Entrepreneurship Centers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Tech, and the Alan B. Miller Entrepreneurship Center are playing a pivotal role in supporting student entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic. These centers offer a variety of resources, including pre-accelerator programs, incubators, mentorship, pitch competitions, and hands-on experience to help students launch their own businesses or enhance their entrepreneurial skills. One such success story is Julien Reininger, a former VCU student who continued his entrepreneurial endeavor of making vegan jerky from his home during lockdown. Reininger was part of VCU’s Pre-X program, run by its entrepreneurship center, the da Vinci Center for Innovation, which allowed him to share and critique ideas in small groups and meet with mentors.
Entrepreneurial Pursuits During COVID
When Virginia Commonwealth University closed its buildings in spring 2020, then-student Julien Reininger wasn’t deterred from his entrepreneurial pursuits. In the kitchen of his parents’ Springfield home, Reininger ran a dehydrator for eight hours at a time, creating vegan jerky from canned jackfruit and developing different marinades.
VCU’s Pre-X Program
Earlier that semester, Reininger had joined a startup pre-accelerator program meant to prepare student entrepreneurs to join external accelerator programs like Lighthouse Labs. Run by VCU’s entrepreneurship center, the da Vinci Center for Innovation, the VCU Pre-X program allows cohorts of about 50 teams and/or solo entrepreneurs to share and critique ideas in small groups and meet with mentors.
Support from Entrepreneurship Centers
The da Vinci Center is one of multiple entrepreneurship centers housed in Virginia business schools that are aiding students across disciplines to start their own companies or broaden their skillsets, through incubator programs, pitch competitions and other hands-on experiences.
Entrepreneurial Thinking Across Industries
“We’re not saying … ‘Hey, don’t do physics or psychology. Do entrepreneurship instead!’ We are saying, ‘Do those things. Get that deep expertise in that one sector, but add entrepreneurial thinking as a layer on top of that,” says Graham Henshaw, executive director of the Alan B. Miller Entrepreneurship Center, part of William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
Accelerator and Incubator Programs
Multiple Virginia centers operating in business schools offer accelerator or incubator programs for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Rolling Admissions and Support
Virginia Tech’s Apex Center for Entrepreneurs in Blacksburg does away with the cohort model, however, allowing students to join an accelerator-style program whenever they need help.
Pitch Competitions and Funding Opportunities
Entrepreneurship centers at Virginia business schools also provide student entrepreneurs with opportunities to practice their investor pitches, often with the potential to secure funding.
Success Stories
But seeking seed funding also sometimes requires going outside the university structure. To launch his company, for example, Reininger ran a Kickstarter campaign that ended in September 2022. With the $8,686 he raised, Reininger moved his jerky-making enterprise into Hatch Kitchen, a commercial kitchen in Richmond’s Manchester neighborhood.
Question & Answer
What entrepreneurial resources are available at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and other Virginia business schools?
Entrepreneurship centers at VCU, Virginia Tech, and the Alan B. Miller Entrepreneurship Center offer resources such as pre-accelerator programs, incubators, mentorship, pitch competitions, and hands-on experience to support student entrepreneurs.
Can you provide an example of a successful student entrepreneur during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Julien Reininger, a former VCU student, continued his entrepreneurial endeavor of making vegan jerky from his home during lockdown. He was part of VCU’s Pre-X program, which allowed him to share and critique ideas in small groups and meet with mentors.
How do entrepreneurship centers support student entrepreneurs across disciplines?
Entrepreneurship centers in Virginia business schools aid students in starting their own companies or enhancing their entrepreneurial skills through various programs like incubators, pitch competitions, and hands-on experiences.
