Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Name

Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Website

https://rit.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Entrepreneurship Programs

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

Keywords

• Student entrepreneurship programs
• Innovation education services
• Entrepreneurial fellowship programs
• University maker spaces
• Venture incubation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) academic center that supports RIT students and recent alumni in developing entrepreneurial ventures. It delivers programming including the Gap Year Entrepreneurial Fellowship, which provides $20,000 stipends and business coaching, and operates the SHED makerspaces for prototyping and product development. The center delivers structured time, funding, mentorship, and workspace to enable student entrepreneurs to launch businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gap Year Entrepreneurial Fellowship A competitive fellowship program for RIT students that provides a $20,000 stipend and dedicated business coaching (delivered through Upstate Venture Connect) so fellows can work full-time on developing their ventures outside the normal academic term. Has supported 28 fellows since 2018.
• SHED Makerspaces
• Business Coaching and Mentorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 fellows supported since 2018 through Gap Year program
• +1 more outcomes

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

One partnership is on record.

• Upstate Venture ConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Business coaching partnership providing mentorship and guidance to Gap Year Entrepreneurial Fellowship recipients. UVC is a network of business professionals that supports fellows in developing their ventures.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Direct peers

• Stanford StartX: Stanford-affiliated founder accelerator that supports student and alumni entrepreneurs with mentorship, funding pathways, and structured programs. Directly comparable in mission and university-anchored model to the Simone Center.
• Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab): Harvard's university-wide innovation space providing workspace, mentorship, and venture programs to Harvard students and alumni. Comparable model of co-located workspace, fellowships, and structured venture support within a research university.
• Princeton Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education: Princeton's hub for innovation and entrepreneurship education, providing maker spaces, venture support, and industry mentorship to Princeton students. Similar structure as a university-based center combining education, makerspace access, and venture programs.
• USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies: USC Marshall's center focused on entrepreneurship education, mentorship, and venture launch support for students and alumni. Comparable as a university-affiliated entrepreneurship center with structured programs and external partner engagement.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's central entrepreneurship center, offering fellowships, mentorship, makerspace-style resources, and venture programs to MIT students. Highly comparable to the Simone Center as a university-based entrepreneurship hub with a technical-university parent.
• NYU Tandon Future Labs / Leslie eLab: NYU's entrepreneurship and innovation hub offering workspace, mentorship, and programs to NYU students, faculty, and alumni. Directly comparable in combining makerspace/workspace, mentorship, and venture programming for a university's founders.
• Babson College Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship: Babson's hub for entrepreneurship education, fellowships, and venture resources serving Babson students and alumni. Comparable as a higher-education center with dedicated entrepreneurship programming, mentoring, and accelerators.
• Carnegie Mellon Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship: CMU's central entrepreneurship center, offering student venture programs, mentorship, and connections to investors — closely parallel to the Simone Center's role within RIT, another technical university.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RITSimoneCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rochester-institute-of-technology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship