Ideation. Innovation. Incubation.
Students are at the center of WPI's focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Through the university's entrepreneurship curriculum, extracurricular clubs, special events, mentors, advisors, and access to business incubation offices, students learn how to create value, innovate, and build businesses.
Student entrepreneurs start their journey in The Business School, where expert faculty members are leaders in bringing together the fields of science, technology, and business. In the Innovation Studio's Makerspace, students tinker and tap into the resources of the MakerBucks program. At the Business Development Lab, students refine their business plans and launch operations, all while WPI's Office of Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides support for intellectual property protection, marketing, and licensing.
Student Clubs and Organizations
Outside the classroom, WPI students connect through clubs and associations to innovate and build their entrepreneurial skills.
Some examples:
- WPI Investing Association provides education and practical experience in investing to the WPI community.
- Gompei's Goat Cheese put their knowledge to work through WPI’s first nonprofit student-run business.
Startup Spaces
The WPI Campus is a hub for innovation and entrepreneurial activities. Students tinker with new ideas in the Innovation Studio's Makerspace, tapping into MakerBucks to fund supplies. Collaborations grow in the university's core research facilities, and students build startups at the Business Development Lab.
Student Success Story
Combining a Passion for Robotics with an Entrepreneurial Spirit
Antonio Marzoratti ’27 and Ivan Zou ’27 are pursuing what they consider a promising idea—an affordable adapter that will convert a manual wheelchair into one run on electricity.