Louie Cesario, left, and CEO David Cogan discuss Eliances at a Starbucks in Tempe on Monday, Oct. 27, 2014. They regularly meet at ASU Skysong to discuss new ideas about the company. (Photo by Jonathan Williams)ASU Skysong and Eliances partnered and developed weekly meetings to bring together entrepreneurs to discuss new business ideas. Almost a year and many meetings later, Eliances has grown bigger than ever.
Since November 2013, the roundtable meeting has been held in Scottsdale at ASU Skysong every Tuesday. Every meeting brings together entrepreneurs to discuss business ideas and concepts.
Each meeting features keynote speakers and members from the business community. The program partnered with sponsors including ASU, the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Business Journal.
University alumnus Louie Cesario is in charge of social media and media relations for Sudz Club, which is part of Eliances. Cesario said people who want to attend a meeting must reserve a seat.
“I have seen a lot of acceleration of my company just through meeting a lot of these people,” Cesario said. "Getting mentored and finding these resources gives us that credibility.”
Cesario said you don't need to be part of the entrepreneurship program to attend the meetings. He said anyone can sign up for a position online at the Eliances website.
However, any prospect's application must be reviewed by an advisory board before they can attend the meetings.
The meeting features a grand table every five or six weeks that features many guests, from CEOs to professional athletes. Each meeting begins with a kickoff, which is a basic introduction to Eliances CEO David Cogan. After another introduction, each attendee pitches their “Three G” or got, give and get plan.
Cogan is the mastermind behind it all. In 2013, Cogan sold his last business and went home to relax. Cogan said after four hours, he decided he needed to do something with his newfound free time.
"We’re changing peoples lives,” Cogan said. “No two roundtables are the same.”
Cogan said Eliances is always looking for new members, especially more students. He said they are expanding and looking to put on more events than just the round and grandtables.
Some attendees are featured on Money Radio 1510 AM and 99.3 FM to share their entrepreneurship ideas on air.
“We want to create jobs,” Cogan said. “We want to foster entrepreneurship.”
Cogan said he dedicates nearly all of his time to the company.
“We’re interested in those that have an idea,” Cogan said. “They need to start thinking about things to take their business to the next level.”
He said when Eliances started, there were only 15 people affiliated with the project, and now there are nearly 800.
Donald Hannah has been a key figure in entrepreneurship for over 50 years. Hannah’s daughter, Daryl, is an actress featured in films like "Kill Bill" and "Wall Street." Hannah said he would love to continue his relationship with Eliances and attend more meetings.
“I’ve found (the meetings) to be really fascinating,” Hannah said. “I’m always impressed to see that many of the young entrepreneurs are really articulate.”
Reach the reporter at jwilli62@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @JonWilliams_23
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter
