gvsu.edu/cei/
The Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, formerly in the DeVos Center, now has its office on the first floor of GVSU’s new L. William Seidman Center on Front Street in downtown Grand Rapids. CEI serves to champion and catalyze the vocation of entrepreneurship through talent development, the commercialization of new ideas and support for startups and businesses.
In 2012, CEI signed a contract with the LDFA to manage a restructured Smart Zone incubator under a new three-year contract. The Smart Zone was rebranded to GRCurrent, the leading business incubator for life sciences and emerging technologies in West Michigan. It provides the space, resources, capital, and connections to help evolve startups into standalone businesses.
CEI programs and services:
- Interdisciplinary education, scholarships and internships for entrepreneurs in collaboration with the Seidman College of Business
- Student enterprise and business ventures
- Business Plan and Idea Pitch Competitions
- Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) oversight
- Teen Entrepreneur Summer Academy
- Technology Commercialization Office (TCO), protects and facilitates the conversion of the intellectual properties of the university to benefit the community and university
- Entreprnr.net, a Web-based tool providing information and connection to regional support services, incubation facilities, knowledge resources, and capital sources
- Savvy Entrepreneur Seminar Series meets five months a year to tackle the toughest of entrepreneurial topics through panel presentations and open discussions
- Business acceleration services, connections and access to capital
- Entrepreneur-In- Residence
- High-tech incubation facilities