From Student to Tech Entrepreneur
For decades, the E-Ship Center has been a student operated hub for entrepreneurship on Eastern’s campus. Throughout the year, we offer a multitude of events and activities that promote an entrepreneurial mind and give students the opportunity to start their own businesses. Notable events include: the Eagles Startup Challenge, the BECU Black Entrepreneur Opportunity Fellows Program, and the Avista Entrepreneur Competition. Newly developed programs include the Technology and Commercialization Academy and the Ideation Lab. We continue to grow and give appreciation to our community partners and sponsors that make this program possible.
Do you have a business or product idea?
Spokane has been recognized as a emerging hot spot for new online businesses with fewer than 10 Employees. If you’re a student and have a mind for tech and business, apply for the “Technology Commercialization Academy (TCA) Today!”
E-Ship Center
Eagles Startup Challenge Participants Win Big
After getting their start at the EWU Center For Entrepreneurship, former Eagles Startup Challenge participants Amy Swanson, Lloyd Dees, and Cody Birkland, and their company, now called Ultropia, are reaching new heights. These EWU graduates have won the annual MIT Climate and Energy Prize, worth $100k, as well as UW’s 2022 GIX Innovation Competition for their environmentally-friendly, low-energy laundry technology. “They all got their start here at EWU in our E-Ship Center! We are very proud of them,” states Philip Appel, director of the EWU E-Ship Center. Learn More
Technology and Commercialization Academy (TCA)
We Have $72,500+ to Give Away!
It’s that time of year again! The application for the 2024-25 Eagles Startup Challenge is now open and we have a lot of money to give away. We want to help you launch and fund your own business. Apply by February 21, 2024, for your chance at a spot in the program, where you’ll learn from Spokane’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and compete against your peers in a fun environment. Apply Now Learn More
Ideation Lab
Do you have a business or product idea?
Spokane has been recognized as a emerging hot spot for new online businesses with fewer than 10 Employees. If you’re a student and have a mind for tech and business, apply for the “Technology Commercialization Academy (TCA) Today!”
Background and Accolades
In 2020, EWU was selected by the US Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) as the winner of the Model Emerging Entrepreneurship Program award. The award is presented every year to the top nominee in the world.
Later that same year, the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) selected the EWU center for Entrepreneurship as the Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Center. In receiving these coveted awards, EWU joins the likes of Florida State University, Brown, and Dartmouth. In winning both awards, we join Kansas State University as the only two who have accomplished this feat.
