Entrepreneurship & Innovation

We Learn Business by Building Our Own

Entrepreneurs make waves, they shake things up, and make things better. We help our students funnel their passion into action by imparting the fundamentals of the dynamic process of innovation: crafting something unique, adding value by applying an innovative mindset, and taking calculated risks. We produce graduates who are confident, adaptable, and forward thinking, through real business start-up experiences, internships, and mentorships. They leave Butler prepared to make their own way.

What We Offer

  • Build confidence early on. By the end of your sophomore year, you will have created and run your own business.
  • Highly experiential. Not only do you run a business, you will interact with business professionals, guest speakers, and participate in innovative classroom environment driven by the students.
  • Real money. Butler lends $1,000 to each team of five–six students as seed money. Students can move into a 300-level course if they wish to continue their business after the semester.
  • Mentors. Classes are facilitated by an experienced team of faculty and professional mentors who coach the businesses. This creates an interactive experience in which the facilitators learn as much as the students.
  • Trade shows. Students participate in an annual trade show to showcase the businesses that have been developed.
  • Community partnerships. We consistently bring collaborative partners to campus, and also leverage opportunities to engage our students in the community.

Entrepreneurship & Innovation Curriculum

REAL BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

All students will take this sophomore-level course in which teams develop a viable business plan, present the concept to a panel of executives and, if funded, have the option to start and run the business for credit and profit. Students can continue on to participate in an awards competition, with support from Zotec Partners.