At Iowa State, you have many entrepreneurial opportunities: a major, minor, online certificate, master’s, and PhD. These programs are all supported by an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that includes the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, the Student Innovation Center, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and the Iowa State University Research Park as well as the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business.

Start Something!

Your opportunities in entrepreneurship are endless. You may choose to start your own business, hire employees, and become the engine of our economy. If you don’t want to start something, that’s OK! Use your entrepreneurial skills and join a startup, small business, large corporation, or non-profit organization. Entrepreneurial students fit in anywhere. We’re here to help guide and support you as you explore your options.

Create your own educational experience where innovation is nurtured. Through Iowa State’s Start Something network, you can find academic opportunities, all fostering innovation or entrepreneurship in your favorite area of study, which range from credit-earning coursework to capstone projects to internships.

At the Ivy College of Business, we have a long history of supporting entrepreneurs. It’s at the heart of what we do here.

Entrepreneurship has been a theme at Iowa State for more than 25 years with much of it revolving around programs offered through the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship and the Ivy College of Business. Staff at the John Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, which is part of the Ivy College of Business, are successfully collaborating with partners across campus to benefit student entrepreneurs. They offer many hands-on programs to prepare you for a bright future. A few examples include:

CYstarters is an11-week summer accelerator for Iowa State students or recent graduates to focus on a startup or business idea. You will receive $6,500 for individual or up to $13,000 per student team for the opportunity to spend the summer dedicated to achieving your startup goals and pursuing entrepreneurial aspirations. The selection process is competitive, with only a limited number of spots available.

CyBIZ Lab provides the opportunity for cross-functional teams of undergraduate and graduate students to work on business and organizational projects. You’ll gain hands-on experience working to solve real business problems. Companies and organizations receive potential solutions to business issues from a perspective outside the company.

ISU Startup Factory is a startup incubator helping researchers and inventors develop a roadmap to realize the societal and economic impact of their high-tech innovations. Our goal is to help innovators and founders move from “tech-speak” to “business-speak.”

These are all hands-on, model programs at Iowa State that elevate entrepreneurship and prepare you for a bright future in this exciting field. Learn more at the John Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship. View video.

The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) introduced Iowa State University as the winner of the 2021 USASBE Model Program Award, the highest of the organization’s four prestigious annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education Awards. The announcement was made January 8 as part of the USASBE 2021: Be Boldly Unscripted annual conference.

The USASBE Model Program Award recognizes colleges and universities that provide comprehensive, bold, high-quality educational programs that train future generations of entrepreneurs.