Entrepreneurship at F&M
Having a Positive, Lasting Impact on the World
“We should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours.”
— Benjamin FranklinF&M’s history is rooted in innovation. Not only was one of our founders Benjamin Franklin — one of history’s most impactful inventors — but the College was the product of a pioneering collaboration between English- and German-speaking communities, making it the first bilingual college in the nation.
Entrepreneurship at F&M honors our enduring commitment to F&M’s innovative legacy by offering courses and programs centered on entrepreneurship and the spirit of having a positive, lasting impact on the world around us.
Courses
We offer two entrepreneurship courses designed to complement the academic experience of F&M students looking to understand and put into practice the entrepreneurial process. Our courses are geared toward the development of entrepreneurial skills and mindsets that magnify the liberal arts experience across all academic concentrations.
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- INT274: “Entrepreneurial Thinking”
- INT375: “Entrepreneurial Discovery”
Extracurricular Programs
Outside the classroom, you can also engage in our extracurricular opportunities to further enrich your experience through practical application and exploration of your entrepreneurial ideas.
F&M Incubator
F&M Incubator is a semester-long program that serves as a launchpad for you to bring your creative solutions to life. You’ll work in a team and you may receive mentoring, specialized support, and/or project funding. You’ll also attend a series of workshops on customer identification, design thinking, marketing and legal considerations, and other topics. F&M Incubator is open to students looking to put into practice the skills and methodologies they acquired throughout the entrepreneurship curriculum, by tackling a startup venture of their own.
Past students have worked on a number of exciting projects, including:
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- Improving healthcare connections between underserved patients and their providers
- Exploring a solution for better college course registration systems
- Emphasizing the importance of social justice education through a self-care company
- Create a community of college students to find affordable off-campus housing options during the off-season
- A technology platform matching local artists with people who would appreciate having original, local, affordable art on their walls at home, while supporting the local arts community.
Summer Entrepreneurship Experience
Through our summer entrepreneurship experience, you’ll earn course credit and gain
real-world experience for your resume while discovering and mastering the entrepreneurial
skills needed to bring innovation to any organization. You’ll be matched as a paid
intern with sponsoring startups, entrepreneurs, and other organizations that are looking
to innovate or disrupt the status quo across a variety of industries. You’ll carry
out strategic tasks for your organization while learning and applying best practice
entrepreneurial techniques.
Demo Day
Demo Day offers you the chance to make your unique idea a reality. During this program,
you will present your idea to successful entrepreneurs and potential investors. Winners
earn prize money to serve as start-up funding to bring your idea to life.
Events
We often hold workshops, panels, and other events that introduce, discuss, or focus on entrepreneurship methods and insight. Our events regularly feature F&M alumni and members of the wider community who have changed the status quo in all sectors of the economy and society.
Our Strategic Partners
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- Ben Franklin Technology Partners
- Driving Growth & Innovation in Pennsylvania
- Saxton & Stump
- Lawyers & Consultants: Providing Solutions for Complex Legal Issues
- Keystone Merge
- An entrepreneur event series that meets monthly throughout the Harrisburg, York, and
Lancaster region.
Our Entrepreneurial Alumni
Aaron Bass ’01 , Sociology & Africana Studies, founder of KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy
Will Kiefer ’14 , Public Health & Spanish, founder of nonprofit enterprise Bench Mark
Mary Haverstick ’82 , Geology, founder of Haverstick Films
Ani Akpan ’18 , Film, the founder of Qase Media
Sarah Waybright ’06 , Neuroscience, founder of Why Food Works and co-founder of Gathering Springs Farm
Becky Fawcett ’92 , American Studies, founder of nonprofit agency HelpUsAdopt.org
Are You One of Our Entrepreneurial Alumni?
Join the DipBlue Entrepreneurial Network where alumni foster relationships among its members and support F&M’s efforts towards innovation and entrepreneurship.Read More »
F&M Entrepreneurial Minds at Work
August 16, 2023
Closing the Gender Gap in Finance
Kriti Krishna '18 and Lia Tavarez '20 are working together to make investments more accessible for female entrepreneurs through HearstLab, a a venture fund for women-led startups.
August 4, 2023
Young Alum Startup Merges Art and Economics
Mark Marotta '21 launched Amparo in his senior year at F&M, a web platform for emerging and established fine artists to display original paintings in a virtual stage setting.
July 1, 2022
Students Pitch Wellness Initiatives to City of Lancaster
A cohort of 14 Franklin & Marshall students is spending the summer tackling some of Lancaster City's biggest health and wellness challenges. F&M students recently partnered with The Center for Health Care Innovation at LGH Health to a panel of Lancaster community leaders.