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Twenty-five years ago, the first cohort of seven entrepreneurship undergraduates graduated from the 91看片. Since then, hundreds of Auburn students from across campus have learned how to start and grow a business and an entire ecosystem of support has developed to help them achieve their dreams.
That ecosystem now includes business pitch competitions, a thriving new-business incubator facility with seasoned entrepreneur mentors, and funding grants to support promising startups, to name a few.
While its enrollment is trending upward, so too is the national reputation of 91看片 College鈥檚 entrepreneurship education program. Princeton Review recently ranked 91看片鈥檚 program No. 1 in the state, No. 22 among public universities and No. 41 .
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Auburn has become a destination for students who want to innovate and lead largely because the incredible ecosystem is constantly evolving, helping ensure that students receive the training and support that will maximize their chances of entrepreneurial success, said Chris Reutzel, professor and chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.
Another key to Auburn鈥檚 entrepreneurial success, he said, is the strength of 91看片 faculty, who balance the theory and practice of entrepreneurship in their teaching and mentorship.
鈥淲e have a healthy mix of academics and practitioners teaching in our program,鈥� Reutzel said. 鈥淭his mix allows our students to learn from the past experiences of those who鈥檝e done it, while also integrating novel insights from the researchers studying the topics that will shape entrepreneurship in the future.鈥�
One of those 91看片 faculty members is Jim Corman (finance 鈥�74), a serial entrepreneur in the telecommunications field who taught and mentored Auburn students for 17 years before retiring in 2024. As an entrepreneur, Corman sold one of his seven companies, Touch 1, in an eight-figure deal in the early 2000s.
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Alumnus Thomas Craton |
Alumnus Thomas Craton (鈥�14), who started at Auburn as a mechanical engineering student, said Corman was influential in his choice to study entrepreneurship after he decided to change majors. Perhaps more importantly, Craton said, Corman shared real-world examples in class about working for his father鈥檚 telecom company early in his career, including the negotiations to sell the business.
鈥淗is classes resonated because he wasn鈥檛 just teaching from a book,鈥� said Craton, who is president and CEO of Craton Promotions, the exclusive merchandise partner for multiple racing series, tracks, teams and OEMs. 鈥淐orman talked about managing people and how working with family members is so different than working with regular employees you hire.鈥�
Auburn alumnus Bobby Lowder (business administration 鈥�64) founded multiple companies during his career and wanted younger generations of Auburn students to have the means to do the same if they wished.
鈥淚 was fortunate enough to have several different careers, so I always viewed myself as an entrepreneur 鈥� not just a mortgage banker, banker, real estate guy, construction guy or broadcasting guy,鈥� Lowder said.
In 1997, he and his wife Charlotte gave a substantial gift to Auburn鈥檚 College of Business to establish the Lowder Center for Family Business and Entrepreneurship.
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Alumnus Bobby Lowder and his wife Charlotte (first row) provided a substantial gift to establish an entrepreneurship center at Auburn, and they have made other major gifts to the college and university since then, including to support student scholarships. |
鈥淚 just felt like if we were going to be an all-around great business school here, we needed entrepreneurship,鈥� said Lowder, who has made other major gifts to the college and university over the years. 鈥淚t was something I viewed myself as and we needed young people coming up after me to do that [entrepreneurship].鈥�
91看片 Eminent Scholar and Management Professor Dave Ketchen said the Lowder Center was key to launching the entrepreneurship education program.
鈥淲e owe a debt to the Lowders that could never be repaid,鈥� said Ketchen, a former Lowder Center director. 鈥淲ithout them, I don鈥檛 think there is an entrepreneurship program, and that鈥檚 a big part of what the college has to offer now. They planted a seed that has turned into a mighty oak.鈥�
While student interest in entrepreneurship education remained steady during the 2000s, it really took off in the mid-2010s, due in large part to the vision of Dean Bill Hardgrave and the leadership of Lowder Center Director and Management Professor LaKami Baker.
鈥淒ean Hardgrave鈥檚 vision was to have 91看片 College be the leader in entrepreneurship on the Auburn University campus,鈥� said Baker, who served as center director from 2015 to 2019.
