Today, we are announcing our newest Alumni Innovator in Residence (IIR), Andrew Ashur ‘19 Founder and CEO of Lucid Bots, welcoming back one of the first entrepreneurs to launch a business out of the Hurt Hub. The Alumni Innovator in Residence, generously supported by the Charlie Hinnant ‘72 Fund, offers a Davidson alum who is working as an entrepreneur or innovator to grow their venture while employing Davidson students, teaching workshops, engaging with our Hurt Hub coworkers, and providing mentorship for the broader Davidson community. Since graduating, Andrew has remained an extremely active founder in the Charlotte area, serving as a mentor to many Davidson students participating in our Nisbet Venture Fund pitch competition, which he and his team won in 2019. Similarly, he is an active mentor to many other startups through LaunchCLT, a great Hurt Hub partner, and a leader in the entrepreneurial community. Andrew has been recognized in Forbes 30 under 30 and was just recently named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s Power 100 Innovators.
Andrew kicked off his onboarding with the Hurt Hub Leadership team last week, meeting with the team one-on-one and getting deeply entrenched into our culture. Throughout his tenure, Andrew will be focusing on aligning to the Hurt Hub’s strategic Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and adding value based on his experience, namely:
- Positioning the Hurt Hub as an integral part of the catalyzing innovation in the Davidson Community;
- Ensuring students in our community believe that the Hurt Hub champions and nurtures ideas in an inclusive environment, leading to successful entrepreneurial outcomes;
- Delivering exceptional human-center experiences every day.
In particular, he will dedicate his time to student mentorship, especially those who are pursuing entrepreneurship as a career path during college and post-graduation. He wishes to dispel the myth that entrepreneurship isn’t accessible if students aren’t economics or computer science majors. Similarly, with his deep ties across the Greater Charlotte business community, nationally with his connections through Y Combinator, and with Davidson alums, Andrew intends to evangelize the work going on at the Hurt Hub bringing more awareness to the impact and outcomes our students and communities produce. Finally, he intends to leverage his technical experience at Lucid Bots to support the Hurt Hub’s efforts to make its operations more efficient with the launch of several new technology platforms.
As we welcome Andrew to the Hurt Hub leadership team, we want to celebrate the incredible impact and growth that Donna Peters ‘89 has fostered at the Hurt Hub during her two-year tenure as our Alumni Innovator in Residence. Her vast experience as a retired strategy consulting partner and three-time entrepreneur brought both business and career advisory to our Davidson community in differentiating ways. Across two years of Hurt Hub programming, Donna served as a moderator for two signature events, the Nisbet Lecture and the Nisbet Venture Fund competition. She participated as a mentor-coach for the Nisbet Venture Fund finalists and facilitator of Hurt Hub leadership team strategic planning meetings. Donna also led career training at the Hurt Hub for Davidson’s Women in Business Club, participated in multiple Matthews Center for Career Development programs, and currently serves as Chair of the Davidson Arts and Creative Engagement (DACE) board. In her role as IIR, she has held over thirty “Ask Me Anything” office hours for students and alums seeking business and career coaching and guest lectured in numerous classes. Her dedication to nurturing future leaders, fostering innovation, and enhancing community connections has left a lasting mark.
As Donna’s IIR tenure draws to a close, we extend our deepest gratitude for her unwavering service and commitment. Her legacy of mentorship and innovation will continue to shape the Davidson community for years to come, and we look forward to finding new ways to stay connected with her in the future.
Welcome, Andrew, and thank you, Donna!
