New entrepreneurship class breaks from the norm to produce something unique

It was opening night of a new business course at Purdue University Fort Wayne and Greg Fenton, CEO of the textbook company RedShelf, a Chicago-based edtech startup, had no idea what he was in for. Fenton was a featured guest recruited to give students a chance to pick the brain of an expert. After an introduction from the professor, the floor opened for student questions. An hour and 10 minutes later, Fenton finally called uncle, saying, “I’ve got to leave,” but not before giving his email address to anyone who wanted to continue the discussion.

That’s how the inaugural session of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Design in the Doermer School of Business kicked off this semester. Organizers were hoping for 25 students, but ended up getting 34 for the three-hour class that meets on Tuesday evenings.

“It’s good that there’s so much energy, because that’s why we’re here,” said MBA student Carrie Vollmer-Sanders. “Professionally, I work on projects like this, but for a company. This is for me.”

That intensity is what Chadi Braish, executive director of continuing studies, hoped to capture when he envisioned the class almost two years ago. Open to undergrads, grad students, and MBA candidates, there are students from every business major but also computer science, technology and systems engineering, and electrical and computer engineering.

Part of pursuing a personal business venture is pitching to get someone to invest to help an idea happen. This class answers, “How does someone prepare to do that?”

“The topic of entrepreneurship has always been top-of-mind for us,” said Braish, who was a professional entrepreneur for many years before shifting to higher education. “When I attended school here, I wanted to know how to make good decisions. I tried to accumulate as much knowledge as I could, and that’s the best thing to do in entrepreneurship. It’s having the skillset from which you can make the best decisions and have the courage and risk-taking an entrepreneur needs—plus the vision of founding a company.”

Accumulating that knowledge requires a broad and varied faculty for the class. Lisa Meneau, a clinical assistant professor who spent 40 years in the banking industry working on product development, is the primary instructor. She’s joined by David Cochran, professor of systems engineering and director of the Center for Excellence in Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science, teaching product design; Huston Pullen, a limited-term lecturer, teaching marketing; John Minnich, Department of Accounting lecturer, teaching finance and accounting; and Troy Tonner, assistant professor of first-year engineering in the School of Polytechnic, teaching operations.

“When I found out it was the idea of having the opportunity to get people started on their own companies and giving them the resources and information to succeed, I think that’s why most of us got into teaching,” Tonner said. “It’s a great change of pace to go beyond just the theory and get people involved in the application—and it’s a lot of fun to be on team teaching as well.”

The course is front-loaded during the first eight weeks with the theory and techniques, and student teams are turned loose during the second eight weeks to develop their pitches, with coaching from all five instructors.

“It is exciting to collaborate with my colleagues across colleges and participate in a new way to teach and learn,” Meneau said. “The course is a work in progress and [we are] learning as we go. The students are willing to let us try new ideas and understand that we are all creating something new. The most gratifying aspect is that the students and faculty are willing to give the time and effort to make this course happen.”

Guest speakers are the highlight of the class time, professionals who share their experiences and provide concrete advice.

Nine student teams will present their start-up proposals on April 23. The investment presentations will be judged by five business professionals with entrepreneurial experience. The goal is to earn bragging rights for being the top startup while learning what it’s like to present to actual investors.

“I have a patented invention that I want to turn into my business,” said Miah DeJong, a senior majoring in business administration. “I think there’s a lot of participation in this class compared to most others. No one is here because they have to be, it’s because they want to be.”

As Anika Kapoor, an MBA candidate, said, “This is probably going to be what your life is. It’s going to teach you some life skills. I’m very excited to see where this leads us.”

Like some, Vollmer-Sanders came to the class hoping to turn an idea into reality.

“To see something come to life is exciting,” she said. “With so many different kinds of people involved, we’re going to see some cool stuff, whether it’s my project or someone else. The energy is going to be high.”

Sponsored in part by a $150,000 grant from the Avis Foundation, the class is currently scheduled to be offered each spring semester. The hope next year is it will be held in a newly opened innovative design and entrepreneurship nexus in the Doermer School of Business Building.