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������ kicks off  today with a panel conversation featuring five all-star entrepreneurs: , founder of ; , co-founder and CEO of ; , president of ; serial entrepreneur and entertainer ; and co-founder and CEO .

The event will be streamed live at .

Panelists will offer insights that they have gathered as they have built businesses across an array of industries. ������ trustee and ! CEO P’15’17 will moderate the discussion.

After the keynote event, panelists will hand the microphones to a few ������ students, who will pitch their own ventures in a Shark Tank-style competition.

“We wanted to spark the kind of conversation that undergraduates couldn’t hear anywhere else,” said ’80, vice president of institutional advancement. “Into this creative ������ environment, we’re welcoming panelists who pursue big ideas for a living. They know — and can teach our students — that you have to think big and take risks if you’re going to change the world.”

Entrepreneur Weekend has become a signature program for Colgate. Between 2012 and 2013, some of the world’s most innovative business leaders — including Virgin Group founder , Chobani founder , and Facebook COO — traveled to Hamilton for solo engagements with ������ students.

Last year, that included business founders of Katalyst, and of Airbnb, as well as established CEOs of eBay, of GoPro, and Rosensweig from Chegg. By purposeful contrast, founders who serve as chief executives of their own ventures make up the majority of this year’s panel.

The celebration will continue on Friday evening, when the ������ Alumni Council will award its to Ello COO Pete Sheinbaum ’92 and Patagonia Sur CEO Warren Adams ’88. On Saturday, the university will host a luncheon program and venture demos, developed by undergraduates in the program.

The complete schedule is at .