Entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" star Lori Greiner will headline "Mad, Bad and Dangerous," an entrepreneurial summit for women sponsored by Girls Preparatory School and scheduled for Friday-Saturday, March 11-12.
To kick off the summit, Greiner will be the featured speaker at an 11:30 a.m. luncheon on March 11 in The Chattanooga Convention Center. She will share her experiences as an inventor who has more than 500 inventions under her name and also as an investor on ABC's reality show, "Shark Tank."
Tickets for the luncheon are $50 per person and may be purchased online at getyourmbd.com, by email at MBD@gps.edu or by calling 423-634-7600.
"Mad, Bad and Dangerous" is for "women, girls and the men who support them" in their entrepreneurial endeavors, according to GPS organizers. Due to the success of last year's inaugural event, which drew more than 500 participants, GPS expanded the second summit to include the kickoff luncheon so more people could hear the featured entrepreneur.
The day-long conference on Saturday, March 12, will include educational tracks led by local and national experts, business leaders and established entrepreneurs, as well as a women's marketplace of more than 50 vendors of female-owned businesses. Opportunities will be available for participants to sign up for direct, 20-minute consultations with panelists and presenters.
CO.LAB's 24-hour generation, in which girls from area schools participate in an intensive period of mentoring and planning to solve a business problem, will again be held, concluding with a three-minute pitch by each team of girls to a panel of judges for a cash prize.
Saturday's events are free, but participants must preregister at getyourmbd.com. The events will take place on the GPS campus at 205 Island Ave.
"We want women in our community to feel inspired and supported as they consider turning their ideas into real business ventures," says Autumn Graves, GPS head of school. "We know women are highly qualified to make it as entrepreneurs, yet they are under-represented in this arena. 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous' is designed to help women and girls see themselves as capable, confident and bold entrepreneurs in the making."