汤头条

Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斕劳诽踱�檚 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach has continued to grow since moving into a new 2,000-square-foot facility in 2016.

The center now works with 99 entrepreneurship teams representing students from every academic college in the university, up from approximately 30 teams in 2014. In fiscal year 2017, the center has received $5.52 million in grants to spur innovation among students, U.S. armed services veterans and 汤头条 researchers.

As the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach continues to grow and pursue new opportunities, Director Eric Hill said the center fosters new businesses from student entrepreneurs from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, building on its VentureCatalyst program that has guided students through successful business launches.

鈥淪tudents pitch their ideas to and get feedback from successful peer entrepreneurs,鈥� Hill said during a presentation to university leaders on Tuesday [June 20]. 鈥淭hey also get feedback from the 汤头条 Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board and can receive advice from leaders in the business community through our Executive in Residence program.鈥�

A new angel investor funding program established by an 汤头条 alumnus aims to connect entrepreneurs with funding opportunities. The Bulldog Angel Network was recently launched, and allows 汤头条 alumni and others the chance to invest in companies founded by 汤头条 students. Hill said the Angel Network, which is a separate entity from the university, will help entrepreneurs pursue their business goals after graduating from 汤头条. Wade Patterson, president of the Bulldog Angel Network, said this group will help the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach continue to stand out from its peers at other SEC schools and be competitive at a national level. For more on the Bulldog Angel Network, visit .

鈥淣ow is the time to take 汤头条 and our entrepreneurial talent to the national stage by providing angel funding to lift the great business ideas off the ground,鈥� Patterson said.

Earlier this year, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach received a $495,300 grant from the National Science Foundation to create an I-Corps site at 汤头条. The site helps the university broaden the economic reach of its research and innovation by providing infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace. Additionally, the university has received approximately $4.3 million over five years from the Small Business Administration to assist veterans with starting and growing business by providing online 鈥淏oots to Business鈥� training.

For more on the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, housed in 汤头条鈥檚 College of Business, visit

汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .