Center for Innovation & Impact

Learn how to change the world.

Entrepreneurship at Oberlin

Entrepreneurism enables Oberlin students looking to leverage their rigorous, diverse, and in-depth Oberlin education to solve problems, mobilize change, innovate solutions, create jobs, heal the planet, help people, lead new initiatives, increase knowledge, leverage community assets, or drive sustainable solutions (to name a few). Through experiential learning, co-curricular activities, and expert coaching, students are challenged to hone their intellectual and artistic passions.

Open to all Oberlin students and student organizations, the Center for Innovation & Impact offers academic courses, project funding, guest lectures and experiential learning opportunities in addition to the LaunchU Bootcamp and Pitch Competition which is open to anyone in the Oberlin community (student, faculty, staff, alumni, or parent).

The center connects students with a diverse group of constituents including alumni in a variety of fields, friends of the college and local specialists in areas of innovation and business. Additionally, it works to build cross-faculty and cross-department programs where entrepreneurial skills or practices might enhance the educational experience.

What are entrepreneurial skills?

• Empathy-focused problem identification
• Innovative ideation
• Evidence-based primary research
• Focused secondary research
• Strategic lean-based solutions
• Risk mitigation
• Effective team development, management, and leadership
• Skilled financial projections and project management
• Purposeful networking and mentorship

Entrepreneurship News

LaunchU Awards $37K in Startup Funding

March 14, 2018

Panel of judges and investors select four ventures in annual pitch competition.