Welcome to the VSU Center for Entrepreneurship

We are a university-based, small business training and resources hub committed to providing high-quality education and services that spur innovation and economic opportunity among diverse groups.

Entrepreneurship & Economic Opportunity for All

We have a specific emphasis on assisting Central & Eastern Virginia's large minority, veteran, and student populations with launching and operating successful, socially-responsible ventures that lead to economic growth for the regions we serve.

The Minority Small Business Launch Center

We proudly administer the GO Virginia-funded Minority Small Business Launch Center, an entrepreneurship pre-accelerator committed to increasing the number and percentage of minority-owned firms that launch, survive and positively contribute to a successful and innovative Virginia economy for years to come.

Our Educational Programs, Training & Services

The Reginald F. Lewis College of Business offers an 18-credit hour minor in Entrepreneurship for college students developed and taught by Center faculty. The Center offers certification programs, fall and spring small business training, student internships and summer camps, and small business resources with regional entrepreneurship support organization partners.


THE MINORITY SMALL BUSINESS LAUNCH CENTER

Powered by the VSU Center for Entrepreneurship in the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business at Virginia State University

MINORITY SMALL BUSINESS LAUCH CENTER GOALS

We've helped hundreds of students and community entrepreneurs through this program.
We intend to help hundreds more.
Our initial 2-year goals were to accomplish the following:

100

Certifications Awarded

300

Entrepreneurs Trained

2496

Training Contact Hours

40

Businesses Founded

5

Patent Applications

10

New Products Released

90%

of Participants Who Believe We Helped Their Business

40

Businesses Expanded

WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR VIA THE PROGRAM 

(JULY 2021-JANUARY 2024; LAST UPDATED 1/24/24)

410

CERTIFICATIONS

1,211

ENTREPRENEURS TRAINED

28,708.4 

TRAINING CONTACT HOURS

244

BUSINESSes FOUNDED (*FOUNDED BETWEEN JULY 2021 AND JAN. 2024)

6

patent/TRADEMARK applications

244

new products released

93.55%

% OF PARTICIPANT RESPONDENTS SURVEYED WHO BELIEVE WE'VE HELPED THEM

968

BUSINESS EXPANDED

WHAT OUR CENTER OFFERS

To increase the self-employment rate of minorities and the performance of early stage minority-led firms in Region 4, Virginia State University’s VSU Center for Entrepreneurship and the Division of Research and Economic Development have created a Minority Small Business Launch Center (SBLC) that provides a comprehensive suite of entrepreneurship-facilitating resources and supportive services including:

STUDENT & FACULTY-LED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Our program gives participants access to business support in key functional areas: marketing-planning, financial statement development, business plan writing, and social media to enable firms to save money on these services and survive their first 1-5 years.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP LAUNCH AND GROWTH CERTIFICATION TRAINING 

Our program provides access to two certification programs—(1) “Small Business Launch,” an accredited-college, credit-bearing certification course offered by Virginia State University; and (2) the MBL Entrepreneur Certificate course powered by Start-Up Virginia.

ACCESS TO CO-WORKING SPACE

Participants in our program have access to three sites for co-working space: 1) VSU’s state of the art Center for Entrepreneurship, which will largely serve student, faculty and alumni entrepreneurs, and is open to the public by appointment. 2) MBL’s City Point Innovation Center, a 5000-square foot entrepreneurship resource center launched this year resulting from collaborative efforts with the City of Petersburg, corporate, and government partners to serve entrepreneurs in the southern Richmond MSA and Tri-Cities areas.

INVESTOR, VENTURE CAPITAL, AND BANK FUNDING TRAINING

Our program partners with Lighthouse Labs, and the SBA to offer training sessions for entrepreneurs on identifying and securing investors, venture capital, and commercial funding.

REGIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP NETWORKING EVENTS 

VSU will host regional networking sessions featuring entrepreneurship support organizations and chambers to facilitate program participants connecting with resource partners and other entrepreneurs to build partnerships and grow their businesses.

TRAINING ON HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH VIRGINIA AND NAVIGATE SBA PROGRAMS 

VSU will host government agency entrepreneurship resource training sessions where representatives from the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity and the Small Business Administration will train participants on how to access state and federal government resources.

ATTORNEY-LED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION WORKSHOPS & LEGAL BUSINESS FORMATION COUNSELING

Jordan IP Law will provide entrepreneurs with intellectual property workshops over two years focused on when and how to obtain patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
Edmonds Law, PC & Expert Legal will provide entrepreneurs with counseling on business formation over two years to help under-resourced firms overcome costs associated with incorporation or forming LLC’s and enable them to establish structures that better protect entrepreneur assets. 

COLLEGE STUDENT INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP FELLOWSHIPS & CONSULTANCIES 

Metrostar will provide innovation internships for high potential VSU student entrepreneurs. VSU’s College of Business offers small business consultancies through our Small Business Consulting and Global Entrepreneurship Consulting courses for student entrepreneurs through which they can gain hands-on training working with small businesses on core aspects of operations.

HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMS 

VSU will provide summer youth entrepreneurship training for minority high school students with match funds provided by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and partner with Girls for a Change for our "CEO to Be" Summer Youth entrepreneurship immersion camp where urban youth get hands on experiential learning in entrepreneurship for one week.

MEMBERSHIPS TO REGIONAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND ENTREPRENEUR PEER MENTORSHIP

Our program works with regional trade associations and chambers of commerce, including the Metropolitan Business League (MBL), the Central Virginia African American Chamber and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to provide reduced-fee memberships to our program participants for two years. 

PITCH COMPETITIONS TO GIVE ENTREPRENEURS THE CHANCE TO WIN SEED AND EXPANSION CAPITAL

VSU will sponsor pitch competitions to provide certified/trained participants with the opportunity to compete for seed funding for their businesses.

SCHEDULED ACCESS TO MAKER SPACE

VSU will allow participants to use product concept development technology, including 3-D printers, for prototyping during secheduled time in the VSU Center for Entrepreneurship.

For a detailed summary of our program, please select the button on the right. You will be able to download a detailed executive summary of the Minority Small Business Launch Center submitted to GO VA.

Are you interested
in enrolling in our programming

Fill out the Admissions Form at the link below. Training programs are scheduled to start in the Fall and Spring semesters. 


THE VSU CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP & 
THE MINORITY SMALL BUSINESS LAUNCH CENTER PROGRAM

Reginald F. Lewis College of Business
Virginia State University
1 Hayden Drive, Singleton Hall
Petersburg, VA 23806

(804) 504-7080

pperry-rivers@vsu.edu