Ecosystem gives students an entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset no matter their career path
Northwestern’s entrepreneurship ecosystem rests on the three pillars of The Garage, the Farley Center and Kellogg Entrepreneurship where students make connections and discoveries all over campus in labs and classrooms, at networking events and competitions. Photo by Kitty Clark
Northwestern University has been named the 2026 Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence, recognizing the strength and impact of its entrepreneurial ecosystem and its commitment to helping students and other community members turn ideas into ventures.
The award, presented recently by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) at its annual conference in Tallahassee, Florida, recognizes Northwestern’s integrated approach to student entrepreneurship. Central to that ecosystem are the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, The Garage and Kellogg Entrepreneurship, which together support founders and innovators across disciplines and stages of development.
Hayes Ferguson, endowed director of the Farley Center and a clinical professor in the McCormick School of Engineering, and Mike Raab, executive director of The Garage, accepted the award on behalf of the University.
“Northwestern’s entrepreneurial community has grown significantly in the last decade as risk-taking and enterprise-creation have become part of our faculty and students’ pursuit of excellence,” Northwestern President Mung Chiang said. “This recognition reflects the work of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, mentors and partners, as well as all the entrepreneurship teams across the University that create pathways for innovators to build, test and grow.”
Together, Farley, The Garage and Kellogg create a continuum that supports Northwestern student entrepreneurs from early exploration to venture launch and growth. The ecosystem also strengthens connections among business, engineering, science, design and other fields, helping entrepreneurs move ideas from concept to impact. Together with the Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurial Law Center, they host the annual student startup competition, VentureCat.
“This award means Northwestern’s entrepreneurship efforts have been recognized by its peers as the best in the world,” said Jeff Reid, founding director of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative and member of the Executive Advisory Board of the GCEC.
Read more about innovation and entrepreneurship at Northwestern.
