UW has top entrepreneurship program

The School of Business has one of the best entrepreneurship programs in the world, according to a survey of business graduates conducted by the Financial Times, London.

Eleven schools made the “top entrepreneurship” list, which was part of a ranking of the world’s top 75 business schools.

“This is gratifying,” says professor Robert Pricer. “It shows our graduates are satisfied with the training they received when they were here. Students in our entrepreneurship program create the most stimulating, energetic, innovative conditions imaginable. Once they learn the basics, we are amazed at how quickly they take off.”

New resources have helped the entrepreneurship program extend its reach. A $3.5 million gift last year from Jim Weinert, a UW–Madison alum, provided funds to hire additional faculty and create new courses to meet the ever-increasing demand for entrepreneurship education at UW–Madison.

In the new Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, directed by Pricer and professor Jon Udell, students test their ideas and gain entrepreneurial experience in a university setting and in the marketplace.

Students in the affiliated WAVE (Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship) program gain real-world experience by managing a million-dollar venture capital fund that invests in promising new businesses. The WAVE program is directed assistant professor Ted Baker.

“We are delighted, but not surprised, that our alums said we had one of the top entrepreneurship programs,” Business School Dean Andrew J. Policano says. “Bob Pricer has developed one of the most unique programs in the country and the success of our students is extraordinary.”