Entrepreneurial Learning

Students may aspire to use their creative and innovative thinking to develop a product, like an app or medical device, but it could also indicate they’re interested in approaching problems with this lens. They don’t necessarily need to become business owners or work for a startup, although this mindset does more easily lend itself to these ventures. It’s important that students reflect on what developing an entrepreneurial mindset means to them.

The Big Idea Center is Pitt’s hub for student entrepreneurship and offers numerous resources and programs, like their Change Maker and Start Smart series, entrepreneurial resources, and free consulting sessions with their Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs). They also host Global Entrepreneurship Week, the Big Idea Competition, and offer a Team Finder tool so students with ideas can search for teammates or join existing projects.   

Whether it’s joining an innovation focused student organization, like Pitt’s Student Ventures Club, or meeting like-minded peers at Big Idea Center events, via the Team Finder tool, in class with innovation focused professors, or through alumni connections on Pitt Commons and LinkedIn, there are many ways for students to engage with other entrepreneurially focused people. Engaging with others and considering diverse perspectives can provide students with insights into challenges they’d like to solve and the type of impact they’d like to make.  

These events are usually open to all skill levels and involve working with a team on a new idea. SCI hosts and collaborates on events such as SheInnovates, Steel Hacks, Hacking 4 Humanity, and Games For Social Impact. There are also university-wide ones like the Big Idea Competition, the Michael G. Wells Student Healthcare Competition, BioHack, and the Super Analytics Challenge. A larger list of Pitt competitions and national events is compiled on the Big Idea Center website. 

Whether it’s working on a personal project or with a team, building experience is how students test out ideas and demonstrate to others the work they’re capable of doing. The University provides free access to Adobe Creative Cloud, which is particularly useful for those developing a portfolio. In addition to attending the Startup Job Fair co-hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, students are encouraged to take a company first approach when looking for opportunities.

Students looking to explore potential startup ideas should schedule a free consulting session with one of the Big Idea Center’s Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs). They possess a wide variety of expertise and can help set students up for entrepreneurial success.  

Entrepreneurial learning experiences can provide clues as to whether a student might want to start their own business, work in a startup, or be in an innovative position within a more established company. Pitt’s Career Center has Career Consultants and Experiential Learning Consultants can assist with career planning, as well as can ensure that the experiences are translatable to employers in resumes and in interviews.