Entrepreneurship

Hawken’s Entrepreneurial Studies course, the hallmark program of The Arnold and Sydell Miller Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, represents our dedication to real-world learning. Through this nationally-recognized program, which is housed at our University Circle campus, students learn problem-solving skills that are essential to their success later in life.

 

Over the course of a semester, students work in teams on different consulting projects with real Cleveland startup companies, who present their most pressing business problem to the students. Three weeks later, having done research, conducted customer interviews, and worked as a team to devise a plan, the students present their solutions directly to the business CEOs. In the fourth and final project, students work together to start their own businesses with guidance from top entrepreneurial mentors in Cleveland. The semester immersion program culminates in a “shark-tank” style event where students present their proposed business models to their mentors and experts in the field.