A supportive innovation community, a raffle, unicorns—this year’s I&E Fest truly had it all. Every year Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Duke I&E) celebrates the start of the academic year with I&E Fest, a party welcoming students to campus and convening the many innovation- and entrepreneurship-related organizations at Duke and in Durham.
“Duke and the region have such an incredible wealth of opportunities for student innovators and entrepreneurs, whether they want to found a company, build their brand and social media platform, translate their research, find like-minded peers, or work towards specific career goals,” said Duke I&E Deputy Director Kevin Hoch. “It was inspiring to see Duke’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in action.”
“I&E Fest truly helped me connect with student and professional organizations at Duke and learn about their entrepreneurial resources,” said Catherine Murphy ’27. “As I freshman, I found it a deeply valuable, educative, and fun experience.”
This year’s I&E Fest drew nearly 800 students to speak with representatives from partner organizations:
Alpha Kappa Psi American Underground Bass Connections Business of Entertainment, Arts and Media (BEAM) Campus Enterprises LLC Christensen Family Center for Innovation Council for Entrepreneurial Development DEMAN (Duke Entertainment, Media & Arts Network) Duke Applied Machine Learning Duke Association for Business Oriented Women Duke Blockchain Club Duke Capital Partners Office of Translation & Commercialization Duke Catalyst |
Duke Consulting Club Duke Institute for Health Innovation Duke Impact Investing Group Duke Innovation Co-Lab Duke Innovation Studio HackDuke Global Education Office Duke Immerse Open Design Studio Duke in Silicon Valley Duke I&E Undergraduate Certificate The Cube MEDesign Duke Sports Analytics Club
|
Duke Undergraduate Energy Club Duke Women in Technology Duke-UNICEF Club Durham Success Summit Forward Cities / E3 Durham Duke Career Center Duke A2I (Accelerate to Industry) First-Generation Graduate Student Network (Duke F1RSTS) Fuqua Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Club Fuqua Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club Fuqua Private Equity Club Duke Microbiome Startup Club Duke I&E Graduate / Professional Certificate
|
A Hub for Innovators & Entrepreneurs Across Duke
The event also served as the grand opening of Duke I&E’s new permanent space on campus, The Luby Family Bullpen, made possible by a generous donation from William K. Luby MBA ’85 and Eileen O. Luby. In the Bullpen during the event, students from the Duke Creator Lab gave lightning talks about brand and platform building, and students in the Melissa & Doug Entrepreneurs Accelerator program mingled with peers interested in launching their own ventures.
“Duke I&E’s new home is not only beautiful, but also functional, an energizing hub for innovators and entrepreneurs from across Duke,” said Duke I&E Director Jamie Jones. “We’re excited that students, alumni, faculty, staff, and visitors can gather here to learn, connect, work, and spark new ideas together.”