Student entrepreneurship, by the numbers

Students present at NEXPO, a biannual startup expo presented by IDEA. Photo by Maria Amasanti/for Northeastern University

Northeastern’s entrepreneurship ecosystem is thriving, thanks in large part to the passionate efforts of students. They lead successful groups, such as the venture accelerator IDEA, the Northeastern Entrepreneurs Club, the digital design studio Scout, and the School of Law’s IP Clinic, to name a few.

Here are some facts and figures about Northeastern students’ involvement and leadership in entrepreneurship on campus:

2,000+ students are engaged with eight student-run entrepreneurship clubs and organizations on campus.

1,500+ students are enrolled in entrepreneurship courses each year.

35 undergraduate entrepreneurship courses are offered at Northeastern, as well as eight global and domestic entrepreneurship field studies.

~500 students in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business are concentrating in entrepreneurship across three different tracks: high technology, family business, and social entrepreneurship.

More than 100 startup employers are working with Northeastern to offer six-month, full-time co-op experiences for students.

IDEA hosts a biannual startup expo called NEXPO featuring student and alumni ventures. Brooks Canaday/Northeastern University

IDEA hosts a biannual startup expo called NEXPO featuring student and alumni ventures. Brooks Canaday/Northeastern University

IDEA, Northeastern’s student-run venture accelerator, has worked with more than 600 business concepts and doled out nearly $750,000 in gap funding to develop student or alumni ventures since 2010.

33 ventures have been launched from IDEA, collectively raising more than $22 million in external funding.

Once ventures have moved through IDEA’s three stage-gates, they become eligible for gap funding. The Gap Fund is distributed in non-equity grants up to $10,000 and a team of student investment analysts manages the funding process, with input from the advisory board. More information can be found on IDEA’s website.

63 ventures have received IDEA gap funding over the past four years, and 70 percent of those companies are still in business.

At left, Annika Morgan, DMSB'16, the first Altschuler-Meyer CEO of IDEA, is congratulated by Sam Altschuler, center, and Marc Meyer at the fifth anniversary celebration for IDEA in April. Altschuler and Meyer made a gift to endow the CEO position for IDEA. Photo by Brooks Canaday/Northeastern University

At left, Annika Morgan, DMSB’16, the first Altschuler-Meyer CEO of IDEA, is congratulated by Sam Altschuler, center, and Marc Meyer at the fifth anniversary celebration for IDEA in April. Altschuler and Meyer made a gift to endow the CEO position for IDEA. Photo by Brooks Canaday/Northeastern University

The Northeastern Entrepreneurs Club has more than 200 active members and engages more than 1,000 students annually.

The Entrepreneurs Club also runs five student-driven initiatives: a weekly speakers series, the Husky Startup Challenge, the Entrepreneurship Immersion Program, Northeastern.io, and InnoWeekend. Here’s more information.

Award: The Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education has received this year’s Excellence in Student Engagement in Entrepreneurship Award from the Deshpande Foundation, in recognition of the university’s excellence in both curriculum innovation and student engagement in entrepreneurship.