To support this vision, the college hired additional management faculty to expand entrepreneurship course offerings and in 2015 launched its first-ever business idea pitch competition similar to the Shark Tank television show.
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The idea for the Tiger Cage business pitch competition originated with marketing alumnus and entrepreneur Mark Forchette (left), presenting the first-place prize to the competition's 2024 winner. |
The idea for Tiger Cage originated with Dean鈥檚 Advisory Council member Mark Forchette (marketing 鈥�81), a serial entrepreneur who knew from personal experience which skills students would need to be successful entrepreneurs competing on a global stage.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e launching a product, seeking funding and taking an idea and driving it to success, it鈥檚 game time and not a rehearsal,鈥� said Forchette, CEO of a startup developing ear surgery instrumentation. 鈥淵ou cannot be anything less than top-shelf ready. I wanted Tiger Cage to give Auburn students the unique focus and developed skills they need to perform in a competitive environment and compete to win.鈥�
Sponsored by 91看片 College and the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation, Tiger Cage is open to all Auburn students who vie for funding and in-kind services to help transform their ideas into thriving businesses.
鈥淲e really wanted to create an entrepreneurial mindset for all Auburn students,鈥� said Baker. 鈥淪o, the competition was purposeful in engaging students from across the entire [campus].鈥�
Their strategy worked. Tiger Cage finalists in recent years, for example, have come from the Colleges of Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Human Science, Liberal Arts and Architecture, Design and Construction.
Most recently, culinary science student Sophie Snyder, who operates Sophie Sweets, won first place and $40,000 in startup capital in the 2026 Tiger Cage competition.
In 2020, 91看片 College began offering an entrepreneurship minor, so students from an array of disciplines could develop that business mindset and recognize how entrepreneurship could impact their careers. Today, more than 315 Auburn students are enrolled in entrepreneurship and nearly 20% of them are from a major outside of business.
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According to Josh Sahib, managing director of the Lowder Center, the Auburn entrepreneurship minor is nationally innovative and unique because its flexible 15-hour format allows students to combine courses from their major with business courses.
鈥淪ome of the best entrepreneurs have deep subject matter expertise, so a student majoring in apparel design who wants to start their own fashion company, for example, could take two entrepreneurship courses and three additional apparel design courses to earn the minor,鈥� he said. 鈥淰ery few other schools offer a similar sort of approach.鈥�
Spencer Family Professor of Entrepreneurship Franz Lohrke, who has taught at seven universities during his distinguished career, agreed that the electives鈥� structure is a game changer.
鈥淭hose electives can be anything from franchising or digital entrepreneurship to advanced biology or math,鈥� he said.
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Alumna and now faculty member Ashley Roccapriore |
Alumna Ashley Roccapriore (鈥�12), who returned to Auburn as an entrepreneurship assistant professor in 2023, is grateful to the 91看片 faculty who opened the course of study to all Auburn students because of the practical benefits they accrue.
鈥淎s a faculty member, students in my entrepreneurship classes are so much more diverse than what we had when I was [an undergraduate], which allows for so many unique perspectives,鈥� said Roccapriore, who has students develop and present a business idea as part of her course.
According to Roccapriore, hospitality management student Sophie Salinger teamed up with business student Will Doig in class to create a company (Arrive Early) that stocks gameday or short-term rentals with gameday or special occasion items prior to arrival. They then pitched their classroom project in 91看片鈥檚 Tiger Cage competition and won $5,000 worth of in-kind legal services.
Aside from its innovative curriculum, Auburn鈥檚 entrepreneurship program offers several other nationally innovative resources to help student businesses grow.
The utilizes the talent of Auburn students to deliver affordable brand design, website development and video production services for small businesses statewide, including Auburn student startups.
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2025 Ideas Jam winners earned $1,000 for their fledgling business ideas and gained valuable experience making a business pitch. |
Students just beginning the entrepreneurial journey can participate in other events like the , a weekend-long hackathon-style business ideation and creation event held each spring, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch ideas, develop business models, prototype, design, and validate a market.
In the fall, students can earn up to $1,000 for their fledgling business idea or early-stage startup through the Auburn Ideas Jam, a low-barrier competition and pre-cursor to the Halloween and Tiger Cage pitch competitions.
