The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation focuses on academically rigorous scholarship addressing issues that matter most in practice. With a number of courses in entrepreneurship and innovation offered at Fuqua, students will have unique opportunities for both classroom and experiential learning.
In addition, the Center, in conjunction with the students, creates additional clubs, programs, and initiatives to provide a total experience for students.
Testimonials
“One of the many reason’s that made the Fuqua brand so distinctive and appealing to me was the fact that the school had a strong focus on both entrepreneurship and venture capital. Through the efforts of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club (EVCC), I was able to learn how Fuqua was becoming a rising star in this arena, and quickly becoming the destination of some top level talent. The innovation and energy on display in RTP, at Duke and emanating from Fuqua make this an exciting time to get involved."
-Chris Komelasky ‘09
Former manager at Accenture - Telecom, Media and Entertainment
“I have been impressed with the entrepreneurship opportunities at Fuqua. We are located in one of the top entrepreneurial areas in the country, which opens many prospects. I have worked with several entrepreneurship projects within just a few months of arriving at school, and have turned down many, many more opportunities.”
-Stephen Dean, ‘09
Worked at several small startups before coming to Fuqua.
Courses
There are currently a number of courses in the Fuqua MBA curriculum that fall under entrepreneurship and innovation. They fall under the broad categories of traditional classroom-based courses (lecture or case based) or experiential (practicum) courses, where the students work on actual business problems under the guidance of faculty. The current courses are as follows:
Experiential Courses
- Program for Entrepreneurs - Start a company while you are receiving course credit. Students work on starting real companies in this Program
- Invention to Application - a course where students examine raw life science technologies and create a business plan with a team of students.
- Mentored Study in Entrepreneurship - a course through which students can work on a critical project with an entrepreneur mentor.
Traditional Courses
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Venture Capital and Private Equity
- Marketing of High Technology
- Real Estate Entrepreneurship
- Medical Device Commercialization
- Entrepreneurial Execution
- Entrepreneurial Strategy
- Entrepreneurial Finance
- Managing Innovation in a Global Organization
- Intellectual Capital and Competitive Strategy
- Raising Capital: Financial Instruments, Institutions and Strategy
- Biotechnology: Management of Drug Discovery
View a comprehensive listing of offered courses here.
Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club at Fuqua (EVCC)
The EVCC is an organization of MBA students interested in entrepreneurship. It is an active and important student organization. This group also has an active alumni advisory board. The EVCC and its alumni board will constitute, at least in the near term, the center’s student and alumni advisory groups.
The Duke Start-Up Challenge (DSC)
The Duke Start-Up Challenge , founded in 1998, is a campus-wide, student run, business plan competition. It encourages students to plan and launch their own businesses, receiving feedback from experienced professionals and the chance to win seed capital along the way. Educational seminars are held to cover almost all aspects of starting a business. The DSC works to pair people that have great ideas with people from across the university who have the skills and experiences to turn those ideas into successful businesses. The Duke Start-Up Challenge is supported by both the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization.
Duke Venture Fellows Program
The Duke Venture Fellows program is designed to match Duke MBA students with Venture Capital firms, through education with sessions like Venture Capital 101, and the facilitation of matches through the Duke Venture Fellows Match Day. This program is administered by the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, with support from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Venture Capital is a very competitive field, and being a part of the Duke Venture Fellows program can increase the chances of landing an internship in one of these coveted roles.
Day in RTP
The Day in RTP program gives Duke MBA students exposure to the entrepreneurial community here in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Through meetings and site visits, students will see for themselves what RTP has to offer. This program is administered by the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, with support from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Week-in-Cities
Through the Week-in-Cities trip, Duke MBA students can visit venture capital and startup firms in other cities. Silicon Valley is an annual destination, with additional trips planned, based on interest, to Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Austin, Chicago and other cities that have entrepreneurship. Past meetings have included the heads of Kleiner Perkins, Garage Technology Ventures, and other prestigious firms. This program is administered by the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, with support from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Additional resources
Duke Global Entrepreneurship Network - Duke's alumni and student network for connecting our entrepreneurial community
EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com - Overview of entrepreneurship activities across Duke University