
A Powerful, Collaborative & Diverse Network
Success in entrepreneurship and innovation is built on a foundation of community. Every day, Duke alumni, parents, donors, and friends are making an impact by sharing their expertise, advising students, providing resources, and connecting with one another. Involvement by these partners helps us bring real-world expertise into our programs, allows us to scale our programs with excellence, and provides pathways for the Duke community to learn from and rely on each other. We believe that by working together, we can make the Duke network even more powerful.
In 2024, Duke I&E worked to grow our network of entrepreneurs and innovators by:
- Engaging more than 270 volunteers as mentors, classroom speakers, advisors, and advocates
- Hosting 13 Duke I&E in-person and virtual events to engage and connect alumni, parents, and donors
- Engaging 1,073 community members at in-person and virtual Duke I&E events
- Nurturing virtual channels for the Duke I&E community to connect, including the Duke I&E Network on LinkedIn (1,849 members representing 65% growth) and the Duke I&E group on Dukealumni.com (3,370 members)
- Presenting Duke I&E’s vision, mission, faculty research, and program offerings to more than 365 Duke alumni, parents, friends, and donors
- Communicating regularly with more than 20,000 Duke alumni, parents, and friends
- Securing investment in Duke I&E’s work from 75 Duke alumni, parents, and friends


The Ronald & Carrie Ludwig Duke in Silicon Valley Program
The Ronald & Carrie Ludwig Duke in Silicon Valley Program gives undergraduate students an intensive experience in the creation of new ventures. Over the course of a month, students gain an understanding of the resources, skills, and planning required to launch a new product or service and gain an understanding of how the startup funding landscape operates, all while immersing themselves in the Silicon Valley culture and building a network of support. In 2024, 24 students met with 65 alumni and parent volunteers/speakers and made 11 company visits.

“There’s a difference between learning about a company and actually visiting it—walking the halls, talking to the employees, and enjoying the amenities. It might sound corny, but you can feel the atmosphere of each place. My favorites included Tesla, Meta, Google, and Sequoia, not because of their locations (although they were all awesome), but because of the people I met.”
—Duke in Silicon Valley Student Arshaan Sayed '27
Convening Entrepreneurial Leaders
Members of the Duke Entrepreneurial Leaders Network (ELN), a select group of Duke students and alumni committed to founding or leading an innovation-driven startup, receive ongoing access to emerging opportunities from Duke I&E, the Office of Translation & Commercialization (OTC), the Pratt School of Engineering, and Triangle-area growth-stage ventures. The 2024 cohort includes 9 Duke students in their final year of study in law, business, chemistry, pharmacology, and electrical and computer engineering. The 10 alumni members selected for the cohort are founders and executive leaders working in software, AI, healthcare, biotech, med tech, and legal counsel. The Entrepreneurial Leaders Network now has 63 members.
Celebrating Duke Women in Innovation
Duke I&E celebrated the 2024 International Women’s Day theme ”Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress”by spotlighting 34 Duke-affiliated women who have made an impact by directing capital via venture capital, investment banking, philanthropy, and other channels. Their work is enabling startups and small businesses to scale and thrive, fostering innovation, transforming industries, supporting sustainable growth, and strengthening an interconnected global economy.