About the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative

About Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Our Revolutionary Approach to Entrepreneurship and Innovation

We lead by example. This simple, yet fundamental part of Kellogg influences every aspect of our community, curriculum and culture.

For our programming in Entrepreneurship, Growth & Scaling and Corporate Innovation, that means that we’re constantly iterating our offerings to better serve Kellogg students and the broader startup and innovation community. In 2012, we introduced a fundamentally new program built on the foundation of the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice and guided by the vision of the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.

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60% of Kellogg students enroll in at least one entrepreneurship course

Student Engagement

Curriculum At-A-Glance

29 clubs and organizations supporting Kellogg entrepreneurship

Co-Curricular Support

315 mentors worked with Kellogg entrepreneurship students

Mentorship

An Innovative Approach to Experiential Learning

KIEI provides the support, resources and opportunities for students to develop strategies that cross every business function in order to innovate and drive meaningful growth. Some of our key programming includes curriculum-driven pathways that use experiential learning to guide students through the process of launching and scaling game-changing companies. Our track, “Discover. Test. Launch.,” represents a revolutionary approach to teaching entrepreneurship.

World-Class Faculty with Entrepreneurship Credentials

We invested in expanding our world-class faculty bench, adding leaders from the startup and innovation world that included serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, growth experts and innovators. Meanwhile, we expanded our reach within the larger startup community, establishing formal relationships with incubators and accelerators such as 1871, venture capital firms such as Pritzker Group Venture Capital and MATH Venture Partners, while also deepening our ties to schools and entrepreneurship organizations across Northwestern University to enable cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Mentorship Programs Focused on Startups and Experiential Opportunities

The addition of our Zell Fellows Program enable students to gain further mentorship, access seed capital and discover experiential opportunities by leveraging networking relationships within the programs.

To lead and guide our new mission, KIEI has added experienced leaders from the startup and innovation world and built deep relationships with key incubators, accelerators and venture capital firms, including 1871, Techstars, MATTER Chicago, Pritzker Group Venture Capital and MATH Venture Partners.

In 2016-17, we unveiled a winter quarter in San Francisco for students interested in continuing their studies while gaining course credit for working within a growth stage company or venture capital firm. This program equips students aimed at building careers within venture capital firms, or their portfolio companies.

Discover the game-changing, world-changing support KIEI provides entrepreneurs, builders, scalers and innovators throughout every stage of the business lifecycle.

This new chapter in the evolution of our program would not have been possible without the generosity of our donors.

Meet our Donors

Larry and Carol Levy

Larry Levy, a 1967 graduate of the Kellogg School, is the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Levy Restaurants.

In 2003, a generous endowment provided by Larry and Carol Levy enabled the establishment of the Levy Center for Entrepreneurship.

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Learn more about the Levy Institute

Matt McCall '92

Matt McCall is a Partner at Pritzker Group Venture Capital and a 1992 alumnus of Kellogg. As a venture capitalist, McCall has been involved with investments in companies across industry sectors, including healthcare, technology and entertainment.

He is recognized widely as a thought leader and has generously donated to support the success of Kellogg student ventures.

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Sam Zell

Sam Zell is the chairman of Equity Group Investments LLC, a Chicago-based investment firm.

In 2013, he established the Zell Fellows Program, a unique program that provides resources, mentoring and support to select entrepreneurs at Kellogg.

Learn about the Zell Fellows Program

Skip Heizer

Skip Heizer is the managing member of Heizer Capital LLC, a business development and investment company. He earned a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, and is the sponsor liaison for The Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital at Kellogg.

Skip is a highly sought-after advisor to numerous other private and public business.