Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community

About the E-LLC

The Honors Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community is a mentoring community intended for Honors Freshman. The E-LLC has a heavy focus on Entrepreneurship as well as helping students to achieve their Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGS). Additionally, and most importantly, ELLC students develop the entrepreneurship mindset - allowing them to solve any problem that arrises in thier community. There is no specific major students in the Honors Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community need to have, just a desire to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. 

The main montra behind the Honors Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community is that consumers don't buy a product, they buy a story. As a part of the Honors ELLC, students will learn how to do just that; tell their stories. 

Student Outcomes of the ELLC: 

  • Ability to Identify and Solve Problems revolving around UNSDGs

  • Incredible Pitching Skills

  • Professional Networking Opportunities 

  • Exclusive Research and Internship Opportunities 

Interested in getting involved with the Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community? Please reach out to Professor Affonso.

E-LLC Related Coursework: 

All students in the E-LLC are required to take HONS 205, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, during the fall of their first semester. HONS 205 teaches students the basic of the Entrepreneurial mindset. Additionally, E-LLC students have priority registration for HONS 390, Honors ImpactX.

HONS 205

 This course provides an introduction to theoretical and experiential issues in entrepreneurship including the language of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, lean startups, business models, entrepreneurship, and learning from both successful and unsuccessful ventures. Readings, lectures, and live case discussions with entrepreneurs will be used to explore these and related issues. This is the Honors course version of ENTR 200. Students may not receive credit for both.

HONS 390 

 Impact X is a three credit class that assists you and your new team in forming a new venture where success is focused on solving social and environmental problems, while making a profit. This course describes entrepreneurship as a process of economic or social value creation, rather than the single event of opening a business. Reflecting recent research, the course focuses on opportunity recognition, business model generation and lean startup. Students will research and develop a repeatable, scalable business model. Since its inception, Impact X has formed over 75 startup teams that have created innovative, for-profit solutions that improve people’s lives and the planet. All students are assisted by local business professionals as mentors. The Impact X class culminates in a Shark Tank type DEMO Day where students have the opportunity to pitch their projects and win prizes.

 Photographs: 

Affonso

Lancie Affonso: 

Lancie Affonso is the Director of the Entrepreneurship Living-Learning Community through the Honors College and is a Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher (CET). Professor Affonso additionally serves as a faculty fellow for the College of Charleston Honors College and is the Department Chair for the College of Charleston Data Science Department. Finally, Professor Affonso is the only professor to teach at the intersection of Entrepreneurship and technology.  

 ELLC Testimonials: 

"The ELLC allowed me to be centered with a group of peers that shared my curiosity, determination, and ambition." 

"The connections I made during my time in the ELLC I will keep for the rest of my life." 

"The mentoring, community, and experiencial learning in the ELLC set me up for success early in my college career."