Entrepreneurship and Innovation

More than 25% of Lake Forest College students participate in the ENTP programming, courses, and internships that allow students to tailor their experience based on their:

1) AREA OF INTEREST (clean technology, inequality, water rights, food)…

2) INTENDED CAREER PATH including intellectual property development (scientists, artists, writers), self-employment (designers, doctors, lawyers, real estate), nonprofit (social innovation, NGOs, education, arts, government) or for-profit venture (start-ups, corporate intrapreneurship, small business).

3) Need for NECESSARY SKILLS for success beyond the ENTP curriculum (writing, web design, accounting, organizational psychology, etc.).

"I wish the College offered an ENTP major."

Some of our strongest students find that no one traditional major fully meets what they want to study.
The Self-Designed Major emphasizes self-determination for its students, while offering guidance and assistance in developing their individualized plans.

The Self-Designed Major is suitable for students who feel there is no one major that meets all of their individual needs and goals. 

Lake Forest College has a series of Innovation Spaces, creative spaces where students can experiment with the latest technology in virtual reality, 3-D printing, audio and video recording, digital photography, theater design, and software creation. Students working on new ventures work with their teams, and mentors, at the Oppenheimer Center.

Entrepreneurship and social innovation students regularly participate in national and international competitions and ideathons such as the Davis Prize for Peace, Princeton University’s Environmental Ideathon, and TCU’s Values and Ventures Competition in addition to the Venture Design Challenge with $10,000 in total prizes.

Interested in learning more?

Check out the Venture Design Challenge

Created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the ENTP program is looked after by the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council, a group of highly successful global social innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders with a diverse range of expertise.  

The Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Kate Jackson, is a native of the Silicon Valley and comes from a family of inventors, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. An entrepreneur and connector at heart, she is energized by collaborating with diverse stakeholders and building bridges. Because of her background, she is focused on bridging the coastal-midwestern divide, spotlighting and elevating the cultural richness, innovative spirit, and intellectual vibrancy alive and thriving in Midwestern hearts and minds. She also mindfully bridges the humanities and business worlds; she earned her BA and MA in English from The University of Chicago and her MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. And the for-profit and non-profit spheres working for leading organizations including Accenture, Deloitte Consulting, JP Morgan Private Bank, Lollipop Theater Network, and the John G. Shedd Aquarium.  

• In 2021, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTP) placed in GCEC's (Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers) top 4 for "Outstanding Student Engagement and Leadership," a recognition of our center's commitment to putting students and alumni at the center of all that we do.
• ENTP placed in the top 3 of USASBE’s (United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship) “Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Programs” in 2017. 
• Entrepreneur in Residence, Patricia “Trish” Thomas, named Illinois Entrepreneurship Professor of the Year by Future Founders at the 2nd Annual EntrepreneurshipU Awards.

The ENTP program is focused on teaching our students how to become entrepreneurial leaders; effective team members; to plan for and navigate their future in times of uncertainty and change; and to build resilience as a means of improving future outcomes. Students learn to understand their personal strengths and motivations, and how to use them as a vehicle for growth in themselves, their teams, their ventures, and ultimately the world around them.