Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center

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The IEC provides targeted entrepreneurial training and support for students and aspiring business owners that will foster innovation and help them to establish and sustain high-growth and sustainable companies. We leverage intellectual capital through collaborative efforts of faculty, community partners, students, entrepreneurs, and the larger Raleigh community.

Please note that the Shaw University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center does not offer grants to individual businesses.

At the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) at Shaw University, we are guided by core principles that define our mission and drive our efforts. These values shape everything we do, from fostering innovation to supporting the creation and sustainability of high-growth businesses in minority communities.

• Excellence
• Inclusivity
• Intentionality
• Impact
• Adaptability

Entrepreneurship education at Shaw University is a university-wide initiative. Open to all students regardless of major, as well as faculty and staff, our courses and programs focus on developing entrepreneurial thinking through a forward-focused curriculum designed to enhance success in careers or independent ventures.

Creating the Business Innovation Gateway (BIG)

Creating the Business Innovation Gateway (BIG) is Shaw University’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program focused on developing undergraduate student competency in the following areas:

• Business planning and opportunity recognition
• Project management
• Financial management
• Marketing and branding
• Social entrepreneurship

Through courses, seminars, and internships, the BIG program addresses underemployment by ensuring that students are career-ready, either though the launch of their own enterprises or as employees in entrepreneurial organizations. Successful completion of the BIG program will result in students creating a viable business plan and being eligible to test for project management certifications and/or earn badges for completion.

Funded through a grant from the Minority Business Development Agency, the BIG program is open and available to all Shaw students, regardless of major.

Aspire Entrepreneurship Certification Program

The Aspire Entrepreneurship Certification Program (AECP) is a 16-week program that provides training specific to aspiring and early-stage Black entrepreneurs in the Raleigh-Durham area. Launched in January 2022, the AECP presents a research-based curriculum designed to address specific needs and challenges experienced by Black entrepreneurs.

Facilitated and taught by experienced Black entrepreneurs and subject matter experts, the AECP provides comprehensive, research-based training in the following areas: business essentials, opportunity recognition, money management, marketing, business operations, and presentation and communication. At the conclusion of the program, participants in AECP will have a viable business plan evaluated by local entrepreneurs and business leaders.

We are currently accepting applications for our third cohort scheduled to launch in Fall 2024.

To apply or request more information, please email aspire@shawu.edu.

Motivate. Orchestrate. Validate. Execute. (M.O.V.E.)

Motivate. Orchestrate. Validate. Execute. (M.O.V.E.) is a university-wide initiative designed to build upon the foundations set in BIG and ASPIRE to execute the launch of student ventures and to develop an entrepreneurial mindset throughout the university community.

M.O.V.E. focuses on the business launch process through an immersive 8-month program, a start up package, and a mentoring program. The program seeks to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset throughout the campus community through professional development for faculty and staff, a faculty certification program, and a Young Entrepreneur Seminar Series.

For more information on the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, our programs, and/or partnership opportunities, please contact us at IEC@shawu.edu or complete this form:

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