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. Check out the course descriptions below for details.

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.

The emphasis of this course:

• How to conceive new business ideas
• How to evaluate the ideas
• How to turn the 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.

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 skills such as:

• How to develop and test hypotheses about the opportunity
• How to collect and analyze needed data
• How to develop a coherent business model for execution of the new venture

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
• Other departments in CALS seeking economic collaboration
• Agribusinesses who seek a case study partnership with the class
• Students

Students will finish with actionable plans for new ventures that are ready for presentation to prospective investors.

The 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 be engaged in the entrepreneurial community, have a better understanding of launching and operating an entrepreneurial venture, have a more robust social network of entrepreneurs, mentors and investors, and have
the information and understanding necessary to grow an entrepreneurial venture.

After completion of the clinical practicum, students will:

• Be engaged in the entrepreneurial community
• Have a better understanding of launching and operating an entrepreneurial venture
• Have a more robust social network of entrepreneurs, mentors and investors
• Have the information and understanding necessary to grow an entrepreneurial venture

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 NCSU
Deborah Thompson | NCARS NCSU
Reggie Strickland | Strickland Farming Group