/ Center for Leadership

Entrepreneurship

We provide hands-on coursework, workshops and summer fellowships for students to create start-ups. 

Students from all majors are invited to explore entrepreneurship and to join teams. From greeting cards and granola bars to video resume apps and underwater drones, we are a hub for innovation where students make a positive impact on communities across the world.

What we do

  • LDRS 231 – Leading the Start-up Process: An introductory experiential class for entrepreneurship
  • Summer Fellowship: An eight-week intensive summer program for students to build their businesses and gather resources, an advisor and initial revenue
  • Academic Year Fellowship: Weekly workshops and mentorship for continual development of students throughout the school year
  • External experiences: We send students across the country to competitions and to the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute to be part of their summer program

Success Stories

Ordinary Card Co.
Founded in 2015 by Laurel Hall, Ordinary Card Co. products are sold in seven retail stores. Laurel sold more than 1,000 cards in six months. 
Wedge
Founded in 2015 by Matt Baxter and Ryan Billman, Wedge, a video resume platform has pilots with Hibu, MVP Sports and Axios HR. Fifty companies, five universities and three dating sites have expressed interest in Wedge.
Spera Foods
Founded in 2016 by Hannah Johnsen and Megan Wierenga, Spera Foods is soon launching healthy products made with Tiger Nuts! 
ReindeerCam
Founded in 2011 by Drew Born, ReindeerCam was featured in TIME and on The Today Show and has over 100,000 likes on Facebook. 
Fathom
Founded in 2014 by Matt Gira, John Boss, and Danny Vessells, Fathom has raised over $190,000 on Kickstarter. It has been featured in USA Today, Detroit Free Press, BBC and Discovery News
Ring Cam
Founded in 2012 by Sam Tzou, Russell Fyfe, Scott Brandonisio and Scott Bahash, Ring Cam has been featured on CNN and ABC's Good Morning America. The ring box is carried in 375 jewelry retail stores around the world. 
Songs Against Slavery
Founded in 2011 by Grace Theisen and Lauren Lancaster, Songs Against Slavery has put on more than 25 concerts in eight states with 14 nonprofits.
My Great Lake
Founded in 2011 by Kylen Blom, My Great Lake has been sold in 38 retail stores.
Sweet Spot
Founded in 2012 by Jared DeMeester and Alex Bolen, Sweet Spot claims a spot among the top 10 longboard wheels in the world.