Entrepreneurship for the Public Good

What Entrepreneurship for the Public Good does

Entrepreneurship for the Public Good (EPG) is an academic and co-curricular program at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, designed to develop entrepreneurial leadership capacity among undergraduate students for application in rural Central Appalachian communities. EPG is institutionally housed within Berea College — a tuition-free, private liberal arts college founded in 1855 and historically the first interracial and co-educational college in the South — and operates as one organizational unit (with five dedicated staff: Director Ian Norris, Assistant Director Dani Gift, Student Program Manager Chase Phillips, Event Coordinator Faryal Fatima, and Communications Associate Ana Cecilia Ferreira da Silva) under the college's educational mission rather than as an independent commercial entity.

The program's core product offering is a multi-year, selective cohort experience built around a proprietary "Cycle of Abilities" competency framework spanning six capabilities (engaging complexity and uncertainty, exploring values and ethical structure, facilitating group decisions, recognizing opportunity, mobilizing resources, and advocating change). The experience is delivered through three integrated components: a Spring semester course on entrepreneurial mindset and design thinking; the May Term Institute, an immersive regional travel experience across Appalachian entrepreneurship and community sites; and a Directed Field Experience (DFE) summer internship or venture project. Adjacent offerings include the BE-Club (student-led pipeline), an EPG Fellow distinction, and modest professional-development conference funding (up to $500/year per student). Go-to-market is community-led, with applications opening mid-October and closing mid-November each year, recruited via Berea College channels, campus events, and BE-Club referrals.

Commercially, EPG does not operate as a revenue-generating business. Pricing is non-existent in a commercial sense because the program is part of a tuition-free college and the student participants are enrolled Berea undergraduates; the program is funded through Berea College's institutional resources rather than tuition, fees, or external commercial customers. EPG does not hold patents, is not externally funded, has no investor base, and conducts no M&A or restructuring activity. Its partnerships (Awesome Inc, Spark CleanTech, Brickyard, Food Inc., DV8 Kitchen, FoodChain, BrokeSpoke, Starfire Solar, Pine Mountain Settlement School, Appalshop) function as May Institute visit-sites and ecosystem connections rather than commercial agreements. The program is currently recruiting Cohort #23, indicating continuous operation across more than 22 years.

Name

Entrepreneurship for the Public Good

Legal name

Berea College Entrepreneurship for the Public Good

Website

https://epg.berea.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Entrepreneurship for the Public Good (EPG) is an academic program at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, that develops entrepreneurial leadership among undergraduates for service in rural Central Appalachian communities through coursework, an immersive May Institute travel experience, and summer field projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Entrepreneurship Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Experiential learning programs
• Social entrepreneurship training
• Undergraduate leadership development
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Educational Program Funding: EPG is an academic and co-curricular program at Berea College, a tuition-free college. The program operates as part of the college's educational mission and is funded through institutional resources rather than generating commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Entrepreneurship for the Public Good (EPG) is a competitive, year-long academic and co-curricular program at Berea College that cultivates innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking in undergraduate students for service in rural Central Appalachian communities. The program includes a Spring semester course, an immersive May Term Institute travel experience across Appalachia, a summer Directed Field Experience (internship or venture project), and ongoing co-curricular learning, structured around the proprietary Cycle of Abilities framework. Students who demonstrate mastery of the Cycle of Abilities earn the distinction of EPG Fellow.

