Agricultural Entrepreneurship Program
Join the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs.
Hands-On. High-Impact.
The NC State Agricultural Entrepreneurship Program gives students an unparalleled opportunity to engage in real-world business development.
Based on a hands-on learning process involving entrepreneurs, start-ups, and transdisciplinary teams in a clinical setting, students learn how to look at new ideas and figure out the steps necessary to commercialize them. They also interact with local businesses and help them succeed.
The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Program serves as a minor for students in any major who are interested in entrepreneurship as applied to agriculture.
Top 10 in the U.S.
NC State was ranked the #10 undergraduate program for entrepreneurs in 2020.
Curriculum
Our courses extend beyond the classroom walls to give students hands-on, real-world experience in ideation, problem-solving, and commercialization of new ventures and products. On top of all that, you’ll learn business principles and best practices, communication strategies and how to work as part of an effective team. Not to mention gaining invaluable industry connections.
Expand course descriptions below.
Principles of Agricultural Entrepreneurship
This course covers the applied entrepreneurship skills needed to identify and create an opportunity in agribusiness. Students engage in lectures and the NC State Entrepreneurship Clinical model of study using experiential learning to further expose and develop opportunities. Emphasis is placed on how to conceive new business ideas, how to evaluate the ideas, and how to turn the ideas into new ventures. Students are encouraged and mentored during the course to examine real business ideas that they might want to pursue after graduation; either in a new venture or within an existing organization. Students create and execute an action plan with a clinic partner company to research and develop a feasibility analysis for an identified opportunity. These projects will be presented via poster sessions during the semester.
Students will learn to:
- Conceive and evaluate new business ideas
- Turn business ideas into new ventures
During the course, students are mentored to examine real business ideas they might pursue after graduation, either in a new venture or within an existing organization. Students work with a clinic partner company to create and execute an action plan, and research and develop a feasibility analysis for an identified opportunity. Students will present their projects via poster sessions during the semester.
Agribusiness New Venture Development
This course is taken after Principles of Agricultural Entrepreneurship. Students work in teams on a single new venture idea to further master concepts introduced in the previous course. They learn new venture development in a learn-by-doing process: from opportunity specification to development of a compelling case, and development of an executable plan. The class is conducted in a clinic setting where student teams analyze entrepreneurial ideas for business viability. New venture ideas may be provided by the teacher, by other departments in CALS seeking economic collaboration, by agribusinesses who seek a case study partnership with the class, or by students. The end result is actionable plans for new ventures that are ready for presentation to prospective investors.
Students will learn to:
- Develop and test hypotheses for entrepreneurial ventures
- Collect and analyze needed data
- Create a coherent business model for new venture execution
New venture ideas may be provided by: teachers, other departments in CALS seeking economic collaboration, agribusinesses who seek a case study partnership with the class, and students.
Students will finish with actionable plans for new ventures that are ready for presentation to prospective investors.
Agricultural Entrepreneurship Clinical Practicum
This course is taken after Agribusiness New Venture Development. Its focus is to provide students an opportunity to embed themselves within the entrepreneurial community while advising and working with real ventures and engaging in experiential learning. Several field trips will be taken to visit agribusiness entrepreneurs. The clinical practicum provides students the tools needed to execute on their own ideas within their new ventures or existing ventures partnered with the Entrepreneurship Clinic.
After completion of the clinical practicum, students will obtain:
- entrepreneurial community engagement
- a better understanding of launching and operating an entrepreneurial venture
- a more robust social network of entrepreneurs, mentors and investors
- the information and understanding necessary to grow an entrepreneurial venture.
Advisory Council
Fulton Breen | XSinc
John Dombrosky | Agtech Accelerator
Pete Faust | Terra Green Precision Landscapes
Robbie Fulford | United Tobacco Company
Chason Johnson | Johnson Nurseries
Carroll Joyner | Philanthropist
Kevin Matthews | Precision Nutrient Management & Deep Creek Grain
Lewis Sheats | PCOM, NC State
Deborah Thompson | NCARS, NC State
Reggie Strickland | Strickland Farming Group
