Dale CarlsenSleep Train founder Dale Carlsen will speak on “Risk Taking, Dream Making” on Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Leslie and Anita Harper Alumni Center. (Sacramento State/Jessica Vernone)

Sacramento State will celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week with “Game Changers” Nov. 14-18, welcoming innovators and founders of local startups to share their personal journeys and offer valuable advice to students.

Events include “The Pitch,” a Shark Tank-like idea competition, and the sixth annual College of Business Administration (CBA) Film Festival, in addition to a lineup of dynamic speakers, such as Sac State alumnus Dale Carlsen, founder of Sleep Train Mattress Centers. The week concludes with a keynote speech by Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg, who will give a preview of his vision for civic innovation.

“The Sacramento region has been ranked in the top half of the country for its small-business vitality,” says Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen. “Our graduates are the innovators and problem-solvers for this region, and students who are engaged in creative thinking and inventive projects will be prepared as the next generation of entrepreneurial-minded leaders.”

The sessions support student success through engagement in out-of-the-classroom experiences that help inspire students and connect them with alumni and industry leaders.

Signature events include:

  • Farm-to-Fork: Gastronomy and Economy, a panel and networking mixer from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Leslie and Anita Harper Alumni Center.
  • “The Pitch” business idea competition, hosted by the Sacramento Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs and the Center for Entrepreneurship, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, in the University Union, Hinde Auditorium.
  • Risk Taking, Dream Making, featuring Dale Carlsen ’84 (Business Administration), 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Alumni Center.
  • Sacramento’s Civic Innovation Economy is the closing event with a student panel, President Nelsen and Steinberg from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, in the University Union, Redwood Room.

Additional events:

  • The “Inside Success” speaker series features 15 alumni, including Garry Maisel, Mark Otero, Maritza and Roshaun Davis, and Ana Klein, who will share their entrepreneurial expertise and advice in classes throughout the week.
  • The sixth annual CBA Film Festival, which includes student-produced comedy films on the topic of leading with emotional intelligence. This event will be from 2:45 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the University Union, Redwood Room.
  • Global sessions on innovation in practice, featuring Sac State alumni who work at Pandora; pioneering inventor Chris Yu, co-founder of Anpac Bio, the company that chose Sacramento as its new U.S. headquarters for further research on its noninvasive, cancer-detecting tests; and the award-winning Sac State I-Corps team, led by Warren Smith, a professor of electrical and electronic engineering.

All events are free and open to the public, and RSVPs are requested for the signature events and the CBA Film Festival. Full details and a response link are listed on the Sacramento State: Game Changers website at csus.edu/ua/e-week.

Sacramento State: Game Changers is funded by private support from sponsors including Presenting Sponsors Dale and Katy Carlsen; Silver Sponsors Sierra Health Foundation and Social Venture Partners; Bronze Sponsor University Enterprises Inc.; and Hornet Sponsor Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth, and expand human welfare. The event, held annually the third week of November, first was celebrated in 2008 and now has more than 8 million participants in 160 countries.

For more information, contact Elisa Smith at (916) 278-4016 or visit csus.edu/ua/e-week. – Elisa Smith