Student Client Specialist

MSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (E-Center) empowers students to plan, launch and grow successful local and global companies based on new ideas or MSU invented technology. Our companies are graded in the real world – by success or failure with actual, paying customers. We use applied learning to strengthen our pipeline of entrepreneurs from K-12 to college students to graduates. We have broad involvement of alumni and friends to help mentor, coach and invest in our startups. Our priority on generating a track record of exits and profitable local businesses makes us a national leader in this field and motivates ever increasing investor interest in these areas.  These companies contribute to a thriving young professional community, cementing Starkville as the startup hub of Mississippi and propelling our expansion throughout the Southeast.

The Student Client Specialist (SCS) is our front-line team members, serving as ambassadors and guides to entrepreneurs actively working on a startup company. Your primary role on our team will be managing a subset of our portfolio, helping to recruit and form new teams, as well as walking them through the VentureCatalyst™ program. Your main mission is to spend time working one-on-one with fellow student entrepreneurs helping them to identify the customer and market, convert business models and customer intel into an executable business plan, and finally launch and get through the exit goal of securing 18-months of operating runway. This position directly supports Goal 1 of our 2021-2031 strategic plan and reports to the Director.

Expectation

This is a broad role with significant responsibility, high expectations, and considerable freedom. Your day-to-day activity will be often somewhat undefined and you must be a self-starter. While assigned to a specific team, you are expected to assist with all aspects of the CEO. Sometimes this includes seemingly mundane, yet necessary, tasks like cleaning workspaces, organizing files, and running errands. Other times it includes meeting and having lunch with actual billionaires. Our Student Client Specialists must handle both situations with enthusiastic professionalism. We are focused on driving team wins. Like team sports, we expect you to help us win the game, by working to the best of your abilities to help startups exit the program successfully.

Primary Responsibilities

• Meet and assist startup company teams participating in VentureCatalyst™ program
• Manage a portfolio of startup company teams and maintain regular contact and communication
• Coordinate external advisory board meetings and details from application through award
• Advocate and promote the CEO via various activities, classroom visits, and other program promotion
• Seek and identify resources available from the CEO and MSU helpful to startup companies
• Greet office guests, answer questions, and direct to proper individuals
• Track teams and students; enter into departmental CRM tool; regularly update
• Assist with paperwork, answering telephones, filing correspondence, running errands on campus, stuffing envelopes, making copies, cleaning workspaces and researching topics online
• Make suggestions on how to streamline processes or increase efficacy of program
• Complete other duties as requested by professional staff

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled at Mississippi State University, majoring in a [technical] [business] discipline.
• Maintains good academic standing with at least a 3.0 GPA

Preferred Qualifications

• Currently working on a new startup or prior experience with a startup company
• Work experience relating to market research, prototyping, financial analysis
• Completion of the MGT 3323 Entrepreneurship course (grade B or higher)
• Experience with customer relationship management (CRM) software
• Exemplary soft-skills

• Pay Range: $11-15/hr
• Benefits: None
• Restrictions: Currently enrolled MSU student in good academic standing.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.