Create the Future
In order to help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges — nationally and globally — Georgetown Entrepreneurship is dedicated to championing common good entrepreneurship across its programming, teachings, and networks.
Serving all of Georgetown University from the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown Entrepreneurship uses the power of innovation to create meaningful change, make a positive impact, and support the next generation of impact-driven entrepreneurs.
At its core, Georgetown Entrepreneurship strives to instill an entrepreneurial mindset that serves the common good — not only in every student — but the greater Washington, D.C., entrepreneurial ecosystem. Georgetown Entrepreneurship is dedicated to:
- Student Formation: Instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in every student through curricular, co-curricular, and experiential learning opportunities.
- Thought Leadership: Elevating academic research and expertise focused on purpose-driven innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Venture Development, Engagement, and Social Impact: Serving the broader Georgetown community, the greater Washington D.C., ecosystem, and the world beyond by supporting venture development.
Building the Next Generation of Purpose-Driven Innovators Georgetown instills an entrepreneurial mindset in students through curricular, co-curricular, and experiential learning opportunities. Annual events on campus expose students to real-world exposure to real-world pitch competitions, as well as the chance to receive feedback from highly esteemed entrepreneurs.
Washington, D.C., is home to a variety of Georgetown-affi liated startups, including: Adlumin, Aquicore, Axios, Blackboard, CapitalSource, Cvent, Forbright Bank, GetWellNetwork, Graham Holdings, Joylet, Enlightenment Capital, MasPanadas, Modus Create, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, Nextel, Oxiwear, Proxy Foods, Revolution Ventures, Social Tables, ThinkNimble, and 1863 Ventures.
Venture in the Capital
Venture in the Capital is Georgetown Entrepreneurship’s first student-led conference exploring the intersection of venture capital, entrepreneurship, and public policy. For the past two years, distinguished Georgetown alumni and industry experts have shared invaluable insights and experiences with the Georgetown community through panel discussions and fireside chats.
The event name, Venture in the Capital, emphasizes Georgetown’s geographical advantage in the nation’s capital. The student organizers developed the event to highlight what sets Georgetown apart from other universities, including its proximity to D.C. and the venture capital clubs and organizations available to students.
Entrepreneurs in Residence
Entrepreneurs in Residence (EiRs) provide expertise, advice, mentoring, coaching, and other assistance to students and alumni in the Washington, D.C., region and beyond. As ambassadors for Georgetown University and Georgetown Entrepreneurship, EIRs use their professional networks to help expand the entrepreneurial connections available to the Georgetown community and provide guidance on key initiatives. EiRs and other experts offer more than 3,200 hours of mentoring every year.
Entrepreneurship Minor
After receiving student feedback indicating that nearly 60% of students are interested in pursuing studies in entrepreneurship, Georgetown McDonough created the Entrepreneurship Minor for undergraduate business students.
The minor consists of courses covering skills such as critical reasoning and decisionmaking in complex markets and industries, opportunity identification based on market and industry analysis, the role of entrepreneurial changemakers in society, and design concepts for products and services.
The Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize Pitch Competition, coined “Bark Tank,” is Georgetown University’s premier pitch event. Eight eligible startups led by undergraduate and graduate students compete for a share of the $100,000 prize to help them scale their companies. Made possible by the generosity of Ted Leonsis (C’77, P’14, ’15), founder, chairman, principal partner, and chief executive officer of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, and his family, Bark Tank showcases how students use innovation to make a positive impact on society. Since Bark Tank’s inception, $975,000 in prizes have been awarded to 60 different ventures, and those ventures have gone on to raise more than $295 million and create over 1,000 jobs.
Advancing Thought Leadership in Common Good Entrepreneurship
Venture Meets Mission
To help pave a path forward for mission-driven entrepreneurs, three academic leaders at Georgetown McDonough published their book, Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Innovate and Transform Society, to explore the transformative potential of entrepreneurship in tackling society’s greatest challenges.
The book is co-authored by Arun Gupta, adjunct faculty member and Georgetown Entrepreneurship Advisory Board Member; Gerry George, group managing director at International Medical University and academic advisor to Georgetown Entrepreneurship; and Thomas Fewer, former postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown McDonough.
Entrepreneurship for the Common Good Forum
The inaugural Entrepreneurship for the Common Good Forum was held in October 2023, where attendees gathered to network with and learn from visionary entrepreneurs, forward-thinking investors, and influential policymakers who are using entrepreneurship to tackle the world’s most pressing global challenges. Event attendees participated in discussions to help create positive transformation across business sectors and forge a sustainable future for all.
Leveraging Innovation to Serve Others
The Leonsis Venture Lab
The Leonsis Venture Lab is a dedicated workspace for full-time alumni entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses with support from the Georgetown Entrepreneurship ecosystem. The Venture Lab is located conveniently at a WeWork in downtown Washington, D.C., where alumni entrepreneurs can build their startups in a collaborative environment alongside fellow founders.
Jesuit Entrepreneurship Center Alliance
A community of educators and innovators hosted their inaugural meeting of the Jesuit Entrepreneurship Center Alliance in 2023 to discuss how universities can use entrepreneurship to positively impact society and serve the common good. The alliance was initiated by the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools and organized by Jeff Reid, founding director of Georgetown Entrepreneurship, and Wendy Bolger, founding director of the Simon Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Loyola University, Maryland.
“Now more than ever, we need leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset who can use business to serve the common good,” said Reid. “This has been the mission of Georgetown Entrepreneurship for over a decade, and we are pleased to work alongside other Jesuit business school leaders to broaden our global impact in entrepreneurial programming and innovation.”
Pivot Program
The Georgetown University Pivot Program is a custom certificate in business and entrepreneurship designed specifically for individuals returning to the community after incarceration. The program’s goal is to allow fellows to access career and professional opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach while also changing the perception of people with a prior conviction.
The entrepreneurial mindset is deeply embedded within the Pivot curriculum. Each Pivot Fellow goes through the process of identifying a problem or opportunity, understanding how to create value for a user or stakeholder, and identifying a potential business model.
The program is a partnership among the McDonough School of Business, the Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative, and the D.C. Department of Employment Services.
