Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Turn Your Vision into Reality
Entrepreneurship is more than starting a business—it’s a mindset rooted in innovation, adaptability, and vision. Whether you aspire to launch a startup, drive innovation within an established company, or create a meaningful change, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) major at Kansas State University gives you the knowledge, skills, and experience to turn ideas into impact - across any industry.
As a K-State E&I student, you will learn how to turn innovative ideas into real-world impact by:
- Mastering the entrepreneurial process: Navigate every step of the entrepreneurial journey from initial idea generation to the launch of a successful new venture.
- Identifying opportunities: Research markets, recognize emerging opportunities, and evaluate their potential to create value and drive growth.
- Managing risk: Understand the realities of risk and develop strategies to anticipate challenges and minimize their impact.
- Securing resources: Build the capacity to identify, pitch for, and secure the resources and capital needed to bring your ideas to life.
One of the biggest advantages of studying entrepreneurship is the flexibility it gives you to explore a variety of career possibilities, such as:
- Traditional entrepreneurship: Start a new for-profit venture.
- Franchising: Operate the right to distribute a company's products, techniques and trademarks for a percentage of gross monthly sales and a royalty fee.
- Family business: Start or continue a family-owned and operated business.
- Social entrepreneurship: Start new or develop a company with a social mission as its primary purpose.
- Corporate entrepreneurship: Develop new operations or products for existing corporations.
- Business coach: Advise owners of small and medium-sized businesses to improve their sales, marketing, management and team building by providing guidance, support and encouragement.
- Commercial banker: Work for banks or other financial institutions specializing in the lending, deposit and other financial needs of businesses.
- Business analyst: Work within existing organizations to help identify, analyze and pursue new markets, new products or new business opportunities.
- Consultant: Engage with multiple and changing clients as an expert or professional in a specific field with a wide knowledge of the subject matter.
- Economic developer: Improve the economic well-being and quality of life for a community by creating and retaining jobs, and by supporting or growing income and the tax base.
- Small business development specialist: Assist small business owners with the improvement of business practices in such areas as strategy, accounting, marketing, management, finance, operations, human resources and technical needs.
- Small business executive: Work on the organization and logistics of managing a small business.
- Venture capitalist: Make investments into new ventures and bring managerial and technical expertise, as well as capital, to their investments.
Ready to get involved?
Meet our faculty
Learn from experienced faculty who bring real-world entrepreneurial expertise into the classroom.
Applied Learning Opportunities
The Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship (CAE) serves as the entrepreneurial outreach arm of the K-State College of Business. With a mission to help entrepreneurs across Kansas start, grow, and sustain successful businesses, we provide students with hands-on startup experiences that bridge the gap between the classroom and launching real-world ventures.
From Entrepreneurship Week to our K-State Made Business Showcase to Pitch and Pizza nights, the CAE, along with the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Club, hosts a variety of entrepreneurial networking events and competitions each year.
The Entrepreneurship Accelerator is a premier outreach initiative that provides Kansas-based entrepreneurs access to faculty workshops, student research and consulting teams, alumni support, and equity-free cash grants to help launch or grow their business.
Our faculty lead entrepreneurship-themed study abroad courses during semester breaks.