One of the key attributes of entrepreneurship ecosystems is their ability to morph as circumstances change and new opportunities emerge. Entrepreneurship Education Consortium (EEC) has served as a dynamic element in Northeast Ohio’s regional ecosystem since 2007 through programs that link university students to entrepreneurial opportunities and startup resources. During its 16-year history, EEC has never remained static and the organization is poised to make another big shift in 2024.
EEC launched in 2007 as the vision of volunteer faculty from seven Northeast Ohio campuses, all developing fledgling entrepreneurship programs. Through their collaborative efforts, these pioneers created programs for students designed to teach startup skills and inspire entrepreneurial spirit.
Entrepreneurship Immersion Week
By 2022, membership grew to include thirteen campuses across the region. EEC was honored in 2010 with a national award for innovative practices in entrepreneurship education, recognizing its groundbreaking work in establishing Entrepreneurship Immersion Week (EIW). For more than a decade, EIW drew students to member campuses for this intense week-long bootcamp. When COVID hit, EIW transformed into the virtual summer Side Hustle experience. As COVID restrictions eased, Side Hustle evolved to become the Tech Side Hustle hybrid program, with generous funding from Ohio Third Frontier, and guidance from JumpStart and Bounce Innovation Hub.
IdeaLabs
Building on the success of EIW, IdeaLabs became the next signature EEC program in 2010 when EEC offered its first regional ideaLabs pitch competition for Northeast Ohio university students. Over the years, the competition grew in scope and sophistication, offering the opportunity for students to compete for prize money, deliver pitches before experienced judges, and receive constructive feedback.
In 2024, Eaton Corporation hosted ideaLabs at its Beachwood headquarters, where students competed in one of two tracks—The Big Idea Track and The Money Maker Track, encouraging ventures working even at the earliest stages to compete. The ideaLabs competition allows rising entrepreneurs to build confidence, validate ideas, gain supporters, meet other entrepreneurs, and enhance their business models for the future.
Looking back, EEC’s impact over the years is significant. EEC’s influence extends well beyond sheer numbers—thousands of students impacted and hundreds of faculty transformed, ideas hatched, and ventures launched.
In recent years, EEC adopted the entrepreneurship learning agenda once carried out by JumpStart Higher Education Collaboration Council. EEC offered faculty and ecosystem partners an opportunity to hear from experts on AI and creativity, AI and education, international learning opportunities, ethics and entrepreneurship, and many other important topics.
EEC helped faculty and higher education leadership develop strong on-campus entrepreneurship programming for their students, often sharing resources and creative ideas across the network of institutions. EEC served as a forum for experimentation, learning, idea generation, and ecosystem building.
This effort transformed Northeast Ohio into a national model for how a network of campuses in a region can collaborate for the benefit of students and the larger ecosystem. Other regions across the country looked to Northeast Ohio as an example of cooperation and camaraderie among colleagues from different campuses. In 2022, higher education institutions from around the world gathered in Cleveland for the international Deshpande Symposium at which EEC played a prominent role and our university ecosystem was on full display.
All of this impact was made possible by longtime support from Burton D. Morgan Foundation and Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust. Other valued funding has been generously provided by Harvard Business School Club of Northeast Ohio, Verizon, Deshpande Foundation, GAR Foundation, Weathertop Foundation, Business of Good Foundation, Royalty on the Lake Foundation, smartBARK, Eaton Corporation, North Water Productions, SmartShape, TRIAD Communications, BudgetEase, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, MAGNET, EDGE, JumpStart, Bounce Innovation Hub, and many other individual and business sponsors who believe in the power of entrepreneurship to change lives and communities.
We thank our members, students, partners, supporters, volunteers, board members, and staff for their commitment to this important work fostering success for up and coming entrepreneurial leaders.
EEC is sunsetting as an organization this summer, but its legacy and core programs will continue under the strong leadership of University School’s Young Entrepreneur Institute.
EEC and YEI have frequently collaborated on ecosystem initiatives and the strategic alignment of missions will contribute to a smooth transition of programming. We are grateful to the YEI team for their willingness to build even stronger bonds between K-12 and higher education entrepreneurship programs and look forward to seeing how this next exciting chapter takes shape.
