$42M
Undergraduate alumni who engaged with the Schulze School in the last 10 years have raised $42.9 million in funding.
Expertise and Guidance to
Launch Your Business
Perhaps an entrepreneurship class project sparked a great idea. Maybe you discovered it while engaging in a Schulze School competition. Or it could be that your service-learning program introduced you to a problem you want to solve. Whatever your idea and where you found inspiration, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship is here to help you take the next step turning your concept into a company.
The Schulze School offers a number of resources to help St. Thomas students, alumni, and members of the community start and grow their businesses.
Programs and Opportunities
The nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor, set up its gBETA and gALPHA programming on the University of St. Thomas St. Paul campus to exclusively serve students and alumni bringing their ideas to reality and launching a business.
There are two distinct programs:
gALPHA at St. Thomas is a free, four-week venture creation program that helps our entrepreneurially minded students and technologists create startup businesses. Participants can bring an existing startup idea/invention, receive a problem from a local company to solve, or create something from scratch.
gBETA St. Thomas is a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies founded and led by St. Thomas students or alumni. It offers a suite of opportunities to engage with mentors, coaches, investors and the like, for all students and alumni with an idea for a business. It requires no fees and takes no equity.
Learn more about gALPHA and gBETA accelerator programs at St. Thomas.
Schulze Innovation Fund
The Schulze Innovation Fund invests in entrepreneurial St. Thomas students and alumni with early-stage businesses. Selected ventures can receive up to $100,000 as equity or a convertible note with possible follow on investment.
Schulze Pre-Seed Grant Program
The Schulze Pre-Seed Grant Program awards grants of up to $10,000 to help St. Thomas students and recent alumni accelerate entrepreneurial ventures and innovation. It provides pre-seed funding accompanied by coaching and other educational resources.
The Norris Institute
The William C. Norris Institute helps launch forward-thinking Minnesota companies and supports their growth with early-stage startup equity. It has invested in 47 ventures, with amounts up to $100,000 and potential follow-on investment.
Small Business Development Center
The University of St. Thomas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides free, confidential business consulting services to help established businesses and startups develop strategies to attract customers, increase sales and improve profitability. Business consultants are paid professionals with extensive, practical experience in marketing, finance, accounting, operations and business planning.
LegalCORPS
LegalCORPS provides free assistance in non-litigation business law matters to low-income owners of small businesses, small nonprofit organizations and low-income innovators in Minnesota — through the services of volunteer attorneys. This non-profit organization expands access to the legal system and is housed in Schulze Hall.
The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship is a proud partner in the Twin Cities entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are pleased to support the work of the following organizations that empower entrepreneurs on the rise.
SEED SPOT
SEED SPOT is recognized as one of the top five private business accelerators in the world and one of the most promising social innovation programs globally. An organization deeply rooted in the community, SEED SPOT supports social entrepreneurs creating a product, service, or technology that improves lives or makes the world a better place. It surrounds entrepreneurs with access to resources, mentors, business fundamentals, community partners, capital sources and more.
FINNOVATION Lab’s FINN Fellowship Program
The FINNOVATION Fellowship program supports and empowers social entrepreneurs who have bold ideas for sustainable, systems-level change. The program develops leadership capacity and builds entrepreneurial skills in early stage founders. Supported by the Bush Foundation, its goal is to empower social enterprise leaders in Minnesota and beyond through an immersive nine-month program.
Ballard Academy for Student Entrepreneurs
The Ballard Academy for Student Entrepreneurs (BASE) seeks to lessen burdens facing student entrepreneurs by offering pro bono legal assistance on discrete issues facing their potential ventures. Students accepted into the BASE program are assigned to Ballard Spahr attorneys who assist them through the startup process by providing legal assistance, such as advising on corporate governance and structure, negotiating leases, and other corporation formation and contract matters.
In addition to legal advice and support, successful applicants gain access to regular educational seminars and programs as well as opportunities to meet and network with other young entrepreneurs and others in the startup community.
MN CUP
MN Cup is a community-led, public-private partnership supporting Minnesota's entrepreneurs. It is an annual competition that reaches emerging entrepreneurs from across the state and connects them with tools, resources and support to launch and accelerate the development of their new ventures. $500,000 is awarded to startups each year.