Entrepreneurs have a chance to collaborate and grow their network in an upcoming event put on by LaunchNET Kent State and .
“We aim to give them (student entrepreneurs) a community of like-minded individuals,” said Gabe Crozier, president of CEO, “as well as the resources necessary … to pursue any goal that they may have.”
“My goal here at the school is to build up the entrepreneurship community here on campus as much as possible,” Crozier said, “and LaunchNET provides so many cool opportunities for so many people.”
He saw the value in collaborating with LaunchNET for the Startup Mixer, because the program aligns with his own goals.
Entrepreneurs will be able to network and participate in an interactive activity at the event. Crozier has developed a custom Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) that will walk participants through real-life scenarios, where they pitch a fictional business and make decisions to further the success of their business.
“At the end, what it does is, it gives you a review on how you did, some things to keep in mind if you were to pursue an idea like this in the future, and kind of just gives you an entrepreneurship report,” said Crozier.
The event will take place at , a local “board-game pub.”
Hayley Bennett and Coty Giannelli, owners of Board and Bevy, opened the business in April 2024.
“We like to say we’re a family-friendly experience,” said Giannelli. “We offer pub style food, … drinks, craft sodas, mocktails, and THC beverages.” The pub also has a library of around 350 board games.
Board and Bevy frequently hosts organizations from around Kent, such as Main Street Kent, the Chamber of Commerce, a local Dungeons and Dragons club, and many other organizations from the university. Bennett and Giannelli wanted to get involved with local organizations as a way of reaching out and connecting with the community.
“All levels of gaming … can come play,” said Bennett. “I think there’s a lot of people that don’t come in the door just because they just assume it’s not their thing, and we appreciate getting people from all kinds of different groups in the door.”
As business owners, Bennett and Giannelli are familiar with the process of starting their own venture and are excited to support local entrepreneurs in this capacity.
“We are happy to be a resource for anyone that’s looking for more information on how to get started,” said Bennett, “because … I kind of flew by the seat of my pants and figured a lot of stuff out in the process of starting a business.”
The Startup Mixer will take place on Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 at Board and Bevy from 4pm-6pm.
Lucci's pizza and one drink ticket (mocktails or sodas) per person will be provided to attendees. The mixer is also open to alumni and non-students.