Twenty-five years ago, NKU and the College of Business, now Haile College, embarked on a journey to drive innovation and entrepreneurship for the region. Back then, entrepreneurship wasn’t as big of a focus, but as things go NKU and the College of Business are always well ahead of the curve.
Since its inception, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (formerly Entrepreneurship Institute) has established itself as one of the legacy Entrepreneurship Programs within academia. Of note, such accomplishments include a global top 25 ranking, The INKUBATOR was ranked as a Top 5 university accelerator, the center has received multiple prominent peer-reviewed international awards, and alumni are consistently highlighted in both local and national publications, such as the Business Courier’s Cincy Inno Under 25 Recognition.
In 1999, Rebecca White launched the center and the minor in Entrepreneurship. In 2006, the Entrepreneurship Major (ENTP) was created. In 2012, Zac Strobl (’10) and Rodney D’Souza launched one of the first University Accelerator programs, The INKUBATOR. In 2014, Rodney D’Souza became the director and took the center through a rebrand and refocus to meet modern demands. Flash forward to 2024, and two of the program’s graduates, Zac Strobl (‘10) and Jeff Varrone (’02), director and assistant director respectively, are continuing to build upon the well-established center and drive innovation forward.
Other notable contributions came from Sally Allen, who served as the coordinator of the center for 18 years, and David Schneider, who served as the director 2020-23. Through all this, the students and alumni are and have always been the focal point of this program. The CIE has invested considerable time and resources to help them launch and grow.
"As the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship enters the next 25 years, we look forward to helping NKU grow our influence and impact on the region’s students, alumni and the many businesses this region calls home," Strobl says.
Liz Shrout has launched multiple ventures. Avasha (2019 INKUBATOR company) and Inclusive Envisions with fellow 2022 alumna Marian Rice.
Brittany Styles was an ENTP minor and went through the INKUBATOR program to develop her business, Style House by Brittany, where she was just named to Cincinnati Business Courier’s Cincy Inno Under 25 for her startup, a business that specializes in corporate and social event activation and interior design.
Kayla Braden and Caden Adams of Peachy and Vintage, were both recently named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 and were highlighted as Cincy Inno’s 5 under 25.
Director, Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
