Entrepreneurship – Piper Center for Vocation and Career

Oles Innovate

Entrepreneurship at St. Olaf

St. Olaf students in the Creative Makerspace

Entrepreneurship at St. Olaf seeks to support all students as they brainstorm, collaborate, and connect over meaningful ideas. Students practice the skills used by entrepreneurs and discover how to embrace failure, learning from mistakes and from refining ideas. We coach students to use their liberal arts education to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems. We, in turn, provide the support, guidance and connections that students need to be successful. When Oles persevere, their ideas change lives.

$615,000+

Awarded to students and student businesses through Ole Cup and the Finstad Entrepreneurial Grant

20

Entrepreneurship-related courses at St. Olaf

13

Semifinalists, four top-threes, and one winner in the Minnesota Cup (Student Division)

Digital Scholarship Center (DiSCO) Video lab, recording booth, drone services

Creative Makerspace 3D printing, prototyping, modeling materials

Play Video Creating Opportunities for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

The Kombucha Shop — Learn More

The Kombucha Shop

When Kate Tecku Field ’10 pitched her business venture, The Kombucha Shop, on the November 18, 2018, episode of ABC’s popular reality show Shark Tank, she wasn’t sure if the “shark” investors would bite. But they did.

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DaVinci Industries — Learn More

DaVinci Industries

Anthony Valiulis ’19 founded DaVinci Industries, which aims to provide retail stores with dynamic merchandise display systems. He’s holding the company’s first product, Acutrack.

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JonnyPops — Learn More

JonnyPops

Forbes has named Connor Wray ’14 and Erik Brust ’14 to its “30 Under 30” list of young entrepreneurs for their work with JonnyPops, a company that has gone from a dorm room startup to the shelves of national retailers.

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Teranga Strings — Learn More

Teranga Strings

Anna Wolle ’18 relocated to Dakar, Senegal, to work full time on her musical startup company, Teranga Strings. Using a model that combines business and philanthropy, Teranga Strings enables students of all ages and from a wide range of backgrounds to study violin.

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ows_148253836842556 — Tina Rexing ’95 is the owner of T-Rex Cookie & Coffee Café. Rexing decided she was tired of working in corporate America, so she chose to do what she loves — bake cookies.

MGMT 232: Health Care Management
MGMT 237: Managerial Accounting
MGMT 250: Marketing
MGMT 251: Management
MGMT 252: Legal Aspects of Business
MGMT 256: Entrepreneurship
MGMT 257: Entrepreneurship and New Venture Formulation
MGMT 260: Innovation in New Zealand (Study Abroad)
MGMT 281: Corporate Finance
MGMT 383: Management Policy and Strategy
ECON 245: Healthcare Economics

ART 228: Animated Art
ENGL 285: Digital Rhetorics and New Media Literacies
ENGL 287: Professional and Business Writing
ENGL 289: Journalistic Writing
ENGL 290: Exploring Literary Publishing
ENGL 291: Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Writing
ENGL 296: Screenwriting
ENGL 373: Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing Workshop
MGMT 229: Arts Management

Media and Public Relations: Marketing to Multiple Audiences
Technology Innovation and Civic Development
Social Entrepreneurship
Theatre Education: Innovative Adaptations for Technical Production and Design
Activities and Sports Administration
Business Practices in Health Care
Sound Design and Technology
Cinematic Studies and Film Production
Management and Marketing in the Arts

Put Your Ideas into Action

Do you have an idea that you are ready to prototype, or build a business plan around? Explore resources and find opportunities for building your venture here: Entrepreneurship Timeline & Resources.

Questions? Email us at piper.center@stolaf.edu.