NEWS

CHAPEL HILL -- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students and faculty interested in bringing their entrepreneurial ideas to market now have more resources: A major new initiative is bringing a leading businessman to campus to be University Entrepreneur in Residence.

UNC alumnus and entrepreneur Buck Goldstein began work part time last month and will relocate from Atlanta by the end of the summer. Goldstein will be mentor and counselor to UNC students and faculty interested or involved in entrepreneurial ventures. He will recruit alumni and other university supporters with entrepreneurial expertise to help shape the program, serve as mentors for faculty and student projects, and provide off-campus internships.

"Carolina students are among the brightest and most talented in the world," Goldstein said. "Our faculty comprises thought leaders in virtually every field of endeavor. I’m excited about helping them turn their innovative ideas into real-world ventures that can significantly impact North Carolina and the world. We also hope to expose students across campus to knowledge and perspectives that help them learn to embrace and take advantage of new opportunities throughout their lives and careers."

The University Entrepreneur in Residence initiative is part of the new Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative (CEI), an $11 million program to identify UNC students and faculty with an interest in acquiring the skills required to turn an idea or project into a self-sustaining enterprise.

Plans for the CEI include a minor in entrepreneurship, internships, mentorships, research opportunities and an incubator for entrepreneurial ventures.

The CEI is one of eight such university programs nationwide that are funded in part by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The foundation promotes traditional business entrepreneurship, as well as social, civic and academic entrepreneurship.

"We’re fortunate to have someone with Buck’s expertise and connections to create a new generation of UNC entrepreneurs," said Dr. John D. Kasarda, director of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and director of the CEI. "Buck’s stellar career in social and business entrepreneurship and his deep commitment to helping UNC students and faculty succeed in these arenas will make him a marvelous asset for the CEI."

The Kenan Institute, based in Kenan-Flagler Business School, is a campus hub and outreach arm for collaboration among academia, government, business and civil society. The institute coordinates the CEI.

Goldstein has practiced law and founded several companies, including Networth, a venture capital fund focused on Internet-based enterprises, and Information America, an online database company providing hundreds of information products developed from a national database of public records. Most recently, Goldstein was a partner in Mellon Ventures, a billion-dollar venture capital fund with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.

Goldstein has served on the board of directors of numerous public and private companies and a variety of nonprofit organizations.

He is founding chair of UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities. Goldstein has undergraduate and law degrees from UNC, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Golden Fleece. He has a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts.

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Note: Contact Goldstein at (919) 962-8201 or buck_goldstein@unc.edu.

Photo note: To download a photo of Goldstein, click on http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/faculty/goldstein_buck.jpg

Kenan-Flagler contact: Kim Weaver Spurr, (919) 962-8951 or spurrk@unc.edu