Announcing the Kurland Entrepreneurial Business Incubator (K-EBI) at Shorecrest

Less than a year after the launch of the Ross Roeder Institute for Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Economics (RRI), Shorecrest has received a new endowed gift to grow the program. Through a cornerstone gift, current parents Marti and Rick Kurland established the Kurland Entrepreneurial Business Incubator (K-EBI), an initiative under the RRI umbrella intended to help Shorecrest students and alumni develop and refine high-potential startup ideas; foster a clear business vision; develop a business culture, and understand what is required, and what is at stake, in managing or owning a business.

Serving the mission of the RRI and highlighting the arena of entrepreneurship, the Kurland family and their foundation are dedicated to fostering cutting-edge innovation in education, healthcare and business all with an entrepreneurial mindset. 

Marti and Rick Kurland were recently interviewed by students for the Career Club Podcast, an initiative of the RRI, where Rick shared, "There's no greater gratitude in the world than when you're able to lift people up or help people achieve their dreams - or even better when they recognize dreams they didn't even know they had." The Kurland family gift to launch the K-EBI aims to inspire the dreams of Shorecrest students and foster the creativity, innovation, and grit necessary to succeed as a future business leader. (Once produced, the podcast episode may be found here.)

"There has been so much interest in the RRI since our founding donors, Jan and Craig Sher and Mary Anne Reilly, first funded the program," said Michael Gillis, Director of Advancement. "Endowed gifts like the Kurlands' make an immediate impact on the experience of our students, while also ensuring the program's long-term success." 

The vision of the Kurland Entrepreneurial Business Incubator includes initiatives like collaborative entrepreneurship workshops, partnerships with the Peck Center for Medical Sciences, a formal mentorship program, an annual K-EBI speaker series, and the K-EBI “Shark Tank” program for new business and start-up concepts, among others. 

"This gift is a symbol of our community's commitment to the RRI program and belief in the value of educating students in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and economics," said Earl Walton, Director of the Ross Roeder Institute. 

Head of School Nancy Spencer shared, "We are so honored and grateful that the Kurlands chose to support the Ross Roeder Institute with this historic gift." 

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