On Tuesday, MTA LEAD was officially kicked-off with a visit from Professor Michael Strauss, Associate Dean, Assistant to the Provost, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence of YU's Sy Syms School of Business. The program, which is conducted in partnership with the business school and which is now it its fourth year at MTA, allows business-minded students to develop innovative business ideas and plans and to learn a variety of business and leadership skill-sets. Over the course of the year, students who participate in the program will receive mentorships from Syms students, workshop training from Syms faculty, hear lectures from global leaders who speak as part of the noted Kukin Lecture Series, and pitch an idea to a panel of business leaders.

After Mr. Leshaw provided a brief overview and introduction, Dean Strauss explained to the students the fundamentals of a good business plan and  the difference between a provisional patent and a regular patent with many claims. He also shared some business choices he himself made over the course of his career, whether good or bad, and got the students excited about beginning to work on their own ideas. Students interested in participating in the program should visit the program website (www.yuhsb.org/MTA-lead) for more and to apply. Special thanks to Dean Strauss for his time and continued support.