Explore hands-on programs that help UNC Charlotte students test ideas, build entrepreneurial skills, connect with mentors and take the next step in Charlotte’s innovation community.
Find your path
Whether you have a business idea, want to build entrepreneurial skills or are simply curious about innovation, CEI offers hands-on programs to help you explore ideas, work with peers, connect with mentors and take the next step.
49er Foundry
49er Foundry is UNC Charlotte’s student idea incubator, designed to help students explore entrepreneurship, develop ideas and move entrepreneurial projects forward.
Curious about entrepreneurship? Join the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for this 30-minute virtual workshop, part of our monthly series designed to spark creativity, strengthen innovative thinking, and build confidence to make meaningful impact.
You will receive an overview of CEI, including our programs, upcoming events, and opportunities, while exploring new ideas, expanding your problem-solving toolkit, and learning how to turn curiosity into action.
Are you a creative thinker, innovator, or future founder? Have a bold idea or want to sharpen your pitch skills? Open Pitch Night gives students a chance to share a new idea or practice a pitch in a low-stakes, casual environment — no slides, no business plan, just bold ideas.
FIT Innovators helps first-year and transfer students jump into entrepreneurship from day one at Charlotte. As part of UNC Charlotte’s Forty-Niner Intensive Transition Program, this one-credit experience helps new students build community while exploring hands-on projects, guest speakers and connections to Charlotte’s business community. You’ll build creative problem-solving skills, entrepreneurial confidence and a network of peers ready to try something new.
Innovation Ambassadors
CEI’s Innovation Ambassadors Program is designed to cultivate a vibrant, student-led culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership and peer engagement at UNC Charlotte. The program empowers students to represent and champion entrepreneurial thinking, connect peers to resources and foster a collaborative ecosystem where bold ideas can thrive.
Program Benefits
Develop skills that will allow you to grow personally and professionally
Connect with like-minded students, faculty and local entrepreneurs while making a real impact on campus
Plan and execute campus events, pop-ups and info sessions that bring students into the entrepreneurship ecosystem
Lead classroom visits and engage in peer-to-peer mentoring
Work on real brand campaigns through CEI’s social media
Compensation
$12/hr from August to June
Applying to the Program
Applications will open in Spring 2026
New Ventures Competition
New Ventures Competitionis an interactive, solutions-based signature event designed to unite students and faculty across academic disciplines to tackle real-world, industry-relevant challenges. Developed in collaboration with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) and select academic colleges, this experience fosters creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation through experiential learning and interdisciplinary teamwork.
Entrepreneurship Club
The goal of the Entrepreneurship Club is to empower and encourage students to create businesses, get involved with the community and develop skills needed to succeed as entrepreneurs in a global society. The club provides opportunities for networking, learning and professional development experiences related to the field of entrepreneurship.
The Association of Black Entrepreneurs & Creators (ABEC) creates a psychologically safe space for Black/African-American, minority, and other college students of color to network, share different forms of creative expression, work on personal development and build lifelong friendships rooted in entrepreneurial practice.
Build entrepreneurial skills that apply across majors, industries and career paths. Open to UNC Charlotte undergraduate students from any major, this certificate helps students learn how to recognize opportunities, test ideas and create value through practical, entrepreneurship-focused coursework.
Build the skills to lead innovation inside existing organizations. The Graduate Certificate in Corporate Venturing gives students a foundation in entrepreneurship, innovation and transformative project leadership — helping professionals create new value within companies, corporations and other established organizations.
Build, test and grow a venture in Charlotte. UNC Charlotte’s M.S. in Entrepreneurship is a venture-focused graduate program for students and professionals who want to move from idea to execution while connecting with founders, mentors and innovation networks across the region.
Build entrepreneurial leadership skills in Charlotte’s business and innovation community. Available through the on-campus JL Price MBA, the Entrepreneurship and Corporate Venturing concentration helps students evaluate opportunities, develop business models, make venture decisions and lead innovation inside startups, fast-growth firms or established organizations.
