Learning to Fail--Fast

Entrepreneurship is often characterized by risk and failure.

However, Cedarville University's entrepreneurship minor seeks to teach students to utilize a risk of failing fast mindset instead of fearing these characteristics.

“We don’t want you to fail long because then you don’t have data, said Oberbrunner. “If I can fail in 12 hours and run that ten times, I could learn so much more than if I failed once and it took 12 weeks.”

One way Cedarville is helping students succeed as entrepreneurs is through programs like the 2023 Hackathon that will take place on Friday, Oct. 27 at the International Center for Creativity in suburban Columbus, Ohio.

The Hackathon’s one-day event will allow up to 30 students the opportunity to pitch, develop, and present business ideas to entrepreneurs, including Dr. Kary Oberbrunner, Berry Chair of Entrepreneurship at Cedarville University. The winner of the event is the team of individuals who presented the best business idea and plan.

“The point of the Hackathon is to take starting a business and condense it into a weekend,” said Oberbrunner, who is an entrepreneur himself.

The Hackathon follows Parkinson's law which is the idea that a task will take as long as the time allotted for it. In this case, starting a business could take 72 weeks but the Hackathon only allows for under 72 hours to do the same task. This pushes students to be quick-thinking and creative, not wasting a second of time.

Students will also learn to embrace taking risks, failing fast, and learning quickly to accomplish their goals. A trait that is necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 5,082 undergraduate, graduate, and dual enrolled high school students in more than 175 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, such as the entrepreneurship minor, high graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and the #4 national ranking by the Wall Street Journal for student engagement. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.