Fostering talent and ideas, infusing innovative thinking across campus and building a culture of entrepreneurship is the mission of the new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at the College of Business and Economics.
CIE engaged hundreds of students across the campus this past year, connecting them to entrepreneurs, mentors and faculty members, as well as providing opportunities for professional growth and some seed funding.
At April’s Demo Day event, the Business Model Competition featured 34 students representing 10 different academic disciplines put their business ideas on paper and gave two-minute pitches to judges. They were scored on dimensions such as feasibility, scalability, clarity of idea and more. The top three won cash prizes to help fund their businesses.
Entrepreneurs come from every discipline. Everyone benefits from this type of experiential opportunity says Jan Baum, director of the entrepreneurship minor.
“We are building a culture of entrepreneurship at TU,” she says. “No matter a person’s level of intent to start a business, everyone can benefit from learning how to develop, pitch and refine ideas that solve problems.”
This fall, CIE is celebrating the opening of a state-of-the-art interactive learning lab in Stephens Hall for entrepreneurship classes and events. The new classroom features flexible workstations, whiteboard walls and more.