One company makes nanoparticle coatings and another creates theater for young children. Other ventures include a nonprofit that cleans water for poor villages, a gig economy of English-language speakers and an app that makes charitable donations easier.
These wide-ranging projects were all launched by Arizona State University students and nurtured by the university’s sweeping entrepreneurial programs, which provide everything from expert advice and workspace to thousands of dollars in investments. And every year, more high-level competitions pump more money into student-driven ventures.
The programs make ASU a magnet for innovators at every stage of entrepreneurship, from freshmen with a wild idea to community business owners who want to expand, crossing disciplines and putting students together with people who have succeeded — and failed — at creating new businesses.
This sprawling model allows ASU to reach more potential innovators, said Christie Kerner, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship in the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU.
“We have a highly distributed model for entrepreneurship at ASU, and it’s quite powerful,” Kerner said.
Read more about how ASU is broadening their entrepreneurial scope.