Shoeboxed.com. We’re looking to change the Duke start-up scene in a big way. Although we are currently in Berlin, Germany focusing on our launch, we will be moving to Durham in the fall - and there’s so much to be excited about. Soon we will offer a free service to help people automatically organize their purchase histories online. We know that people deserve a website that automatically makes their lives simpler. We also know that Duke University deserves a start-up that can unite the community and bring The Triangle Area the positive national attention that it deserves. Shoeboxed.com will be looking for talented members of the Duke and Raleigh-Durham community who are interested in getting involved. If you feel like you have what it takes, email help@team.shoeboxed.com and tell us why you’re awesome. Shoeboxed.com isn’t your ordinary company - we work hard and have fun doing it.

Duke’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization (CERC). The purpose of the center is to “bring knowledge and technology into the service of society”. CERC does it’s best to help bring ideas to the market. By helping to organize teams of talented individuals from diverse backgrounds and by providing these groups with resources from Duke and beyond, CERC has created strong and successful networks of entrepreneurs.

Fuqua Research Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The mission of the center is to advance the scholarship, teaching, and practice of entrepreneurship and innovation. It was created to expand the focus of the Fuqua School of Business so that it would include entrepreneurship and innovation. Focusing on research in these fields, the center looks to contribute to both the knowledge and practice of pioneering business. Even though the center is still new to the Duke community, it plans to leverage the position of the university and the interest of its students and faculty to establish a world-class research program.
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The fact that Duke University is so quaintly located in Durham, NC was probably a deterrent for most students who were considering enrolling. However, four years later, chances are that this average Duke student will proudly claim their loyalty to Durham and display no sign of regret. The area is simply awesome.

Corporations, entrepreneurs, and anyone who is considering a job in business: consider the Raleigh-Durham metro area. This year, Forbes Magazine, everyone’s go-to source for financial literature and rankings, chose Raleigh-Durham as the number one best place for business and careers in the United States. Entrepreneur.com rated the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area as the third best metro area for entrepreneurs, and allbusiness.com declared the area as the best in the nation for female entrepreneurs.

The Raleigh Economic Development group sums up the appeal of the triangle area:

A growing number of companies — from start-ups to the Fortune 250 — are choosing to locate their corporate headquarters here in Raleigh. Why? They’ve found a dynamic hub of technology and innovation that puts them in the heart of world-class academic institutions and pioneering research. They know they can count on a highly skilled workforce, and the quality of life makes recruiting a breeze.

Further evidence in support of the Raleigh-Durham region can be found in a new legislative document, Article 3J. Designed to better the business climate in the area, Article 3J will give us significant breaks on taxes through credits. Basically, job creation and investment in business property will be eased through tax credits. As a thank you for migration into the area by multiple corporations, the triangle has put together multiple public financing, human capital development, and public investment mechanisms to make our lives easier.

So you might want to listen to Forbes, Money, FORTUNE, and the Employment review when they say that the triangle area is the number one place for people to live and work in America.

Click here to see what some of the major presidents and CEOs of corporations in the area have to say about business in the triangle.

I’m the first to admit that I’m proud to be a student of Duke University. A first-class education, a strong community of talented individuals, the opportunity to excel in any field you choose—you couldn’t ask for much more. Except maybe good sports teams. But we’ve got that covered.

I’m especially impressed with Duke’s ability to focus on what’s really important, when it’s important. When biomedical research was identified as a leading research discipline with the potential to make meaningful advances worldwide, the university made it a priority to establish a top-notch engineering program. When Duke made an effort to enhance sportsmanship and school spirit, they established what has become one of the strongest athletic programs in the country. And now it seems as though Duke may be making entrepreneurship its next project—encouraging students to think beyond the boundaries of contemporary ideas and solve problems in creative and innovative ways.

On graduation weekend, Richard Brodhead, President of Duke University, spoke to graduates about the importance of entrepreneurship. He suggested that the only way to assure success in the future is to “strengthen the culture of inventiveness, versatility, entrepreneurship, and creativity such that, whatever the future turns out to hold, smart minds will be here to seize the opportunities of that time,” adding that the most prepared individuals will “meet the future in imaginative, constructive ways”.

It’s those moments that make us feel good about what we’re doing here at shoeboxed.com. We’re proud of our university, and hopefully not too long from now, they’ll be proud of us.

Shoeboxed is officially incorporated in the beautiful and sunny state of Delaware! Not only has this been a huge day in the history of shoeboxed.com, but it reminded me that the state of Delaware exists in the first place (Dela-where?!).

Some team members haven’t slept in days. Some team members have tried to sleep but have been woken up by other jealous teammates.

April 1st was an ambitious goal and we’re going to make it. Thanks for all the support. We’re glad you’re as excited as we are.

Phase 1 is finally here. At this point we’re beginning closed beta testing (read: only for our dorky friends). But you’re next. Stay tuned to the blog for updates and sign up to receive an email when we fully launch if you want to be the first to know.

>>> Correction: We are now live! Sign up today for free organization of all your receipts!

It’s your life. You deserve to be in control.

What’s school work?

Edit: fixed links & added Sbx status correction 9/10/07 - MTR