Photo of Andy and Eileen Hafer.
Photo courtesy of USF
By Jorge Otero
Andy and Eileen Hafer’s history has been tied to USF since 1988. The Hafer’s goal is to build more support for THRIVE and the community so seed funding would no longer be an ongoing problem for any future trailblazers.
They put their love for the campus on full display last December when they made their largest gift yet: a donation of $1.75 million to the Nault Center for Entrepreneurship in order to create the Hafer THRIVE Entrepreneurship Program which plans to assist young entrepreneurs to fulfil their monetary goals.
This gift also included funding of $1 million to ensure seed funding, coaching and educational resources for the students who are pursuing business ventures. The Hafers said their donation will pave the way for others to see the value of this program and encourage others to donate in order to push Tampa towards new possibilities.
Many individuals such as Jay Stroman, USF foundation CEO have described the way the Hafers have been a shining light because they’re “empowering future innovators to turn big ideas into real impact.”
The plan with the THRIVE program is to remove key barriers that prevent students from reaching their full potential.
The Hafers have a history of supporting new opportunities for students. In 2021 Eileen gave Andy $12 million to create The Eileen Hoffman Hafer UMatter Program, which was focused on giving a college experience to students with intellectual disabilities.
Last year, USF entrepreneurs, Cherish Alston and Morgan Bierbrunner,were the first to receive funding through THRIVE’s search. Both Alston and Bierbrunner are currently CEOs that THRIVE has assisted. Alston leads Soleluxe, a company that sells sneaker accessories, and Bierbrunner heads a pre-workout supplement brand known as Rush Power.
Alston and Bierbrunner were not the only ones who benefited from the Hafers’ contributions. Mathis Fürst Haugen and Rima El Brouzi pitched their own hydration system at a major innovation summit that was created by Andy. At the Nault Center board meeting, other members gained the final $5,000 needed to build the prototype, with Andy’s help.
