I hope you've heard about Lemonade Day. We're inspiring the next generation of Hoosier entrepreneurs, one lemonade stand at a time. Simply put, we're teaching kids of all ages across the Greater Indianapolis area how to start, own and operate their own businesses: lemonade stands. This year alone, 15,000 kids participated, generating more than $2 million in revenues from their lemonade stands and donating more than $800,000 to charities of their choosing (as we teach them to 'spend, save and share' their profits).

Lemonade Day is the brainchild of Houston entrepreneur Michael Holthouse and entrepreneur and inventor Scott Jones, who lives in Carmel, brought the program to Indianapolis in 2010. Since we launched the program, more than 35,000 kids have participated.

We like to enhance this experience for kids each year, giving them the opportunity to learn something new about entrepreneurship. So, we have a big idea to roll out in 2013: we're starting a Lemonade Day Seed Fund, from which kids will be able to access start-up capital for their lemonade businesses. They will need to sell us on their idea first (make it a pitch, as it were), much like an entrepreneur would in seeking start-up capital. First, we need to raise the money for this Seed Fund and we're doing that by holding a fundraiser. We're partnering with TechPoint, Verge and The Speak Easy for this event, to be held on November 12th at The Speak Easy. Tickets are $20 and the full $20 will go directly to the Seed Fund to be distributed to kids with "winning" pitches next spring when Lemonade Day 2013 ramps up.

If you're passionate about entrepreneurship and want to inspire the next generation of Hoosier entrepreneurs — and/or if you want to attend a fun, unique networking event — please join us on November 12th!

It starts with a lemonade stand!

For more information about the Seed Fund event and to purchase a $20 ticket, visit: http://lemonadedayseedfundevent.eventbrite.com

Follow us on twitter: @lemonadedayindy
Facebook: Lemonade Day Indianapolis
Web site: www.indianapolis.lemonadeday.org

Name: Jami Marsh
Company: Lemonade Day Indianapolis
E-mail: jmarsh@thinkforwardfoundation.org
City: Indianapolis
State: IN