ABOUT

THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP INNOVATION CENTER (EIC)

Entrepreneurship Education at the Cutting Edge

Bowie State University is proud to define the forefront of entrepreneurship education. We were among the first HBCUs to convene students, educators, and entrepreneurs with the goals of advancing entrepreneurship education and catalyzing generational wealth-building to close the racial wealth gap. As the demand for entrepreneurship education grows among HBCUs, we build on past successes to again present the leading entrepreneurship conference, offering a distinctive program with dynamic speakers, high-impact partnerships, and innovative content.

“Entrepreneurship at Bowie State University is about more than helping students to start new businesses and create new products. Our focus is developing a new way of thinking: an entrepreneurial mindset!”

Dr. Aminta H. Breaux
10th President, Bowie State University

ABOUT

the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center (EIC)
at Bowie State University

Bowie State University (BSU) is Maryland’s first historically Black public university (HBCU) of approximately 6,408 students centrally located in Bowie, Maryland, near Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis, Maryland. As of Fall 2024, BSU serves a student population of over 80% African American/Black and 16% other underrepresented minority students.

The BSU Entrepreneurship Innovation Center (EIC)  was established in April 2022 and reports to the Office of the Provost. The EIC serves as a hub for the entrepreneurial ecosystem on campus and for the wider community by providing experiential learning programs, entrepreneurship activities, and entrepreneurship-for-credit courses. Built in 2021, the EIC is housed in the state-of-the-art Entrepreneurship Living-Learning Community (ELLC), a $42 million state-of-the-art, mixed-use residential space housing more than 500 students, with technology-infused classrooms and public retail space.

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CONFERENCE LED BY ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXPERTISE

Johnetta Hardy

Conference Chair & Founder
Executive Director
Bowie State Entrepreneurship Innovation Center


Johnetta Hardy has created and led successful entrepreneurship initiatives and programs within higher education over the last two decades. Johnetta is a recognized thought leader in entrepreneurship education and, to date, has counseled over 3,000 businesses and helped secure over $25 million in loans and investments. In 2020, she launched Bowie State University’s HBCU Entrepreneurship Conference, and in 2021, she oversaw the opening of the $42 million Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community facility – the campus home of 500+ students, and Bowie State University’s Entrepreneurship Innovation Center.