Ideas Forged
The Venture Studio at Franke Honors is focused on developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem geared toward the highly diverse, knowledgeable and creative Franke Honors students. Offering a broad set of activities that are designed to develop the critical mindset and toolset of an entrepreneur.
What if your boldest ideas weren’t left for “someday”? What if college wasn’t just about preparing for a future someone else defined but becoming the kind of person who defines it yourself?
That’s the spirit behind the The Venture Studio at Franke Honors — an initiative designed for students who want to explore, build, and lead. Whether you’re intrigued by entrepreneurship, passionate about applying this mindset broadly, or simply wired to think differently, this is your launch point.
The Venture Studio is more than a program. It’s a mindset. A community. A creative space where students from across academic disciplines come together to take risks, test ideas, and build ventures that matter. Some students come with a startup dream, others with just a curiosity. All are welcome and all will leave with something more.
The Launch Pad is the heart of the Venture Studio experience — a flexible, tiered ecosystem designed to meet students wherever they are in their entrepreneurial development. Whether you’re sampling your first workshop or building a full startup foundation, the three Studios offer both structure and choice.
Studio 1.0: The Foundational Mindset
Before you can build something new, you must think differently. Studio 1.0 cultivates the inner architecture of entrepreneurship — resilience, adaptability, and clarity of perspective. Through interactive sessions and reflective prompts, students learn how to navigate ambiguity, embrace feedback, and reframe failure as fuel.
Studio 2.0: The Founder's Toolbox
Every venture starts with an idea, but it grows with skills. Studio 2.0 helps students build confidence and communication savvy to turn concepts into compelling narratives. From pitching and ideation to networking and customer discovery, this studio equips students with the essential tools of startup navigation.
Studio 3.0: The Startup Canvas
This is where ideas take shape. Studio 3.0 guides students through the strategic mechanics of defining a value proposition, mapping markets, analyzing competitors, and developing a clear plan to move from vision to execution. Students can also opt into independent study credit and receive formal mentoring.
Begin Your Entrepreneurial Journey Today