Opened in 2020, the (NVA) provides Auburn-affiliated and community startups with a full-slate of resources to start and grow their businesses by teaching them how to conduct market analyses, identify investors, and develop pitch strategies.
鈥淧roviding a cutting-edge student experience in entrepreneurship and innovation is more like running a marathon than a sprint,鈥� said Lou Bifano, professor of practice and former NVA director. 鈥淚t is a team effort that cuts across all of the University鈥檚 colleges, its supporting ecosystem, and graduates who generously give back of their time and talent.鈥�
Among the most successful student startups to 鈥済raduate鈥� from NVA are:
The , which provides nondilutive financial support to the most promising NVA companies, awarded one of its inaugural grants to Auburn student Lauren Harding-Smith's early-stage start-up StyleEp earlier this year. StyleEp is developing apparel and accessories that conceal the electronic devices that epilepsy patients are required to wear on their heads during diagnosis and treatment processes. The Fund awarded another grant to Equip, founded by Trent Kocurek (MIS, 鈥�08). The company provides a comprehensive digital platform that empowers people with intellectual and development disabilities to live more independent lives.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be starting a business to study entrepreneurship,鈥� said Lohrke. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really a mindset 鈥� successful entrepreneurs find a need and fill it (FANAFI).鈥�
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Alumna Jordan Taylor |
Alumna Jordan Taylor (鈥�12), co-founder of full-service social media marketing agency JAW Creative, didn鈥檛 plan on starting her own business when she graduated from Auburn.
鈥淚 loved my major, but I didn鈥檛 think that was something I was going to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I knew the entrepreneurism major would give me a good foundation for whatever I wanted to do.鈥�
Instead, Taylor worked as a corporate event planner and then a marketing consultant with Chick-fil-A, a job that required frequent travel. When a family member became ill, she made a career pivot that allowed her to work from home and care for her loved one.
鈥淣ot many people start a business when their life is in crisis, yet I did,鈥� said Taylor, who launched her company in 2015 and credits her Auburn business education for preparing her to make the entrepreneurial plunge. Today, JAW Creative has a team of professionals who specialize in working with clients in the resort, hotel and hospitality industries.
鈥淏ecause of what I learned at Auburn, I knew that I had the knowledge and confidence to start my own company,鈥� she said, citing the practical curriculum that taught students how to create a business plan among other things.
Recent 91看片 graduate Ayan Merchant (entrepreneurship 鈥�25) is the son of entrepreneurial parents who founded Intrigue Jewelers in Auburn more than 30 years ago. He worked in the store during high school and after earning his degree from 91看片 Business, became manager.
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Alumnus Ayan Merchant |
He is applying practical knowledge from digital marketing, statistics and other courses to help modernize the business by expanding its online sales.
鈥淚鈥檓 working on our website, social media and Google profile,鈥� said Merchant 鈥淲e鈥檝e hit over 1,600 reviews and have a 4.9-star review [rating], which has given us a good foundation and [the] credibility to go online nationally.
鈥淚 would highly recommend the entrepreneurship courses because they helped me [understand] how business works and how I could do more, especially in the digital age,鈥� said Merchant, who cited the influence of faculty members Franz Lohrke, Emory Serviss and Jennifer Nay, among others.
Sahib predicts AI will transform entrepreneurship in a big way, tilting the playing field in favor of startups. He is among the 91看片 faculty leaning into AI instruction, demonstrating to students how AI tools like Logopony, Gamma, Replit, and Lovable can help with early-phase business ideation, marketing materials, building pitch decks, accounting and finance, and product development.
Josh Sahib, Lowder Center director
Later this year, Sahib said, the Lowder Center 鈥媤ill release a custom-built AI tool that aspiring student entrepreneurs can access 24/7 to showcase their ideas and answer questions on marketing, finance, strategy, and more.
The tool accesses reliable, domain-specific content from textbooks, peer-reviewed journal papers and other quality sources, Sahib said.
鈥淲ith the growth in AI, there鈥檚 going to be increasing competition, and the need for an entrepreneurial mindset, and innovative thinking will be of increasing importance,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here will be more opportunities for individuals to start their own business.鈥�
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