HSN And The University Of Tampa To Host The Third American Dreams Academy And Small Business Symposium In Cincinnati

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading entertainment and lifestyle retailer, HSN, wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail, Inc. (NASDAQ: QRTEA, QRTEB) and The University of Tampa's John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, Sykes College of Business, announced today the next American Dreams Academy – an interactive, educational and hands-on two-day experience for emerging entrepreneurs will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio. In partnership with Cintrifuse, the event will be held at Union Hall the region's hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.

"In Cincinnati, the state of Ohio, and across the heartland of the United States, small businesses play a crucial role in building communities and local economies. We are bringing HSN's third Academy to Cincinnati with programs designed to support innovators and entrepreneurs with tools, training and networks to help them take a great idea and bring it to life," said Suzanne L. Quigley, Director of Corporate Responsibility for Qurate Retail Group.

The scholarship-based Academy, sponsored by Quirky and SLC Group Holdings, will take place in Cincinnati on August 15-16, with an optional third day for entrepreneurs to pitch their products in front of  HSN, The University of Tampa, and our sponsors.

The University of Tampa, in partnership with HSN, has developed a dynamic, informative curriculum that includes courses across categories:

• Thinking Like an Entrepreneur: Mindset, Vision and Strategy
• Money Matters: Accounting and Financing Your Business
• Risk Mitigation: Legal and Tax Issues
• Product Issues: Securing a Patent, connecting with big brands and Licensing Options
• Manufacturing and Distribution
• Quality Assurance
• Defining and Acquiring Customers
• Customer Discovery: Branding, Marketing, Research
• Perfecting Your Pitch

The Academy is a key component of HSN's American Dreams initiative – a program designed to tap into the joy and excitement of discovering new entrepreneurs, while collaborating with strategic partners to find, educate and train inventors as they bring their products to market. HSN, and parent company Qurate Retail Group, champion entrepreneurs and work to create professional experiences and relationships that enable them to thrive.

All applicants must have a product or business concept in development or established in order to participate. To apply visit: http://americandreams.hsni.com/academy-landing/.

For more information about HSN's American Dreams visit americandreams.hsni.com and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About HSN:
HSN, Inc., is a leading interactive entertainment and lifestyle retailer, offering a curated assortment of exclusive products and top brand names to its customers. HSN incorporates entertainment, inspiration, personalities and industry experts to provide an entirely unique shopping experience. At HSN, customers find exceptional selections in Health & Beauty, Jewelry, Home/Lifestyle, Fashion/Accessories, and Electronics. HSN broadcasts reach approximately 90 million households (with live programming 364 days per year) and its website — HSN.com features more than 50,000 product videos. Mobile applications include HSN apps for iPad, iPhone and Android. Visit corporate.hsn.com to learn more.

HSN, Inc., founded 40 years ago as the first shopping network, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail, Inc. (NASDAQ: QRTEA, QRTEB), which includes QVC, HSN, zulily and the Cornerstone brands (collectively, "Qurate Retail Group"), as well as other minority investments. Qurate Retail Group believes in a third way to shop -- beyond transactional ecommerce or traditional brick-and-mortar stores -- and is #1 in video commerce, #3 in ecommerce in North America and #3 in mobile commerce in the U.S. (according to Internet Retailer). For more information, visit www.qurateretailgroup.com. For more information, please visit corporate.hsn.com, or follow @HSN on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About The University of Tampa:
The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves about 9,000 students from 50 states and 140 countries. Approximately 65 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.

About the Lowth Entrepreneurship Center:
The University of Tampa John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center in the Sykes College of Business teaches skills that are critical for today's entrepreneur. Learning to identify opportunities, prepare executable business plans and hone skills through a combination of classroom study and applied learning, makes our program unique. Entrepreneurship education is the fastest growing field of study in the United States, with entrepreneurs projected to be the group that creates vigorous and sustained economic development worldwide.

About Quirky:
Founded in 2009 with a mission to "make invention accessible," Quirky brings new products to market by connecting a global community of inventors to established manufacturers. At the nexus of technology-enabled cultural trends like the maker movement, community creativity and the demand for meaningful product backstories, Quirky has challenged the status quo of invention to become a major force in the product development landscape. Quirky has launched more than 150 products across categories including electronics, home and kitchen, and more than 1 million active community members share in the product royalties.

About SLC Group Holdings:
SLC Group Holdings is a privately held company based in Nashua, New Hampshire with diverse holdings in real estate, investments, marketing, and other business ventures. Twenty-five years ago, SLC Group Holding's founder & CEO Sandy Cleary left her career as an aerospace engineer to follow her passion and start a cruise travel agency in her mother's basement. She grew that business into one of the largest sellers of cruises in North America with more than $135 million in annual cruise volume. Her latest venture, SLC Group Holdings, seeks to partner with passionate business owners and entrepreneurs that need an investment to take their business or product idea to the next level. Encapsulating Sandy's strong entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to business excellence, SLC Group Holdings strives for outstanding performance, economic growth and community impact across all its business segments.

About Cintrifuse
Created by Cincinnati's business community, Cintrifuse is an innovation catalyst, a public/private partnership that exists to build a sustainable tech-based economy for the Greater Cincinnati region. Our purpose is to advocate for entrepreneurs leading high-growth tech startups– attracting, inspiring, and supporting them on their journey. Through the construction and maintenance of an Active Network of BigCos, universities, investors and startups, we are turning Cincinnati into the premier destination for startups and innovation in the Midwest.

About Union Hall
Union Hall is a 38,000 sq. ft. building where disrupters come to roll up their sleeves and get to work.  We are located in Cincinnati's historic Over the Rhine neighborhood, a thriving beer-soaked powerhouse of culinary delight and entrepreneurial energy. Situated just across from parking and around the corner from Washington Park, our space sits in the heart of the new, wrapped in the beauty of the old. Union Hall is home to Cintrifuse, the Brandery and CincyTech—organizations that have exploded the regional landscape for successful startups.

SOURCE HSN

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