It’s no secret that Millennials are being held up as the future of our country. Many college-aged kids are currently bursting with creative ideas for future businesses and ready to release their talents onto the world. But at such a young age, it’s often difficult to access the proper tools and resources that can help put these ideas into action. This is something that 19-year-old Dylan Gambardella is hoping to remedy.
Gambardella, a 2014 graduate of Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose and current Duke University student, is a co-founder of an upcoming entrepreneurial event called the Next Gen Summit. What sets this summit apart from other similar events is that it will be run by young entrepreneurs for the benefit of other young entrepreneurs or aspiring ones. The summit is also specifically geared towards people from 16 to 30 years of age.
Gambardella and fellow co-founder Justin Lafazan were inspired to create the Next Gen Summit after an influential trip to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Summit last fall.
“After an educational and enjoyable three days, I thought, ‘Why is there not a similar opportunity for young entrepreneurs closer to my age?’ Such an event would be useful for young folk interested in starting a company or organization who need help getting to the next level,” Gambardella said. “And from that thought, the Next Gen Summit was born.”
The summit, which is planned to take place in Austin, Texas from July 31 to August 2, features numerous guest speakers who are also successful young entrepreneurs. According to Gambardella, the speakers will provide valuable information and guidance. “Entrepreneurs are paving the way to technological, medical, and other advancements across the world, and they need to have the guidance of those who came before them,” says Gambardella. “What better way to accomplish this than to hear from other young people who ‘made it?’”
In case you can’t make it down to Austin for the summit, there is also a “virtual pass” option available for purchase. This allows viewers to follow along and view presentations from the comfort of their homes in Westchester (or anywhere else in the world).
For Gambardella the goal of this summit is simple: “We hope to become a ‘must-attend’ event for young people interested in entrepreneurship,” he says. “We believe that our conference will successfully provide attendees with tools helpful to further their projects and passions.”
