Georgetown Entrepreneurship Introduces New Strategic Pillars, Reflects on 2022

Georgetown Entrepreneurship continues to create space for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs to explore their passions and translate ideas into new ventures. Rooted in the Jesuit values of serving others, Georgetown entrepreneurs are uniquely positioned to use their vision and talents to solve problems, lead with innovation, and launch new ventures that leave the world a better place than how they found it.

This mission has been central to the work of Georgetown Entrepreneurship for over a decade. Now, they are taking a new step forward under three strategic pillars – student formation, thought leadership, and service and engagement – to reach new levels of entrepreneurial achievement. 

According to their 2021-2022 Annual Report, the new pillars will guide their vision of instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in every student who comes to the Hilltop; elevating academic research and expertise focused on purpose-driven innovation; and leveraging the power of entrepreneurship to serve the common good in Georgetown’s community, the greater Washington, D.C., ecosystem, and the world beyond. 

“The notion of entrepreneurship for the common good has never been more critical for the future of our business landscape,” said Jeff Reid, founding director of Georgetown Entrepreneurship. “We seek to harness the power of innovation to solve the world’s toughest challenges–and encourage our students to do the same. These guiding principles will continue to inspire the work we do to infuse entrepreneurship into all aspects of our curricular, co-curricular, thought leadership, and service involvement at Georgetown.” 

In their recent report, Georgetown Entrepreneurship celebrated a year of growth, including the expansion of new faculty positions, increases in student engagement and alumni support, and new opportunities to create positive change and serve the broader community. A few highlights from the past academic year include: 

Student Formation

In 2021-2022, Georgetown Entrepreneurship facilitated 3,900 student interactions across the university through various student events, including the Bark Tank Pitch Competition, the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Challenge, and Rocket Pitch; mentorship opportunities; co-curricular opportunities such as the Venture Fellows program; and coursework. 

Thought Leadership

Thanks to a $3 million gift, the Tamsen and Michael (B’94) Brown Family Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund supports a faculty chair to strengthen interdisciplinary connections and bridge the scholarship and practical application of entrepreneurship. An additional $250,000 gift creates the Tamsen and Michael Brown Family Current Use Entrepreneurship Fund in the McDonough School of Business to support the operations and programming of Georgetown Entrepreneurship. Professor Gerry George was named the Brown Family Chair in 2021.

In addition to George, Georgetown Entrepreneurship also welcomed five new faculty members with an emphasis or interest in entrepreneurship research and scholarship, including Eliot Sherman, Rachel Pacheco (C’04), Shye Gilad (EMBA’12), Kunyuan Qiao, and Thomas Fewer. 

Service and Engagement

Through various initiatives including the Venture Lab’s Georgetown Startup Accelerator, the Summer Launch Incubator, the Angel Investment Network, and the Entrepreneurship Alliance Pitch Competition, Georgetown Entrepreneurship now supports the growth of over 50 alumni-owned ventures who represent a broad range of industries and interests. 

Georgetown Entrepreneurship also impacts the communities beyond Georgetown through its Plan-It Earth Ideathon for climate change solutions, the Georgetown Pivot Program, and ongoing case and pitch competitions that focus on serving others and addressing societal issues. 

Read more about Georgetown Entrepreneurship’s impact in their 2021-2022 Annual Report.