Emory University is one of the central entrepreneurial innovation hubs in the US. The school achieves this legacy through the resources it offers to its students, including classes, school-sanctioned events, and extracurricular clubs. There are so many ways for Emory student, faculty, and staff to hone their entrepreneurial spirit – start with this list.
Extracurricular organizations
1. Emory Entrepreneurship and Venture Management (EEVM)
The most popular entrepreneurial organization for undergrads on campus, EEVM’s mission is to assist student entrepreneurs and foster a business spirit at Emory. One of its most well-known activities is HackATL, a weekend-long business hackathon that has grown to be the largest in the Southeastern U.S. since its inception in 2013. The organization also operates other divisions, including a start-up incubator, a life-sciences oriented think-tank, an online magazine, a design consultancy firm, and a co-working space housed in Clairmont Tower. In addition to their chartered activities, the organization holds connections with VC and marketing firms, providing students with access to resources that might get their startup off the ground.
2. The Emory Startup Launch
If you’re ready to test your startup idea and team, this accelerator could be a great fit. It’s a 10-week business intensive in which teams of four workshop their early-stage business by attending classes at Goizueta and running customer trials. Participation in the program is free and requires that only one team member is a current Emory faculty, staff, student, or alumni. All team members will be required to attend on a weekly basis: a three-hour night session, present a weekly team update, and complete in-person, documented customer interviews.
3. Emory Biotech Consulting Club (EBCC)
See yourself as an innovation consultant? EBCC connects students to projects and startups that bring scientific innovation to the market. The club offers hands-on, volunteer consulting experiences; recruitment preparation workshops; and professional development programming. While membership is open to the entire Emory community (plus Georgia Tech and Georgia State), there is an emphasis on connecting STEM and business graduate students.
4. Nucleate
Nucleate is a student-led organization that represents the largest global community of bio-innovators. With missions to inspire bio entrepreneurs, make connections between intellectual communities, and increase access for all, Nucleate has multiple chapters all over the world. But in Atlanta, you can participate in Activator, a program that helps you begin your lab-to-market journey.
Classes and on-campus resources
5. Goizueta Business School
Goizueta Business School students can apply to pitch their startup concept. Every week, two student startups pitch to two Goizueta professors, who provide feedback and recommendations to help turn it into reality. The best eight concept pitches each semester receive a chance to earn six months of free rent at the Atlanta Tech Village incubator, free consulting services from professors, free workshops, and a meeting with an attorney. A short application is required to be able to pitch to the professors. There is also an annual parallel program called “Pitch the VC” where the most promising ideas can pitch to an investor-in-residence.
6. Experiential learning
If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, going beyond the books can help you hone your innovation skills. A few examples from Goizueta include:
- Entrepreneurship practicum course: Students work with startups on projects and pipeline startups for the investing forum.
- IMPACT courses: In this strategy capstone, select “strategic valuation” and “strategic management” clients are focused on innovation or are startups.
- AHIA (Advancing Healthcare Innovation in Africa): Students, faculty, and African innovators convene annually in South Africa for a symposium to help grow and commercialize ideas.
- Custom directed study: Often focused on a new business idea, this option allows students to work on entrepreneurial and innovative work.
7. Goizueta’s Entrepreneurship Secondary Area Depth
Similar to a minor, undergrad business students pursuing this can dedicate a portion of their coursework to learning about entrepreneurship through classes such as “Entrepreneurship and New Venture Management,” “Competitive Advantage,” and “Social Enterprise and Impact Investing.” The thoroughness of Goizueta’s program combined with its resources, like the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and its professional network can help increase your probability of success.
8. The Hatchery
If you have an idea, The Hatchery is the place to bring it to life. The Hatchery supports student innovators and entrepreneurs from all Emory schools and serves as the university’s epicenter for exploring what’s possible. Housed within a new 15,000 sq. ft. creativity space, the center offers mentoring and program support for all stages of innovation, from inspiration and learning to projects and startups. The center embraces a broad approach to innovation and emphasizes the importance of diversity, inclusion, and social impact to create more equitable and progressive solutions.
9. Office of Technology Transfer’s Faculty and Start-Up Services
The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) helps faculty founders get their inventions from the lab to the marketplace, and the Faculty and Start-Up Services program is an integral part of that mission. This team aids in guiding discoveries to market through new venture creation and development. Whether you’re toying with a start-up idea in your head, or you’re ready to find funding, the Faculty and Start-Up Services team can connect you to the right resources.
Events
10. Emory Entrepreneurship Summit
This annual convention hosted by the Goizueta Business School focuses on celebrating and incubating entrepreneurial talent throughout the Emory network, and that of the undergraduate body, in particular. Over the course of a weekend, attendees can attend talks from successful Emory alumni, network during social events, and offer up their own ideas through the “Pitch the Summit” Elevator Pitch Competition. With comprehensive itineraries and world-renowned speakers, the Summit is one of Emory’s greatest entrepreneurial assets.
11. RAISE Forum
A more advanced offering from Goizueta, this program facilitates investments in post-revenue companies scaling up their operations. The forum, which convenes yearly, exclusively features investors and entrepreneurs from the Southeastern US as a way of keeping local businesses through local funding. While primarily focused on healthcare technology, RAISE is open to startups and businesses working in all sectors. But don’t mark your calendar just yet: The event is invite-only for both investors and entrepreneurs.