L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Turning Big Dreams into Bold Moves
Our L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership provides a distinctive approach to entrepreneurship education. Through the multidisciplinary entrepreneurship major, students have the opportunity to start actual microbusinesses, gain exposure to rapid growth companies, and have regular contact with successful entrepreneurs.
Through the program, UD students have opportunities to gain real-world experience through business consulting, microlending, angel investing, internships, mentorship, and student competitions in commercial real estate and business plans. Regularly scheduled luncheons with highly respected entrepreneurs from the greater Miami Valley area add more opportunities to gain practical insight and make connections.
In alignment with UD's commitment to the common good, we pursue entrepreneurship for the common good. Students learn to create profitable ventures, but more importantly, they learn how to leverage those skills to build community and create positive change.
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100%
of Entrepreneurship Students Start and Run a Business
Flyer Pitch Competition 2025
The University of Dayton, and The Entrepreneurs' Center, the competition, in its 19th year, boasts $150,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. Since its inception, more than 80 new ventures have been launched with over $24 million in follow-on capital raised for these startups. Participants in the competition have the opportunity to enhance their skills through trainings, mentorship, and feedback from local entrepreneurs, UD faculty and staff, and community leaders.
Entrepreneurial Initiatives
Where Theory Meets Practice
Students don't just watch from the sidelines; they are immersed in the process. They leverage the entrepreneurial mindset through experiential learning opportunities. And they create profitable ventures and take on initiatives that will have a positive impact on the community. Through angel investing, consulting, annual pitch competitions, and the largest student-run business in the nation, you'll gain valuable business insights, experience the spirit of service, and develop valuable connections.
Explore Opportunities and ActivitiesThe Hub Powered by PNC Bank
The Hub Powered by PNC Bank at the Dayton Arcade is an exciting new space for University of Dayton students. The Hub, a joint venture of the University of Dayton and The Entrepreneurs' Center, is among the largest university-anchored innovation hubs in the country. Experience the power of the innovative transdisciplinary approach to launching and learning offered at The Hub.
Explore The HubGreater West Dayton Incubator
The Greater West Dayton Incubator (GWDI) brings together entrepreneurs and University of Dayton students, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities in developing new businesses and social ventures while addressing the needs of the Greater West Dayton community. The GWDI is a joint venture between the University of Dayton’s L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and The Entrepreneurs Center’s Entrepreneurial Service Provider (ESP) program.
Explore GWDI
A Vision for the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
The Crotty Center supports UD's distinctive approach to entrepreneurial education that aligns with the university’s effort to educate for practical wisdom. An effort to provide experiences in and out of the classroom where students can become skilled entrepreneurs, and where we teach and learn at the intersections of profit and purpose. This is done through experiential learning programs, transdisciplinary opportunities, and community engagement.
Learn MoreEXPLORE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Academic Programs
Students with a major or minor in entrepreneurship will develop an understanding of how a business enterprise is conceived, launched, and sustained. Our curriculum teaches students how to identify viable business opportunities and explores how such opportunities are transformed into new ventures.
Explore ENT Academic Programs
The University of Dayton will launch the Herr Venture for Change Program to prepare students as entrepreneurs for the common good this fall.
A pandemic-induced lull in investing grounded UD’s Flyer Angels. That was until Isabella Abreu and Missy Oei stepped in as managing directors last year. Now the pair are reinvesting in the group, helping it take off.
Stella Hermann's Microbusiness UD Forever Homes captures the essence of UD's student neighborhood and Chapel on campus by allowing students and alums an opportunity to customize canvas items in order to immortalize UD memories in a unique way!
Flyer Pitch Competition
The University of Dayton, and The Entrepreneurs' Center, the competition, in its 19th year, boasts $150,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. Since its inception, more than 80 new ventures have been launched with over $24 million in follow-on capital raised for these startups. Participants in the competition have the opportunity to enhance their skills through trainings, mentorship, and feedback from local entrepreneurs, UD faculty and staff, and community leaders.
Discover Entrepreneurship Summer Program
High school students attending Dayton Public Schools are invited to apply to the University of Dayton Discover Entrepreneurship Summer Program. Through immersive and interactive experiences at The Hub powered by PNC Bank, students will build their professional skills and learn to apply essential business practices to design their own business plans and compete for attractive scholarships to the University of Dayton in a final pitch competition. Successful completion of the program will allow all students to earn 3 hours of college credit
Student-Run Businesses On Campus
Many University of Dayton students engage in entrepreneurial activity, both for-profit and non-profit, and for curricular as well as co-curricular purposes. The Policy for Student-Run Businesses On Campus allows for entrepreneurial activity among students while still maintaining a reasonable risk profile to protect University assets.
Micro Company Experience
Entrepreneurship students get to create their own teams and launch a micro company funded by the University. Each team gets a $5,000 investment from the University, and students gain a full academic year of learning how to run their business. At the end of the class, the students pay back the original investment and split the profits among the team's members and a social venture of their choice.
Crotty Center 2022/2023 Annual Report
The L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership had a fantastic academic year full of highlights and achievements. To learn more about the center's initiatives and accomplishments, check out the full Annual Report using the link below.
Crotty Center Newsletter
Want to be kept up-to-date with the latest news and updates? Visit our Crotty Center Newsletter articles using the link below!
Explore
Visit Us
Interested in visiting the School of Business Administration and talking with some of our current business students and faculty? The best way to understand our passion, innovation, and community is to experience it yourself. Experience an academic tour by scheduling a Business Visit using the link below. We'd love to meet you!
AACSB ACCREDITED
Our accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide.