TCU CEO Distinguished Speakers Series
The TCU CEO Distinguished Speakers Series brings prominent entrepreneurs and business leaders from a wide variety of industries to campus for afternoon and evening presentations. We invite speakers from a variety of backgrounds so that no matter what your major, there will be a speaker of interest that applies to you and your future career.
Speakers share their successes and failures, covering topics such as transforming ideas into opportunities, securing start-up capital, and overcoming challenges. For those seeking to purchase existing businesses, topics also include the search process, assessing a business as an acquisition opportunity, performing due diligence, and structuring the deal.
After each event, students are invited and encouraged to network with one another in a post event gathering providing free drinks and finger foods. This presents an excellent opportunity to meet fellow students that may be able to contribute to your entrepreneurial endeavors or to meet TCU alumni, YPO, and YEO members that are invited to each event.
When you join TCU CEO, you will be added to our weekly e-newsletter which details the dates of upcoming events. Please visit the "mark your calendar" section of our website to learn about additional program and events available through TCU CEO including Dinner With A CEO, The Entrepreneur's Road Trip, The TCU CEO National Conference, and the Entrepreneur's Summit.
Below is a sampling of distinguished speech topics we work to cover each year:
- TCU CEO Kickoff
The first event of the year introduces incoming students to TCU CEO including officers and programs. The evening is highlighted with a special guest speaker discussing an entrepreneurial theme. - Entrepreneurial Success Stories
TCU CEO brings prominent entrepreneurs and business leaders from a wide variety of industries to campus for afternoon and evening presentations. Speakers share their successes and failures, covering topics such as transforming ideas into opportunities, securing start-up capital, and overcoming challenges. - The Young Entrepreneurs
TCU CEO brings successful young entrepreneurs under the age of 40 that have founded their own business and are in the process of growing their enterprise. The importance of these speakers is that they may relate to students as they have not been out of school as long as more experienced entrepreneurs and can also talk about current challenges they are facing in trying to establish market acceptance for their organization. - Women in Entrepreneurship
The Women in Entrepreneurship event will provide TCU women entrepreneurs with a forum for support and learning, and work to strengthen connections with top women business leaders. - Entrepreneurship In Real Estate
The goal of the Entrepreneurship in Real Estate event is to inspire, inform, and empower students interested in careers as successful real estate entrepreneurs. We work to attract some of the biggest names in real estate. Students will learn about and are inspired by the stories and experiences of entrepreneurs that have started and grown their own successful real estate enterprises. The event also serves to provide students will practical skills and knowledge that will be essential for a successful career as a real estate entrepreneur. - Global Entrepreneurship
This event seeks to bring to the TCU campus an entrepreneur or panel of entrepreneurs that have in depth experience in international entrepreneurial ventures. The entrepreneurs may own US based companies with sales abroad or they may be a foreign entrepreneur that shares the experiences they have encountered in their native country. The importance of this event is to show the student how small the world has become and that almost all businesses have some international impact. - Entrepreneurship in Technology and Science
This event brings to campus entrepreneurs that are involved in technology or science companies including online retail, software development, hardware components, or various sciences. As with all events, TCU CEO works to create entrepreneurial events of interest to various areas of the TCU community and with this event, we send special invitations to our friends in the Tucker Technology Center and Science Departments. - Entrepreneurship In The Corporate Environment
The Neeley Entrepreneurship Program witnesses the need for "intrapreneurs," those entrepreneurial minds that are neccessary for big corporations to remain innovative. With this event, TCU CEO works to bring CEO's of large companies to campus. These invited speakers discuss the value of an entrepreneurial education as companies are increasingly looking for students with a broad understanding and appreciation of various components of business, rather than a microscopic view of only one area of study. - Funding Your Business Panel
Each year, TCU CEO presents the "Funding Your Business Panel" which brings entrepreneurs and bankers from the region to discuss with students the numerous options for funding entrepreneurial ventures. The panel is moderated by the Neeley Entrepreneurship Program's Director, David Minor, an accomplished entrepreneur and former Board Member of Summit Bank.
To watch various past distinguished speakers, please visit the online video section of our media gallery.
