The Entrepreneurship Group has four areas of core strength: founding and growing family businesses primarily in the retail and services industries; technology startups; new business venturing in large, established corporations; and social entrepreneurship, where teams of our students do microfinancing in distant lands. The Princeton Review has recently ranked our program one of the top undergraduate entrepreneurship programs in the United States.
These are the highlights of our Group:
Great courses
We have a rich set of undergraduate and graduate courses, and many exciting corporate residencies in small companies in the Boston area, including: retail, commercial real estate development, financial services, healthcare innovators and high growth technology ventures in software, biotechnology, and energy.
The professors are entrepreneurs and innovators
Our faculty have either started companies, been investors in startups, or have operating experience in high growth ventures. Others are consultants to leading technology companies in different industries. This makes our courses "real world."
The Northeastern Center for Family Business
Directed by Ted Clark, provides connections between business owners, faculty, and students for a wide range of activities.
Executive Education
Entrepreneurship and Innovation faculty take leading roles in Northeastern programs for IBM (the world's largest computer company), EMC (the world's largest storage company), BAE (one of the world's largest defense contractors), The MathWorks (the leader in mathematical computing software), and Mars (the world's largest chocolate and pet food manufacturer). This is cutting edge education with some of the world's best companies.
Leading Research
Our faculty are accomplished researchers: Ralph Katz and Marc Meyer have both won the coveted "Holland Award" from the Industrial Research Institute (Katz for his work on managing R&D teams and Meyer for his work on product platforms and corporate innovation); Kimberly Eddleston is a Family Owned Business Institute Scholar for her work on family firms and careers; Daniel McCarthy is a "top three" scholar in his studies of entrepreneurship in Eastern and Central Europe; Fredrick Crane with numerous textbooks and publications is an authority in the marketing of new products and services and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Academy of Business Education. Matt Allen, Gordon Adomdza, Tucker Marion, and Cheryl Mitteness are our junior faculty, all performing path-breaking research in innovation, corporate venturing, and venture finance.
A strong commitment to social entrepreneurship, around the world
Under Dennis Shaughnessy's leadership, teams of undergraduate students are now working on assignments to establish micro-lending operations in Africa and South America. Students describe these as extraordinarily exciting and intensive experiences. Courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level prepare students for the assignments.
Whether you wish to major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, take our courses as a complementary minor, or have a fun, enriching elective, come see us. Professor Frank Spital, our Group Coordinator, will direct you to the faculty and staff who share your interests. Even if you don't wish to start your own company, entrepreneurial thinking is valued by every CEO running a company, large or small. The first courses you should consider are The Entrepreneurial Universe or Innovation!
Your professors will be cheering you on in your own entrepreneurial pursuits.
Francis C. Spital
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group Coordinator
f.spital@neu.edu
617-373-4722