Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University

What Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University does

The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center is a non-revenue-generating academic center within DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business, established in 2016 to support student and alumni entrepreneurship in Chicago. It runs the Coleman Mentorship Program (50+ active mentors), the annual Purpose Pitch Competition, and the Entrepreneurship at DePaul blog/podcast ("The Windy Napkin"), and operates alongside the BETA (Business Education Technology and Analytics) Hub, which exposes students and faculty to AI tools (ChatGPT Plus, Copilot), blockchain exploration, a content creation studio, a neuro-business eye-tracking lab, and an extended reality/VR suite.

Its core differentiator is the 2023-launched Halperin Emerging Company Growth Fund, endowed by a gift from the late attorney Errol R. Halperin (BUS '64, JD '67) and his wife Libby Halperin. The fund enables DePaul to take equity stakes in startups founded by DePaul students, alumni, and select Midwest community entrepreneurs, with dividends recycled into Coleman programming. The disclosed portfolio spans nine startups across consumer goods (Mooski, Halfdays, Bonfire), fintech (Alphathena), travel (OOO), legal-tech (Orgaimi), data infrastructure (Zengines), marketing-tech (Visual Feeder), and wellness (GrayMatter).

Revenue mechanics flow through DePaul's broader tuition structure — graduate tuition in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business is $1,228 per credit hour for 2025-2026, with the Double Demon Scholarship providing a 25% alumni discount and $3M+ awarded annually in MBA/MS scholarships. The center itself is funded primarily through philanthropy and university allocation. Strategic alliances include core partnerships with 1871 Chicago, Morningstar, the Deloitte Foundation, Greenwood Project, and Protiviti. External validation includes Princeton Review rankings (No. 15 undergraduate entrepreneurship, No. 16 graduate entrepreneurship for 2026), Poets&Quants No. 27 for MBA entrepreneurship (2026), a Top 50 MBA program for Fortune 1000 C-Suite production, and a 2025 U.S. News Best Value College designation.

Name

Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University

Legal name

Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University

Website

https://business.depaul.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center is an academic center within DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business that supports student and alumni entrepreneurship through mentorship (50+ mentors), pitch competitions, the Halperin equity investment fund, and the BETA Hub for AI, VR, and analytics-enabled business education in Chicago.

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

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Startup mentorship programs
• Venture funding services
• Pitch competitions
• Business incubation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Programs: Revenue generated from DePaul University tuition for undergraduate and graduate business programs, including combined degree programs that allow students to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in five years
2. Philanthropic Donations: Philanthropic support from alumni and supporters to advance the center's mission, including the Halperin Emerging Company Fund established with a generous gift from Errol R. Halperin
3. Halperin Emerging Company Fund: DePaul makes equity investments in select startups founded by DePaul students and alumni, and community entrepreneurs. Dividends accrued from investments help fund Coleman Entrepreneurship Center programming

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center is an academic center within DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business that provides entrepreneurship education, mentorship, pitch competitions, and equity investment funding for DePaul students, alumni, and select community entrepreneurs. Its offerings include the Coleman Mentorship Program with 50+ mentors, the Halperin Emerging Company Fund for startup equity investments, and the Purpose Pitch Competition, all aimed at helping entrepreneurs explore, plan, launch, and grow ventures connected to Chicago's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Product overview

The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center is the primary entrepreneurship hub at DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business, offering a comprehensive suite of programs including mentorship (Coleman Mentorship Program with 50+ mentors), funding opportunities (Halperin Emerging Company Fund for equity investments), pitch competitions (Purpose Pitch Competition), and educational content (Entrepreneurship at DePaul blog). The center operates alongside the BETA Hub, which focuses on technology and analytics education with specialized labs. The Kellstadt Career Management Center provides additional career support. Together, these offerings form an integrated ecosystem supporting students from business idea exploration through startup launch and growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Halperin Emerging Company Growth Fund: Equity investment fund for startups founded by DePaul students, alumni, and select community entrepreneurs
• Purpose Pitch Competition
• Coleman Mentorship Program
• Entrepreneurship at DePaul

Products and services

• Halperin Emerging Company Fund Equity investment fund that provides capital for DePaul to make equity investments in startups founded by DePaul students, alumni, and select community entrepreneurs in the Midwest. Dividends from these investments help fund Coleman Entrepreneurship Center programming.
• Coleman Mentorship Program Program offering more than 50 mentors who provide one-on-one guidance to help entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level while broadening their professional networks. For DePaul students, alumni, and community entrepreneurs.
• Purpose Pitch Competition Annual pitch competition where startups pitch their greater purpose and how they plan to fulfill that purpose through their business objective. Open to DePaul-affiliated entrepreneurs and community startups.
• BETA Hub Business Education in Technology and Analytics Hub — a cross-disciplinary initiative that advances innovation in teaching, research, and community collaboration at the intersection of business and emerging technology, featuring labs for content creation, analytics, neuro-business research, and extended reality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of graduates are employed or continuing their education within six months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 1871 ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDePaul maintains memberships in local business incubators, including 1871, Chicago's premier business and technology start-up hub. This partnership provides students and alumni with access to co-working space, mentorship, and startup resources within Chicago's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• MorningstarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMorningstar sponsors the Driehaus Cup, a business pitch competition for DePaul undergraduate business students, through a partnership facilitated by advisory council member Laura Kohl, Morningstar's Chief Information Officer.
• Deloitte FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDePaul collaborated with the Deloitte Foundation to fund academic scholarships for DePaul graduate accounting students through the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program. The effort supports a racially and ethnically diverse student population and helps strengthen the pipeline of diverse CPA talent.
• Greenwood ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDePaul partnered with the Greenwood Project to help deliver a finance summer program to over 200 Black and Latinx youth, connecting students of color to careers in finance.
• ProtivitiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProtiviti co-sponsored the Arditti Center for Risk Management's 2022 Summer Investment Challenge, a four-day boot camp that challenged Chicago area high school students to present a stock pick presentation.
• DePaul Steans CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerService learning opportunities through the DePaul Steans Center connect students with community engagement programs that address social and environmental issues.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/depaul-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University