About The Miller Fellowship
In 2014, Dr. Tom Miller created the Entrepreneurship Initiative Fellows program to support newly graduated NC State students who wished to pursue their venture full-time after graduation. The program was endowed by a group of alumni and renamed the Dr. Thomas Kenan Miller III Fellows Program in fall 2017.
The Miller Fellowship program increases the success rate of promising entrepreneurs by providing a stipend ($1000 per month) and new venture support to graduates who would otherwise not have the financial means to do so.
A group of NC State alumni established the Miller Fellowship in honor of their professor, Tom Miller, to support entrepreneurial-minded students and help bridge the gap directly following graduation when students are often faced with the choice of taking a job or focusing on their startup venture full-time.
Miller Fellows receive a stipend of $1000 per month for 6 months (June – November) and receive specialized mentoring and skills training in both themselves as an entrepreneurial thinker as well as their ventures.
Eligibility:
A monthly stipend of $1000 supports the fellows while they continue to develop their ideas. The Miller Fellowship runs from June – November.
- NC State undergraduate students who will have completed their bachelor’s degree in May 2023 – May 2024 and are not enrolled or planning to enroll in a graduate program the following semester.
- Applicants must show they have made substantial progress towards the development of a venture before they graduated and that additional support would significantly increase the company’s probability of success.
- Applicants must agree to reside in the Raleigh-Durham area for the duration of the Miller Fellowship.
In addition to a stipend, Fellows receive:
- Mentorship from the NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship team, including monthly meetups and workshops, focused on building your entrepreneurial skills
- Continued access to NC State startup spaces, like the Albright Entrepreneurship Garage, and valuable resources, such as the NC State Libraries, to provide work and prototyping spaces at no cost.
- Assistance navigating university and community resources for post-graduate entrepreneurs, such as NC State’s Alumni Entrepreneurs.
- Access to human capital both inside and outside the university that provides resources and services for new ventures (e.g. pitch clinics, legal services).
Fellowship Responsibilities:
- Attend up to 2 peer meetups each month to discuss progress on your venture.
- Attend at least 1 monthly workshop that focuses on building your entrepreneurial skills.
- Present your Miller Fellowship experience at a closing celebration in November.
- Hold mentoring opportunities for NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship students.
- Serve as an ambassador and mentor for NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship in various contexts, such as presenting at university-sponsored programs.
Please note that experiences may be held virtually or face to face. Miller Fellows are expected to attend all scheduled experiences, whether virtual or face to face.
Contact us:
If you have any questions about Miller Fellowship, please email Jennifer Capps at jennifer_capps@ncsu.edu.
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