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Dedicated Resources for Students

Some Northwestern students are eager for a taste of the entrepreneurial adventure. The University offers a variety of resources just for students, including The Garage, our hub for student entrepreneurship to NUseeds, a multi-million dollar VC fund to boost promising early-stage ventures. Explore options for student entrepreneurs.

The Garage

The Garage is a cross-disciplinary space designed for all Northwestern students to explore innovation and entrepreneurship through resident and non-resident programs. Non-resident programs include workshops and courses to help get ideas forming.

family dinner

Residency Program

Resident programs focus on honing ventures in a period of 3-4 months. The Garage Residency Program is an opportunity for student teams, both undergraduate and graduate, to be core members of The Garage’s entrepreneurial community. Resident teams use The Garage as their office and receive special privileges like 24/7 access, a weekly Family Dinner and priority for office hours with mentors. Ideas can be for-profit or not-for-profit, hardware or software, commercial products or artistic endeavors—anything that requires bringing a new idea to fruition. 
See all Student Opportunities
VR at The Garage

Space and equipment

The Garage offers a variety of labs in addition to maker and hacker equipment. The AR/VR Lab features the Oculus Rift, Microsoft HoloLens, and HTC Vive. All students, faculty and staff of Northwestern are welcome to visit during staffed hours. The last demo ends 15 minutes before the end of each shift. The Prototyping Lab (open to Garage Residents only) is equipped with Formlabs Form 2 3D printers, Makerbot Replicators, woodworking equipment, an electronics workbench, Carveys, a sewing machine, and vinyl cutter. 
Explore Garage Spaces

Educational opportunities

Find hands on training in and out of the classroom.

Funding

Students can find funding for their ventures through competitions that include:

  • NUseeds, a Northwestern investment fund is intended to accelerate the successful launch of innovations from NU students and finance the most promising early-stage student ventures. Nuseeds invests a standard $100,000 in 1-3 companies per year.  Investable companies include founders who have graduated from a degree-seeking Northwestern program in the past 2 years and participated in at least one program at The Garage/VentureCat while they were a Northwestern student.
  • VentureCat, is a Northwestern business plan competition that provides mentorship and early stage capital for student startups.
  • Other business plan competitions are available, and many are listed on the Kellogg website. Funding for expenses related to travel to business plan competitions is available for current Kellogg students.

More startup essentials

The Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center

Legal Assistance

The Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center, a clinical program affiliated with the Bluhm Legal Clinic provides legal services to entrepreneurs focusing on job creation and economic development in the Chicago area.

Visit their website to submit a client request, which is typically considered in June, August, and December. The Entrepreneurship Law Center charges fees for services which vary based on the time and complexity of work involved. Call (312) 503-3420 for more information.

Work Space

In addition to The Garage, Northwestern students can use:

  • MATTER, a community of healthcare entrepreneurs and industry leaders working together in a shared space to individually and collectively fuel the future of healthcare innovation.
  • mHUB, a co-working space for hardware entrepreneurs and makers in Chicago. It is also a growing community focused on development, manufacturing and commercialization of electronic and IoT devices, and other physical products.
  • Segal Prototyping and Fabrication Lab, located in the basement and sub-basement of the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center, is available for student use in support of their educational project work. The lab is staffed by lab professionals and student lab leaders who are skilled in the equipment and processes necessary for the execution of project designs.
Group of Students from Northwestern at 1871, a co-working center for digital startups.
the garage

Mentoring

Take advantage of Entrepreneur-in-Residence at The Garage. EIRs are experienced entrepreneurs who are available to members of The Garage. EIRs serve as a great resource for developing business concepts, making contacts with the market, connecting to investors, and sorting through founder and team issues.

Contact The Garage for more information.