The Gallaudet Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (GIEI), led by Director Russell Stein, 鈥�94, and Coordinator Lorenzo Lewis, 鈥�19, has just unveiled its new website and kicked off an exciting program of events this fall.

It also highlights the valuable resources GIEI offers to help students, alumni, and the Deaf community discover how to thrive in the world of business, Lewis says. Incidental learning through networks and informal conversations offer a huge boost to hearing entrepreneurs, but these resources are not always available for Deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind entrepreneurs. 鈥淢ost hot and trendy business-related topics are inaccessible to us,鈥� says Lewis, who points to the lag in deaf involvement in innovative programs, such as accelerators that are designed to help startups scale quickly.

One way GIEI addresses that gap is with its annual BisonTalk series, which brings in experts to explore topics related to entrepreneurship. This year’s BisonTalk workshops began on September 11th, with a deep dive into artificial intelligence led by IT professor Tayler Mayer, G-鈥�05.

Upcoming workshops include a guide to financial accountability, advice on unlocking a successful mindset, and a reunion of past contestants from GIEI’s BisonTank competition. (More details on this year’s alumni and student BisonTank events will be released soon.)

The BisonTalk series aims to foster peer-to-peer learning, resource sharing, and networking opportunities within the Deaf community. Lewis emphasizes that GIEI鈥檚 target audience is you! The one-of-a-kind series is presented live on Gallaudet鈥檚 campus but is also available via webinar so that anyone can join and learn from practitioners in the world of entrepreneurship. Upcoming sessions are listed below; please register on GIEI鈥檚 webpage.

BisonTalk Series: 

All sessions take place from 6-7 pm EST

Date	Workshop Title	Presenter	Register
September 25, 2024	Deaf Entrepreneurship:Overview of National Trends & Data Sources on Deaf People	Jeffrey PalmerNational Deaf Center	Sign up
October 9, 2024	Financial Accountability	Ben Daniel	Sign up
October 23, 2024	BisonTank Alumni Panel	Former BisonTank contestants	Sign up
November 6, 2024	Unlocking the Secrets to a Successful Mindset	Kristy Ramos	Sign up