Duke Faculty Are Changing How Entrepreneurship Is Taught & Practiced
When it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship, Duke faculty and researchers stand apart for the breadth, depth, and impact of their research in the field. Duke I&E leverages their work and research to inform programming, equip practitioners, and elevate Duke as a world-leading institution for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Welcoming a Transformative Leader
Jamie Jones joined Duke I&E in July 2022 and now serves as its director. In Professor Jones, the organization has a dynamic leader and tireless advocate for the power and potential of entrepreneurial action to benefit individuals and transform society. She is also focused on addressing barriers to entrepreneurial action for historically marginalized communities.
Entrepreneurship for All Duke Students
Professor Jones teaches courses on new venture formation and execution: New Ventures: Discover, Entrepreneurial Execution, and New Ventures: Develop—in which students from across Duke team up to build ventures. Increased demand for access to the New Ventures: Develop course required doubling its size in 2023.
Building Audiences to Grow Awareness
In today's digital landscape, effective communication and engagement through social media are crucial for advancing ideas, building connections, and driving impact. To support the understanding and leveraging of digital social media, Duke I&E launched the Duke Creator Lab, which equips students and faculty with the knowledge and strategies to effectively utilize modern digital tools in order to share their work with a wide-ranging public audience on social media platforms.
Prioritizing Representation in the Classroom
Duke I&E prioritizes elevating the voices and visibility of historically marginalized founders. Through support from the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, Duke I&E director Jamie Jones co-authored (with previous Duke I&E director Jon Fjeld) a teaching case centered on Melvin Hines JD ’09, MBA ’11, co-founder and CEO of Upswing, which provides resources to improve student retention for first-generation college students, military veterans, parents, and others who need support. The case is now being used across the Duke curriculum—from the undergraduate Duke I&E introductory course, to Daytime and Executive MBA courses—to deep dive into challenges that early-stage founders face building and leading startup teams.
Broadening Access to World-Class Business Faculty
In Business Organization & Fundamentals—a required course for all non-MBA students in the Duke I&E Graduate/Professional Certificate—students gain skills to work effectively in organizations, as well as to become impactful members of innovation teams. In 2023, students learned from guest lectures by 10 esteemed Fuqua faculty: Manuel Adelino, Ashish Arora, Jonathon Cummings, Grainne Fitzsimmons, Jon Fjeld, Sharique Hasan, Rick Larrick, David Robinson, Jack Soll, and Kimberly Wade-Benzoni.
Bringing Duke Research to Innovators & Entrepreneurs
This year Duke I&E launched our Research for Entrepreneurs video series, which engages faculty and researchers from across Duke to share how their world-leading research can inform our community’s ventures.