Results
At NC State, entrepreneurs build critical business skills, connect with like-minded innovators, gain valuable real-world experience — and bring exciting ideas to market.
A Howling Success
Entrepreneurship is a top priority and key strength at NC State. Our award-winning program is spearheaded by renowned faculty and backed by a community of industry veterans and successful alumni. We invest in functional, collaborative spaces and cutting-edge resources that empower student entrepreneurs to develop innovative products and prototypes, limited only by their imaginations. And it all happens in one of the nation’s most prolific hotbeds for startup ventures.
Our approach works, and the results prove it.
Help us keep our place as #15 best undergraduate entrepreneurship program in the country and #15 best graduate program in the country by taking one of the following brief surveys.
#2 Graduate Entrepreneurship Program in the South
The Princeton Review ranked NC State as a top 10 best college for entrepreneurs.
National Recognition
Top Rankings
In an Association of University Technology Managers survey, NC State was ranked, among universities without medical schools:
- #2 for Licenses and Options Executed
- #5 for Invention Disclosure
- #5 for Startups Launched
Revolutionary Methods
In 2018, The NC State Entrepreneurship Clinic received the Excellence in Co-Curricular Innovation Award by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Inspired by the teaching hospital model, the space is a dynamic learning environment that brings faculty, students and local startups together at a thriving co-working space in downtown Raleigh.
A Dynamic Curriculum
Our introductory Exploring Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Thinking course was a top-ten learning module at the 2017 U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference. The course pushes students to develop a broad entrepreneurial mindset, helping them recognize opportunities in disciplines ranging from technology to the humanities. The module was also published in the 2017 Experiential Entrepreneurship Exercises Journal.
$1.2 Billion in Added Income From NC State Startups
We support entrepreneurs and North Carolina’s economy.
Strong Numbers
Powerful Networks
The Wolfpack Investor Network leverages the power of the NC State entrepreneurial community, a far-reaching alumni network and enterprising private companies to grow our startups. A co-investment fund and angel investing platform each match experienced NC State alumni with new companies, providing vital networking, guidance and funding.
- More than 140 members
- 25 portfolio companies
- $15 million invested
Launch Support
The Office of Research Commercialization plays a crucial role in promoting the acceleration of NC State startups. The department provides university entrepreneurs with assistance and resources to launch startups and scale businesses.
- The university secured $5.6 million in total licensing revenue during the 2019 fiscal year
- 226 inventions created through support of the Office of Commercialization during the 2019 fiscal year
- 41 patents filed during the 2019 fiscal year
Thriving Businesses
Thirty-one active companies got their start in our Entrepreneurship Garage, and new ideas are growing each day. The companies already in business have a combined $75 million in venture capital investments.
Top 5 Program
for Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines, as recognized by the Global Consortium for Entrepreneurship Centers
World-Class Faculty
Our entrepreneurship faculty and nationally-recognized learning models lead the way for entrepreneurs at NC State.
- 22 faculty members across eight academic departments teach at least one undergraduate entrepreneurship course.
- 71 percent of undergraduate entrepreneurship faculty serve on boards of directors or advisory boards to commercial and social ventures.
- 59 percent of undergraduate entrepreneurship faculty have started, bought or run a business.
$3.4 million awarded to 51 projects
The Chancellor’s Innovation Fund has led to the creation of over 27 new companies
Lasting Connections
A Supportive Community
A $5 million endowment will bolster a unique entrepreneurship initiative at NC State. The substantial gift will benefit the Albright Entrepreneurs Village, where students across all academic disciplines live and learn with like-minded peers in an environment that fosters creativity and encourages enterprising minds.
Engaged Alumni
The Alumni Entrepreneur Network won the Alumni Relations Engagement Project, Event or Program Award for “The Rise of NC State Alumni Entrepreneur Network” from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Good Company
NC State entrepreneurs enjoy the added benefit of a collaboration among four prominent research institutions. The Triangle Venture Alliance is a partnership between NC State, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University to fund startups founded by alumni, students, staff, faculty and members of the local community.