By Stephanie Scott
Jackie Davis (B.A. ’10, M.Ed. ’12, M.B.A. ‘18), the Assistant Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute (ENI) at Georgia State, hit the city to solidify Georgia State’s role in the entrepreneurship ecosystem at Atlanta Startup Week. The three-day summit of events and activities, held from October 17-19 and hosted by Techstars, showcases all that Atlanta’s startup community has to offer.
During the Atlanta Corporate Innovation Summit, on October 18th, Davis sat down for an interview with the Atlanta Small Business Network to talk about academic and on-campus opportunities available for entrepreneurial-minded students.
According to Davis, Georgia’s States relaunch of the entrepreneurship program permits all students to take classes within the Institute (ENI). In the past, entrepreneurship elective courses were only available to Robinson College of Business students. Now, any Georgia State student can pursue a Minor in Entrepreneurship regardless of their major. Business students also have the option to work towards a Major in Entrepreneurship.
In addition, there are some interdisciplinary studies majors that are a collaborative effort between other colleges and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute. The Creative Media Industries Institute hosts the Media Entrepreneurship major for students seeking a career in augmented reality, virtual reality, game design, or film and other media production. Likewise, the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies hosts the Social Entrepreneurship major for students interested in starting non-profit organization, or for-profit social enterprise companies. Finally, the Institute for Biomedical Science offers both graduate and undergraduate programs in Biomedical Science and Enterprise.
Georgia State has numerous resources for student entrepreneurs, including the Small Business Development Center, where small business owners can receive counsel from business experts. There is also the LaunchGSU student incubator, where students can co-work, develop their business model and work on strategies for pitching to investors. Plus, a Living Learning Community for student entrepreneurs, called E-House. Check out more on-campus resources for Georgia State Entrepreneurs here.
