"" "" ""
Cultivate your entrepreneurial spirit and take part in our programming

The College of Business Institute for Entrepreneurship (I4E) helps CSU students, staff, faculty, and community members turn great ideas into real businesses. Our three-stage Venture Development Pathway provides the tools and guidance to bring your idea to market.

Stage 1: Test Your Idea

Venture Validator

The Venture Validator (VV) is the starting point for turning an idea into a viable business. Offered each fall and spring, this 5-week, 5-session virtual cohort program takes learners through all the steps to get your venture off the ground and determine if there’s a real opportunity there. The VV is free and open to all, where aspiring entrepreneurs meet once a week to conduct customer discovery and market research, create a business model, analyze the competitive landscape, and prototype products with the goal of launching successful ventures.

Learn More

Stage 2: Pitch Your Venture

Venture Rams Business Showcase

The Venture Rams Business Showcase is the Institute for Entrepreneurship's premier event. Every April, CSU students hone their business ideas, sharpen their pitches, and compete to win cash prizes that can be used to start their business. The showcase is designed to help students build their confidence, get real-time feedback, and develop their presentation and pitch skills.

 

Mini Pitch Fest

Held every December, the I4E Mini Pitch Fest invites CSU students to deliver a two-minute pitch to faculty, staff, entrepreneurs, business experts, and community members for a chance to win a $500 prize.

Stage 3: Build Your Business

Petersen Family Student Venture Accelerator

The Petersen Family Student Venture Accelerator (SVA) is built to move ideas from the design stages to a ready-for-market product in just three months. This immersive summer program helps students develop their ventures for sustainable growth, even beyond the program.

Selected venture teams have the chance to receive up to $5,000 in funding to support the initial startup of their operations and their marketing efforts.

The Venture Accelerator is open to all current CSU undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent alumni. Learn more about the Student Venture Accelerator.

Learn More

I-Corps

NSF I-Corps is an experiential training program offered to CSU faculty, graduate students, and post-docs interested in translating scientific research into startups. By participating in a handful of virtual workshops, developing an initial business hypothesis, and conducting a few dozen customer discovery interviews, scientists and engineers learn to develop, test, and fine-tune their startup idea. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation and CSU is one of several universities participating in the I-Corps Hub West.

Learn more about I-Corps

The Institute for Entrepreneurship (I4E) offers entrepreneurship programming year-round. Stay up to date on our programs and events by subscribing to our newsletter.

View All Upcoming Entrepreneurship Events

The things I learned in VV were absolutely invaluable and allowed me to finally create and validate an offer I loved. I'm so grateful to CSU and to the people who created this program. The effort, expertise, and genuine passion that was put into this program is so apparent. It's a fantastic resource and one that I will continue to recommend to other community members as often as I can.The things I learned in VV were absolutely invaluable and allowed me to finally create and validate an offer I loved. I'm so grateful to CSU and to the people who created this program. The effort, expertise, and genuine passion that was put into this program is so apparent. It's a fantastic resource and one that I will continue to recommend to other community members as often as I can.

The things I learned in VV were absolutely invaluable and allowed me to finally create and validate an offer I loved. I'm so grateful to CSU and to the people who created this program. The effort, expertise, and genuine passion that was put into this program is so apparent. It's a fantastic resource and one that I will continue to recommend to other community members as often as I can.

- Heather C. VV Cohort 22

Learn more about Venture Validator 
Thank you for this incredible resource, I feel empowered to pursue my venture through the lessons learned via this program.Thank you for this incredible resource, I feel empowered to pursue my venture through the lessons learned via this program.

Thank you for this incredible resource, I feel empowered to pursue my venture through the lessons learned via this program.

- VV Cohort 15 participant

Learn more about Venture Accelerator 
What an awesome experience! It was so inspiring being in a room filled with such creative-minded people. I can't wait to continue the journey!What an awesome experience! It was so inspiring being in a room filled with such creative-minded people. I can't wait to continue the journey!

What an awesome experience! It was so inspiring being in a room filled with such creative-minded people. I can't wait to continue the journey!

- VV Cohort 22 participant

Learn about Venture Validator 
Really like the team - their energy and knowledge are awesome.Really like the team - their energy and knowledge are awesome.

Really like the team - their energy and knowledge are awesome.

- VV Cohort 16 participant

Learn about Venture Accelerator 
I really enjoyed these sessions. It helped to further motivate me to make my business idea a reality.I really enjoyed these sessions. It helped to further motivate me to make my business idea a reality.

I really enjoyed these sessions. It helped to further motivate me to make my business idea a reality.

- VV Cohort 13 participant

Read more about Venture Validator 
My main takeaway is that it is important to get an unbiased answer, not the answer you want to hear.My main takeaway is that it is important to get an unbiased answer, not the answer you want to hear.

My main takeaway is that it is important to get an unbiased answer, not the answer you want to hear.

- David D. VV Cohort 22

Read more about Venture Validator 
Overall was very well designed and easy to understand.Overall was very well designed and easy to understand.

Overall was very well designed and easy to understand.

- VV Cohort 16 participant

Read about Venture Accelerator 
Completely worth it for someone considering developing or starting a business.Completely worth it for someone considering developing or starting a business.

Completely worth it for someone considering developing or starting a business.

- VV Cohort 10 participant

Read about Venture Validator