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Learn How to Start a Company! 

Every year, the Startup Studio educates, equips, and inspires student entrepreneurs by providing the hands-on support and mentorship that they need to bring their ideas to life. 

Participate in our events, our community, and our courses as you work your way through the venture design process. We close each academic year with our annual pitch competition—the Kaplan Pitch Tank—where we award Illinois Tech’s top startup teams with more than $50,000 in prizes. 

Why Entrepreneurship? 

  • Opportunity for Personal Growth: This experience will help you understand what gets you excited to get up in the morning and how to rally a team to build something that you care about
  • To Put Your Knowledge into Practice: The skill sets that you’ll gain from this experience will help you gain professional job skills, regardless of whether you choose to pursue entrepreneurship
  • To gain access to a network of professionals aligned with your interests

Not sure where to begin? We’ve got options!

Students working together

The easiest way to get started is by taking one of Illinois Tech’s entrepreneurship courses, which range from a general introduction to more specialized topics including social enterprises and deep tech ventures.  

Students working in Kaplan Institute

Each spring semester we run the Startup Accelerator course for Illinois Tech’s top startup teams; five teams compete for $50,000 in the Kaplan Pitch Tank at the end of the semester. If you are interested in applying, click the link above. 

Students collaborating in Kaplan Institute

Are you interested in entrepreneurship? Our Startup Studio Club is a place for like-minded people to meet and get feedback on their ideas in a safe and nurturing environment.