Eller Entrepreneurship and Innovation Capstone

Developing the Innovative Capacity of Every Student

A Simple Goal

Eller College's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative is a strategic objective to teach every business student how to think like an innovator that can actively respond to the nation's and the world's persistent challenges of competition, innovation and change.

A Novel Strategy

Make a course in innovation and entrepreneurship a requirement for undergraduate graduation, regardless of major.

This was one of the best classes that I have taken at Eller. Not only have I learned great entrepreneurial skills, but also great life skills in general.

Jonathan Managbanag '15 Marketing Minor

ENTR 485 Innovating: Creating the Future prepares seniors for their leap into the professional world by coaching them to think like entrepreneurs.

ENTR 485 ensures that Eller seniors graduate with creative and innovative critical thinking skills, so they stand apart from the crowd as they start–and build–their careers.

Reflecting Eller College's strong commitment to providing experiential education for the future, ENTR 485 is the summative experience for Eller seniors. In this class, students bring together all of the business skills they have learned throughout their diverse course load, and apply them as they identify and develop a solution to a real-world problem.

Students learn to build strong teams by including members with diverse sets of skills, backgrounds and interests. The teams then spend the semester developing an innovation project of their choice. Teams identify customer needs through market research, use the business model canvas and build financial assumptions and pro forma statements. Through this hands-on process of developing an actionable strategic business plan, students learn the tools of innovation and entrepreneurship.

ENTR 485 Innovating: Creating the Future demonstrates to students how they can take the skills they've learned in their classes and apply them in the real world. Students complete ENTR 485 armed with the ability to creatively and confidently tackle problems in entrepreneurial, corporate, government or nonprofit environments.

ENTR 485 is designed to be taken in the senior year. Students should contact their major advisors for registration or questions about ENTR 485.