Entrepreneurship Program at SOM blends innovation and impact
The Entrepreneurship Program allows students to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities simultaneously with their degree.
Tim Tai, Senior Photographer
From social innovation to new frontiers in medicine, the Program on Entrepreneurship at the School of Management hopes to enable innovation and impact across the University.
Founded in 2014, the program provides expert guidance and mentorship for students working on their own startups, as well as a range of entrepreneurial classes integrated into the SOM curriculum.
“Our goal is to provide students with the resources, connections, and community that will help them as they launch new ventures or explore roles in innovation, product management, social entrepreneurship, technology, etc.,” Jennifer McFadden, SOM’s associate director of entrepreneurship, wrote to the News.
McFadden is a member of the team behind the program, which is led by Kyle Jensen, the director of entrepreneurial programs. She mentors students through “Start-up Founder Practicum,” a course that allows them to work on their ventures and earn academic credit for them.
The program includes core courses covering topics like venture capital and private equity, finance and society and entrepreneurial finance. Students are also exposed to business leaders who lead specialized classes.
Professor Song Ma, an affiliated member of the program, described it as a rich and diverse curriculum that teaches both very theoretical and practical courses. He believes any student interested in entrepreneurship can learn something from them.
Teresa Chahine, another affiliated faculty member and a senior lecturer in social entrepreneurship, emphasized the importance of broadening entrepreneurship at the school.
Since 2018, Chahine has focused on teaching social innovation and social entrepreneurship. This year, she will spend half her time at the Jackson School of Global Affairs creating a program called the Social Innovation Initiative. She’s hoping to foster more collaboration between the Jackson School and the SOM.
All the effort put into these new innovations would not be possible without a passionate group of students willing to think liberally and create change, which all three professors unanimously agree exists within the community.
“[The School of Management] has some of the smartest, kindest students with big dreams,” Ma said.
Chahine said that sometimes she finds herself learning new concepts from and being surprised by her students.
This year, Chahine’s “Social Innovation Starter” course, part of the program, will be taught as a discussion-based rather than a project-based class.
“I want them to really think about those big picture questions and discuss how they’re going to navigate existing systems … and move away individualistic concepts like entrepreneurship to more collective concepts like creating change,” Chahine said.
Chris Cutrona SOM ’19 is a recent graduate from the SOM and the Entrepreneurship Program. After graduating, Cutrona developed a tool that helps Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida track and aggregate their data to improve educational outcomes.
Cutrona was drawn to the SOM because of its attention to social impact and the diverse range of participants in the Program on Entrepreneurship.
“There’s not one profile or company that the program was suited for,” Cutrona said. “If I were just in an environment with other tech founders, it would be more limiting than being in an environment that’s trying to do things in many other different industries.”
The SOM is located at 165 Whitney Ave.