Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

UNC Leads the Way in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

At UNC Kenan-Flagler, an entrepreneurial spirit is engrained in the school’s culture. Since 1997, the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies has offered students, staff and faculty the resources to identify and evaluate valuable entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as get connected to mentors and coaches in one of the nation's most vibrant entrepreneurial hotspots, Research Triangle Park (RTP).

Coursework

UNC Kenan-Flagler has a long history of award-winning innovation in entrepreneurial pedagogy. With over 20 MBA electives, the entrepreneurship curriculum at UNC Kenan-Flagler covers a broad spectrum, including specialty topics such as family business, entrepreneurship through acquisition, and social entrepreneurship. At UNC Kenan-Flagler, we live out the entrepreneurial spirit every day in our dedication to fostering a learning environment that is collaborative, hands-on and results-driven.

Exceptional Programs

The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies boasts a wide range of programs, conferences and competitions which deeply enrich the UNC Kenan-Flagler experience and allow students to engage their entrepreneurial interests through a variety of perspectives. Programs include:

Startups

• Launching the Venture has helped UNC faculty, staff and students create 50 start-ups since 1999.
• Carolina Challenge awards $50k in prize money to UNC startups annually.

Entrepreneurial Finance

• The renowned Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC), founded and managed by UNC Kenan-Flagler, is a worldwide network of events which attracts 1,200 of the top entrepreneurial MBA students from three continents.
• The student-run Kenan-Flagler Private Equity Fund, launched in 2007, with $4.4 million of committed capital under management – is the first and only student-run fund at a top-tier global business school with the goal to provide real returns to its limited partners.

Social Entrepreneurship

• The Sustainable VCIC is an annual competition that hosts eight of the nation’s top entrepreneurship and sustainability MBA programs.

Internship Fellowships

• The Carolina Entrepreneurial Fellows program matches entrepreneurial students with two startups for a one-of-a-kind summer experience.
• The Carolina Venture Fellows program offers elite MBAs the opportunity to work for a venture capital firm in a structured twelve-month apprenticeship.
• The Alternative Investments Fellows program connects MBAs with rare summer internship opportunities at private equity and hedge funds.