Duke Angel Network (DAN) Associates

The Duke Angel Network (DAN) brings together over 100 members of Duke’s entrepreneurial community to invest in Duke affiliated startups. Founded in 2015, DAN is investing in companies in which a founder, executive, or board member is a Duke University alumnus, faculty member, staff member, student, or parent. DAN members (investors) are individual accredited investors with a Duke affiliation. The group targets private companies with the potential for significant growth and financial return. In addition to facilitating investments, DAN leverages the power of the global Duke community to provide guidance and expertise to portfolio companies.

Duke MBA students can become part-time Associates for the Duke Angel Network on a volunteer basis. Applications are due in early Fall of first year.

Duke New Venture Fellows

The Duke New Venture Fellows program helps Duke MBA students gain startup experience by working with technologies that are spinning out of Duke University. This program is run by Duke’s Office of Licensing and Ventures (OLV) which is the tech transfer office at Duke University.

As a New Venture Fellow, Duke MBA students join in conversations with leading faculty discussing the future of innovation and entrepreneurship at Duke. As a fellow, you’ll

Work closely with faculty, staff, and experienced serial entrepreneurs
Commercialize and bring to market cutting-edge technology
Network with innovators and Duke faculty from across industries
Contribute to high-level conversations, attend invite-only guest speakers, and join founder pitch sessions

Applications are due in the Fall and in the Spring. For more information visit the website. If you have questions, email Rob Hallford (Fuqua ’05) at rob.hallford@duke.edu.

Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club at Fuqua (EVCC)

The EVCC is an award-winning club run by Duke MBA students interested in entrepreneurship. It is an active and important student organization that hosts speakers, meetings, and trips to entrepreneurial hubs like Silicon Valley.

Duke Entrepreneurial Leadership Network (ELN)

The Duke Entrepreneurial Leadership Network (ELN) is a select group of Duke alumni and current students in their final year who are committed to founding or leading an innovation-drive startup. ELN Fellows see the potential of science and technology to positively impact society and have the bold spirit needed to start and scale organizations that can enable that potential to be realized. These dedicated entrepreneurs will positively impact the communities in which they operate by creating economic value and jobs, delivering solutions to large-scale problems, and building durable new ventures. This program is by application only through an annual selection process.

Student Founder Program

In 2019, the Student Founder Program was launched to build upon the success of the Melissa & Doug Entrepreneurs Program, the premier program supporting Duke student founders. The goal of the program is simple: to support all undergrads and graduate/professional students across Duke who are interested in creating a product or service, testing a pilot, and launching their own venture—whether commercial, social, artistic, or beyond. Students in the program gain experiential education, mentoring, a tight-knit community, and resources including small prototyping grants, discounted access to services like HubSpot and AWS, and more.

TechTreks

Through the TechTreks, Duke MBA students can visit venture capital and startup firms in other cities. Silicon Valley is an annual destination, with additional trips planned, based on interest, to Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Austin, Chicago and other cities that have entrepreneurship. Past meetings have included Kleiner Perkins, Google, Apple and other prestigious firms as well as startups. This program is administered by the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, with support from Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Fuqua Fast Pitch

Fuqua students who are startup founders can flex their startup muscles and showcase their hard work for the Fuqua community while competing for non-dilutive prize money. This spring event is open to all Fuqua students (teams must consist of at least one Fuqua student who is a substantial equity holder and is identified as a co-founder).

Funding Support

Loan Assistance Program

The Fuqua Entrepreneurship Grant offers student loan assistance to Fuqua students who have actively contributed to I&E programs and have founded or co-founded a for-profit business which they will pursue full-time after graduating. The Fuqua Entrepreneurship Grants provide funding to support students for up to two years post-graduation and is a competitive award.

Eligible applicants must have outstanding student loans. Preference will be given to student debt incurred during the course of study at Fuqua. The monetary value of the Fuqua Entrepreneurship Grant will vary each year, depending on the number of awards made. Applications will open in Spring 2023.

Prototype Funding

A generous donor has made possible financial support to help Fuqua students validate their venture ideas. Funding can be used to build prototypes, run pilots, and/or test core assumptions. Funding requests ranging from $100-$1,000 will be considered; applications for funding are accepted on a rolling basis. Download the application using this link.

U.S. recipients should be aware that the award payment is considered taxable income. The award will be reported to you via a 1099 or W-2 (if you are on payroll), and the actual amount of tax you owe will vary based on your personal tax status. For international recipients, be aware that the award payment is considered taxable income and subject to Federal and North Carolina tax withholding of 35.35%. You are advised to consult with your tax advisor, as the actual amount of tax you owe will vary based on your personal tax status.

Fuqua Summer “E-ternship” Grants

Daytime MBA students who are interested in working full time on their own startup OR working at a startup or investment organization unable to pay a market rate salary during the summer between their first year and second year are eligible to apply for financial support (the Fuqua Summer Entrepreneurial Internship (“E-ternship”) Grant) to make this a viable option for the summer.

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Taxable cash grants of up to $6,000 for founders and up to $4,000 for non-market rate internship opportunities are available from Fuqua to support students who are founders or interns at a startup or investment organization. Amounts will vary based on the number of applicants and the availability of funding. Priority will be given to 1) students founding their own companies and 2) students who have actively participated in the Duke entrepreneurial community, particularly students who have taken one or more of the New Venture courses.

Recipients of the E-ternship Grant will be expected to be ambassadors for Fuqua. Responsibilities will include blogging about your summer experience and preparing a profile for the Fuqua website. The grant will be allocated in two payments, one at the beginning of the summer term and the second mid-way through the summer assuming satisfactory completion of milestones. After being awarded the grant, the recipient is expected to meet with designated Fuqua representative to refine objectives and milestones. The recipient should meet with designated Fuqua representative 4-5 weeks into the summer to provide a progress update on milestones and to adjust milestones for the second half of the term.

All applicants should be prepared to provide:
– Proof of intention to work on a startup or investment organization as a founder or early employee. This could include a copy of marketing or investment documentation which lists the applicant’s role or an offer letter.
– 1-2 paragraph statement outlining the work to be done over the summer, highlighting key milestones and/or KPIs
– Description of engagement with the Duke entrepreneurial community during the current academic year

Additional considerations specifically for E-ternship grants for students interning at a startup or investment organization include:
– Internship must be with a for-profit startup or investment-related organization, such as an angel network or an accelerator.
– Students working multiple paid internships will not be eligible
– Expected gross earnings for the summer must not exceed $10,000, which includes the Fuqua E-ternship earnings. Verification will be required.
– Students must have a defined project of strategic importance to the startup or investment-related organization. For example, creating a go-to-market plan for a product launch; conducting diligence on a set of prospective portfolio companies; or developing a capital expenditure strategy. Applications will be evaluated in part by the likelihood that the recipient will deliver a meaningful contribution to the startup.
– Applicants will be required to prepare and submit a written statement describing how the internship opportunity will uniquely position the applicant to achieve their career aspirations.

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MBA Extracurricular Activities