Product overview

The Entrepreneurship for the Public Good (EPG) Program is a competitive, year-long academic and co-curricular program at Berea College designed to cultivate innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking in undergraduate students for rural communities of Central Appalachia. The core EPG Program consists of multiple integrated components: the Spring Semester Course exploring entrepreneurial mindset and design thinking, the May Term Institute (an immersive travel experience across Appalachia), the Directed Field Experience (a summer internship or venture project), and ongoing Co-Curricular Learning. Students who demonstrate mastery of the program's Cycle of Abilities framework earn the EPG Fellow distinction. The program is supplemented by the BE-Club, a student-led initiative for broader entrepreneurship training, and includes Professional Development funding support for student conference attendance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EPG Program A competitive, year-long curricular and co-curricular experience at Berea College designed to cultivate innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking in undergraduate students for rural communities of Central Appalachia.
• BE-Club (Berea Entrepreneurship Club) A student-led initiative dedicated to training Berea College students through a holistic approach to entrepreneurship, supporting founders seeking to launch startups, non-profits, or social enterprises, and developing intrapreneurs who drive innovation within existing organizations.
• May Term Institute An immersive travel-based experience focused on social innovation and regional entrepreneurship, where students engage with community leaders, build teams, and practice the Cycle of Abilities across Appalachia.
• Cycle of Abilities A proprietary competency framework consisting of six capabilities: Engaging Complexity and Uncertainty, Exploring Values and Ethical Structure, Facilitating Group Decisions, Recognizing Opportunity, Mobilizing Resources, and Advocating Change.
• Directed Field Experience (DFE) A summer venture or internship, individually or in teams, designed and executed with faculty support, allowing students to apply entrepreneurial skills in real-world settings.
• EPG Fellow Distinction Recognition awarded in September following the second summer for candidates demonstrating mastery of the Cycle of Abilities, acknowledging completion of the multi-year EPG pathway.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Awesome IncminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Awesome Inc (a Kentucky-based startup accelerator and entrepreneurial support organization) to serve as a leader in the Appalachian and Kentucky business ecosystems. The BE-Club connects EPG with Awesome Inc for additional resources and mentorship opportunities.
• Spark CleanTech Accelerator at University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents visited the accelerator as part of the May Institute immersive travel experience to learn about clean technology entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Brickyard Tech Incubator (Chattanooga)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents visited the incubator as part of the May Institute to understand technology startup support and regional entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Food Inc. Kitchen Incubator (Chattanooga)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents participated in the CO.Starters Bootcamp with University of Tennessee-Chattanooga at the Food Inc. Kitchen Incubator.
• DV8 KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise visited during May Institute in Lexington, KY as an example of mission-driven food business.
• West Sixth BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraft brewery visited during May Institute in Lexington, KY to study regional entrepreneurship and craft beverage industry.
• FoodChainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization visited during May Institute in Lexington, KY focused on food systems and sustainable food distribution.
• BrokeSpoke Bike ShopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity bike shop visited during May Institute in Lexington, KY as an example of social enterprise and community-based entrepreneurship.
• Starfire Solar SiteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolar energy site visited in Eastern Kentucky during May Institute to explore renewable energy entrepreneurship.
• Pine Mountain Settlement SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric institution in Eastern Kentucky visited during May Institute to learn about Appalachian culture and community development.
• AppalshopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts and education center in Eastern Kentucky visited during May Institute, providing insights into Appalachian media and community development.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Babson College: Babson is the leading undergraduate entrepreneurship-focused business college in the U.S., with a deep experiential entrepreneurship curriculum and Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Comparable to EPG in entrepreneurial leadership development orientation, though it operates as a degree-granting, tuition-charging institution at much larger scale.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's Martin Trust Center provides experiential entrepreneurship programming for MIT undergraduates, including mentorship, venture support, and entrepreneurship courses. It is a broader-incumbent parallel to EPG in targeting undergraduate entrepreneurship development, though at vastly larger scale.
• Stanford Startup Garage (STVP): Stanford's STVP delivers entrepreneurship coursework, venture formation support, and the Mayfield Fellows Program for Stanford undergraduates. Comparable to EPG as an undergraduate entrepreneurship experience, though operating within a much larger university ecosystem and venture-financed environment.

Direct peers

• College of the Ozarks: College of the Ozarks is a tuition-free, mission-driven college in rural Missouri with a work-study model, similar to Berea College. Both institutions combine tuition-free access, rural location, and a service-learning ethos, making the institutional model directly comparable to EPG's host environment.
• Alice Lloyd College: Alice Lloyd College is a tuition-free, work-study college located in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, serving Appalachian students with high financial need. The institutional model and Appalachian focus closely parallel Berea College and the population EPG serves.
• CO.STARTERS: CO.STARTERS is a 9-week cohort-based entrepreneurship curriculum used widely by communities and colleges to guide aspiring entrepreneurs through idea validation. EPG students participate in the CO.Starters Bootcamp as part of their May Institute, and CO.STARTERS offers a comparable cohort-based, community-embedded learning model.

Regional players

• Awesome Inc: Awesome Inc is a Lexington, Kentucky-based startup accelerator and entrepreneurship support organization that has a direct partnership with EPG via the BE-Club. Comparable as a regional entrepreneurship ecosystem builder serving the same Kentucky geography.
• University of Tennessee Knoxville - Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation: UTK's Anderson Center delivers entrepreneurship programming, including the Spark CleanTech Accelerator that EPG students visit. It serves a comparable regional role in Tennessee entrepreneurship ecosystem development.
• Brickyard Tech Incubator: Brickyard is a Chattanooga-based technology incubator and entrepreneurship support organization that EPG students visit during the May Institute. It is comparable as a regional entrepreneurship ecosystem player serving the same broader Appalachian footprint.

Others

• Goodwill Industries of Kentucky: Goodwill Kentucky operates workforce development and entrepreneurship-adjacent programs targeting underserved populations in Kentucky. Thematically comparable as a mission-driven organization developing economic opportunity in Appalachian and Kentucky communities, though not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Entrepreneurship for the Public Good