UTRGV RCVCOBE professor helps design curriculum for Amazon Small Business Academy
Photo above: UTRGV business professor Derek Abrams was recruited in March 2023 by the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO), to help to design a new curriculum for Amazon Small Business Academy (ASBA). (UTRGV courtesy photo)
Visit https://www.smallbusiness.amazon/ to learn more about the new program.
By Amanda L. Alaniz
Edinburg TX– May 19, 2023 – In March 2023, UTRGV business professor Derek Abrams was recruited by the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) to help design a new curriculum for the Amazon Small Business Academy (ASBA).
ASBA provides a suite of free, interactive resources and tools for small business owners and entrepreneurs to help start and build their businesses online. CEO is a nonprofit organization that supports more than 16,500 emerging collegiate entrepreneurs annually.
A partnership between CEO and ASBA was announced in February 2023.
Abrams, a UTRGV associate professor of Practice with the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship and associate director of the Center for Innovation and Commercialization (CIC), currently oversees the UTRGV CEO Chapter and was awarded the 2022 Outstanding CEO Chapter Advisor of the Year award.
“It’s an honor. I was fortunate to be part of a small group of faculty who were able to participate in this,” he said. “This was an opportunity that came from the work I was already doing with CEO. My philosophy is, I want to see all the organizations I’m affiliated with continue to grow and improve.”
Abrams, along with seven other professors from institutions around the country, worked on curriculum outlines and learning objectives. They also serve as guest specialists in weekly “office hours” as a supplement to educational webinars and on-demand learning.
Giles Hertz, J.D., president of CEO, in a press release said the Amazon Small Business Academy curriculum created is accessible and accommodating for “any stage of startup to learn how to scale and grow their venture.”
The selected faculty divided up the topics they saw as essential to know in the business world.
Abrams specializes in entrepreneurial and international finances, and he focused on financial acumen, finding funding and inventory / in stock.
Abrams encourages anyone interested in learning about a startup or future business to research the ASBA and for local community members to research the CIC.
“With these opportunities, I get the chance to share what I’ve learned. I hope to make a difference in someone’s life who is interested in becoming an entrepreneur,” he said.