasts.
''You have to start thinking beyond your art," said Michael Torto, a 1986 Emerson graduate and software executive, who delivered the keynote address yesterday. ''There's a lot of real talented artists that would never get funded without this program."
Twelve of the 15 companies showcased yesterday are already in business, said Karl Baehr, the program's director. Two students have left the program to work on their ventures full time.
Cole Poelker, 21, left Emerson in January to start Flagr.com, a social networking community that allows friends to note their favorite pizza joints, the cleanest public bathrooms, or the lowest gas prices through cellphones and a website. The company has received $20,000 in seed funding.
''Karl's class made it seem like we're not idiots when we're talking to these venture capitalists," Poelker said.
Stephanie Venezian, a junior from Brazil, founded MiraLente Film Productions. In June 2007, she will begin shooting ''Kidia," a movie set in Brazil about the martial art of capoeira and the religion of Candomble.
She will train villagers in acting, shoot the movie in Portuguese, and donate 15 percent of the profits to capoeira groups.
''My parents drilled into me that you can be very creative and very artsy," she said, ''but if you don't put your feet on the ground, your ideas won't go anywhere."
Tracy Jan can be reached by e-mail at tjan@globe.com. 