EEC launched in 2007 as the vision of volunteer faculty from seven Northeast Ohio campuses, all developing fledgling entrepreneurship programs. Through their collaborative efforts, these pioneers created programs for students designed to teach startup skills and inspire entrepreneurial spirit.
Entrepreneurship Immersion Week
By 2022, membership grew to include thirteen campuses across the region. EEC was honored in 2010 with a national award for innovative practices in entrepreneurship education, recognizing its groundbreaking work in establishing Entrepreneurship Immersion Week (EIW). For more than a decade, EIW drew students to member campuses for this intense week-long bootcamp. When COVID hit, EIW transformed into the virtual summer Side Hustle experience. As COVID restrictions eased, Side Hustle evolved to become the Tech Side Hustle hybrid program, with generous funding from Ohio Third Frontier, and guidance from JumpStart and Bounce Innovation Hub.
IdeaLabs
Building on the success of EIW, IdeaLabs became the next signature EEC program in 2010 when EEC offered its first regional ideaLabs pitch competition for Northeast Ohio university students. Over the years, the competition grew in scope and sophistication, offering the opportunity for students to compete for prize money, deliver pitches before experienced judges, and receive constructive feedback.
In 2024, Eaton Corporation hosted ideaLabs at its Beachwood headquarters, where students competed in one of two tracks—The Big Idea Track and The Money Maker Track, encouraging ventures working even at the earliest stages to compete. The ideaLabs competition allows rising entrepreneurs to build confidence, validate ideas, gain supporters, meet other entrepreneurs, and enhance their business models for the future.
Looking back, EEC’s impact over the years is significant. EEC’s influence extends well beyond sheer numbers—thousands of students impacted and hundreds of faculty transformed, ideas hatched, and ventures launched.
In recent years, EEC adopted the entrepreneurship learning agenda once carried out by JumpStart Higher Education Collaboration Council. EEC offered faculty and ecosystem partners an opportunity to hear from experts on AI and creativity, AI and education, international learning opportunities, ethics and entrepreneurship, and many other important topics.
EEC helped faculty and higher education leadership develop strong on-campus entrepreneurship programming for their students, often sharing resources and creative ideas across the network of institutions. EEC served as a forum for experimentation, learning, idea generation, and ecosystem building.
This effort transformed Northeast Ohio into a national model for how a network of campuses in a region can collaborate for the benefit of students and the larger ecosystem. Other regions across the country looked to Northeast Ohio as an example of cooperation and camaraderie among colleagues from different campuses. In 2022, higher education institutions from around the world gathered in Cleveland for the international Deshpande Symposium at which EEC played a prominent role and our university ecosystem was on full display.
All of this impact was made possible by longtime support from Burton D. Morgan Foundation and Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust. Other valued funding has been generously provided by Harvard Business School Club of Northeast Ohio, Verizon, Deshpande Foundation, GAR Foundation, Weathertop Foundation, Business of Good Foundation, Royalty on the Lake Foundation, smartBARK, Eaton Corporation, North Water Productions, SmartShape, TRIAD Communications, BudgetEase, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, MAGNET, EDGE, JumpStart, Bounce Innovation Hub, and many other individual and business sponsors who believe in the power of entrepreneurship to change lives and communities.
We thank our members, students, partners, supporters, volunteers, board members, and staff for their commitment to this important work fostering success for up and coming entrepreneurial leaders.
EEC is sunsetting as an organization this summer, but its legacy and core programs will continue under the strong leadership of University School’s Young Entrepreneur Institute.
EEC and YEI have frequently collaborated on ecosystem initiatives and the strategic alignment of missions will contribute to a smooth transition of programming. We are grateful to the YEI team for their willingness to build even stronger bonds between K-12 and higher education entrepreneurship programs and look forward to seeing how this next exciting chapter takes shape.
Our VisionWe envision a more vibrant economy in Northeast Ohio fueled by students from local colleges and universities who seek to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and related skills and by businesses and startups who tap into this talent pool to generate new ideas and grow their ventures. |
Our MissionEntrepreneurship Education Consortium (EEC) is the connective tissue for the region's rich collegiate entrepreneurship assets, attracting students to Northeast Ohio and keeping them here by providing seamless access to the best opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial mindset and launch ventures. |