The Entrepreneurship Clinic: Bridging Classroom Learning with Startup Reality
Housed in the Entrepreneurship Clinic, MIE 419: Entrepreneurship Practicum gives students a place to gain practical, real-world skills to make them successful in any career. Hear a first-hand experience from a student clinician.
The Entrepreneurship Clinic helps university founders turn their visions into reality, and our students gain practical experience working with startups. Utilizing the hospital teaching method applied to entrepreneurship, the Clinic integrates research, teaching and real-world experience through sections of MIE 419: Entrepreneurship Practicum.
Students can work alongside rapidly scaling startups and corporations on innovation-based projects while earning credit. These real-life experiences prepare students for their future careers, and partner companies get to work with top interdisciplinary talent.
Meet a Student Clinician
Tyler Melnotte is a senior studying business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship. After switching from computer science to business administration, Melnotte discovered a new side of NC State. A place where students are surrounded by professionals looking to grow their ventures and help each other succeed. “It is a fun and exciting atmosphere,” said Melnotte.
In a team of four, Melnotte is working alongside Metanoia International, a social impact travel organization that focuses its operations in El Salvador. Over the course of the semester, the team is tasked to help Metanoia with customer discovery. They perform a variety of tasks to create deliverables for the company at the end of the semester. Some of these tasks include distributing surveys, conducting interviews, analyzing competitors and developing customer personas. The team is also working to strengthen connections between Metanoia and the NC State Study Abroad program.
“The work we are doing here feels more real than any work I’ve done for any of my other classes, precisely because it is more real,” said Melnotte.
Working alongside the founders of Metanoia, Jack Rothacker and Jada Wyatt, has provided a vast amount of mentorship for Melnotte and the team. “Personally, the mentorship I received through [Jack and Jada] got me to think more about the importance of finding something you are passionate about. While the options seem endless at the moment, it is inspiring to see people like Jack and Jada work hard to create something bigger than themselves.”
While he is still deciding what career to pursue, Melnotte is learning valuable lessons through the MIE 419: Entrepreneurship Practicum course. The team’s deep dive into customer discovery involves a comprehensive analysis of college students, Metanoia and its competitors. The class has also been pivotal in developing communication skills for Melnotte.
“It’s a great communication exercise. [Communication] is present within my team, with Metanoia, the interviews and relaying findings to the class,” he said.
The Clinic provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience before stepping into their future careers — whether that is in an established organization or a startup. Being able to adopt the mindset of an entrepreneur sets them apart as they think innovatively and analytically. “This analytical mindset that you naturally fall into is a useful tool to have in your arsenal when pursuing career goals,” said Melnotte.
Interested in taking MIE 419? Submit an application for Spring 2026.
