Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship

Name

Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship

Legal name

Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship

Website

https://entrepreneurship.brown.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Venture acceleration
• Student startup grants
• Mentorship programs
• Academic certificate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant and Prize Distribution: The Nelson Center distributes equity-free grants and prize money to student ventures. Funding comes from the center's operating budget, donor gifts, and university support. This is not revenue generation but resource distribution to student entrepreneurs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship is Brown University's centralized hub for entrepreneurship education and venture support. It delivers a comprehensive ecosystem including the 8-week B-Lab Summer Accelerator, Brown Venture Prize pitch competition with $50,000 in equity-free funding, Community Lab (Co-Lab) workspace, the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Certificate, equity-free venture grants (Explore/Experiment/Expand), mentorship (EIR/PEIR), entrepreneurship courses, and research resources for faculty and students.

Product overview

The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship is Brown University's centralized hub for entrepreneurship education and venture support, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of programs, courses, grants, and mentorship. The core offerings include the B-Lab Summer Accelerator (8-week intensive program), Brown Venture Prize (competitive pitch competition with $50K in prizes), Community Lab Venture Space (collaborative workspace), Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Certificate (academic credential), and Venture Support Grants (Explore, Experiment, Expand funding tiers). The Center also provides mentorship through its Entrepreneur in Residence and Peer Entrepreneur in Residence programs, entrepreneurship courses, and research resources for faculty and students. Built upon Brown's open curriculum philosophy, the Center serves students, faculty, and alumni at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• B-Lab Summer Accelerator: Brown University's premier 8-week summer accelerator for student founders building high-impact ventures.
• Brown Venture Prize (BVP)
• Community Lab Venture Space (Co-Lab)

Products and services

• B-Lab Summer Accelerator Brown University's premier 8-week summer accelerator for Brown and RISD students building high-impact ventures. Provides a $4,000 scholarly fellowship award, workspace, mentorship, and hands-on support to turn early-stage concepts into ventures ready for national accelerators, investment, or next-stage growth.
• Brown Venture Prize (BVP) A pitch competition designed to empower the most advanced entrepreneurial ventures by Brown students. Eight finalists compete annually for a share of $50,000 in equity-free funding ($25,000 first place, $15,000 second place, $10,000 third place), with winners receiving mentorship, a VIP NYC experience, and visibility to help launch them to the next stage.
• Community Lab Venture Space (Co-Lab) A collaborative venture space on the 3rd floor of the Nelson Center offering 24/7 access, dedicated workspaces, sector-specific mentoring, and networking opportunities for Brown and RISD student entrepreneurs developing high-impact, scalable ventures.
• Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Certificate A curricular structure for undergraduate students comprising two core courses (ENGN 0090 and ENGN 1010), two elective courses, and one practicum experiential course (ENGN 1931T) where students develop and advance an entrepreneurial project of their own design.
• Venture Support Grants Equity-free grants supporting student ventures at various stages: Explore grants for problem identification and validation; Experiment grants for prototype testing and pilot programs; Expand grants for accelerating growth and deepening product-market fit. Includes specialized grants such as Hazeltine Grants ($500-$1,000) for engineering/tech projects and climate-focused grants.
• Mentorship Programs Comprehensive mentorship offerings including the Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program with experienced entrepreneurs holding regular office hours, and the Peer Entrepreneur in Residence (PEIR) program where students serve as mentors to fellow students. Also includes the Barrett Hazeltine Prize in Entrepreneurial Mentorship award recognizing exceptional mentors.
• Entrepreneurship Courses Courses exploring entrepreneurship as a tool for creative problem-solving and real-world impact, available through Brown's open curriculum. Part of the Nelson Center's academic offerings that teach students to identify problems worth solving, develop creative solutions, and understand entrepreneurship in a broader social, economic, and ethical context.
• Entrepreneurship Research Resources Resources for faculty, researchers, and graduate students including access to the VC Inclusion Lab (data-driven approach to VC industry inclusion), Brown Technology Innovations (BTI) for IP commercialization, Pitchbook, CB Insights, and entrepreneurship library resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Perennial raised $18M Series A funding (total $35M), was named a TIME Best Invention of 2022, and selected by the UN as one of the Top 100 Global AI Projects for SDGs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRISD students are eligible to participate in B-Lab and Co-Lab programs alongside Brown students, provided they collaborate on ventures with at least one Brown student founder. RISD brings an art and design perspective to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, broadening the types of ventures supported.
• MassChallengeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerB-Lab alumni have been accepted into top national accelerators including MassChallenge and Techstars. The Nelson Center's programs serve as feeder pathways to these prestigious accelerator programs.
• TechstarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerB-Lab alumni have been accepted into top national accelerators including MassChallenge and Techstars. The Nelson Center's programs serve as feeder pathways to these prestigious accelerator programs.
• United Nations (UN)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerennial, a Brown alumni venture, was selected by the United Nations as one of the Top 100 Global Projects using AI to solve UN Sustainable Development Goals. This recognition validates the climate impact of Perennial's soil carbon measurement technology.
• Clinton FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOmena, founded by Francesca Raoelison '22, is supported by the Clinton Foundation as part of its mission to increase awareness of emotional abuse in Madagascar's educational system and provide Social Emotional Learning tools.
• Brown Technology Innovations (BTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTI supports intellectual property commercialization for Brown faculty and researchers, including inventions, patents, copyrights, license and option agreements, and startups. The Nelson Center works with BTI to connect student and faculty ventures to IP support.
• VC Inclusion LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe VC Inclusion Lab, founded and led by Banu Ozkazanc-Pan (Barrett Hazeltine Professor of the Practice), uses a data-driven approach to educate the VC industry and policymakers on inclusion. It is a key research partner of the Nelson Center.
• Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (CSREA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSREA partners with the Nelson Center to offer Venture Grants for Innovative Solutions addressing anti-Black and systemic racism. These grants support student teams designing entrepreneurial solutions to systemic issues.
• Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBES partners with the Nelson Center to provide dedicated support for climate change/sustainability-focused ventures, including early-stage venture grants, dedicated advising, and funding for environmental entrepreneurs.
• 3SIXØ (Architecture Firm)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner3SIXØ served as the architects for the Nelson Center building, designing the 10,000-square-foot, four-story facility from the ground up to support innovation and collaboration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/BrownEship
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLTiEffrOcz_6YV4F84-k3pkFV72u0jCv5
• Facebookfacebook.com/brownentrepreneurship
• Instagraminstagram.com/nelson_center_entrepreneurship
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jonathan-m-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship