Wesleyan’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of 3 C’s: Classes, Community, and Capital
Wesleyan University’s entrepreneurial scene is growing faster than ever, driven by students, faculty, and alumni. These communities are working together to ensure an ecosystem where founders no longer have to choose between passion and academics. Through a deliberate focus on classes, community, and capital, Wesleyan is creating a pathway that helps students take ventures from idea to impact. What was once a loose collection of clubs and initiatives has evolved into a coordinated, university-backed network that integrates entrepreneurial learning into the liberal arts tradition.
Starting with classes coming up in the spring, Wesleyan is rapidly formalizing entrepreneurship education. Professor Rosemary Ostfeld, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Environmental Studies and founder of Healthy PlanEat, will debut CSPL 249: Startup Accelerator: The Art and Science of Growing Your Idea in the spring of 2026. The course “brings together an ambitious, committed, and diverse group of individuals” to continue developing their ventures through work on minimum viable products (MVPs), marketing, and pitching their ideas to larger audiences (Wesleyan University 2025). This class builds on Professor Ostfeld’s Fall course, CSPL 239: Startup Incubator: The Art and Science of Launching Your Idea, which blends entrepreneurial theory with hands-on practice. The incubator course offers “a combination of a college class and a rigorous startup incubator program,” designed for students serious about testing and validating their business ideas (Wesleyan University 2025). Together, the incubator and accelerator courses form a two-part academic pipeline that allows students to progress from idea formation to growth and scaling under the mentorship of experienced faculty.
Another major addition to the PCE is the arrival of Marisa MacClary ’94 (P’28), Wesleyan’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence and a former CEO and co-founder of the healthcare technology company Artifact Health. Her new course, CSPL341G: Applied Entrepreneurship: From Idea to Exit, will guide students through the full venture lifecycle, from identifying opportunities and shaping ideas to launching, scaling, and eventually exiting a business. The course promises to equip students with “the mindset and skillset not only to build ventures, but also to bring entrepreneurial approaches to established businesses, nonprofits, and beyond” (Wesleyan University 2025). Complementing these for-credit offerings is the return of the popular student forum CSPL 420: Wesleyan Shark Tank: The Art of the Pitch, co-taught last spring by Ben Carbeau and Michael Astorino. The course culminated in a live pitch event modeled after the television show Shark Tank, featuring judges Strauss Zelnick ’79, Stuart Ellman ’88, Marisa MacClary ’94, Josh Goldin ’00, Olayinka Lawal ’15, A.J. Wilson Jr. ’18, and Rodger Desai (Wesleyan Argus 2025). This coming spring, Astorino will co-teach the forum with Palmer Zarzycki, a former student in the class who pitched his own venture, Perfect Beach Day NJ. Previously, students were able to get involved with the Patricelli Center, but the course offerings were limited to Professor Ahmed Badr’s CSPL 252 Leadership & Social Innovation: Patricelli Center Impact Fellowship class and Professor Ostfeld’s Startup Incubator class. Wesleyan’s expanding course catalog—pairing classroom instruction with live pitch experience and mentorship—demonstrates a commitment to turning entrepreneurial curiosity into academic rigor.
A thriving ecosystem, however, requires more than coursework; it needs a strong, interconnected community. At Wesleyan, that sense of community is anchored by the Wesleyan Entrepreneurship Club (WEC), the central hub for student innovation and collaboration. Under the leadership of Michael Astorino, the club has broadened its impact by hosting alumni speakers, facilitating mentorship, and organizing weekly “Startup Table” meetings—informal gatherings that allow students to share ideas, discuss progress, and exchange feedback. These meetings are often organized around themes such as women in entrepreneurship and social impact ventures, giving students new entry points into the entrepreneurial conversation. They have become an integral space for connection, offering peer-to-peer learning in an atmosphere that mirrors real-world startup culture. Wesleyan’s Entrepreneurship Club has seen a massive resurgence in popularity after previously being known as Kai Wes. Kai Wes was “a completely student-run 501(c)(3) non-profit” that served as Wesleyan’s previous entrepreneurship hub for students (Kai Wes, n.d.). Unfortunately, Kai Wes lacked continuity, and as student interest waned and succession planning faltered, Kai Wes fell out of the spotlight. After being restarted by Wesley Tan and Zachary Berkenkotter and rebranded as the Wesleyan Entrepreneurship Club, their focus on identifying and equipping the next generation of student leaders and entrepreneurs is unparalleled.
Beyond the student club, the Patricelli Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) serves as the institutional heart of Wesleyan’s entrepreneurial network. During Parents and Family Weekend in October, the center held a rededication ceremony to mark its new name, transitioning from the “Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship” to the broader “Patricelli Center for Entrepreneurship.” The ceremony featured Bob Patricelli ’61, P’88, ’90, trustee emeritus and namesake of the center; Sasha Chanoff ’94, founder and CEO of RefugePoint; and Phoebe Boyer ’89, P’19, ’23, president and CEO of the Children’s Aid Society and chair of Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees (Wesleyan University 2025 Parents and Family Weekend Event). The center’s programming reflects its expanding mission, with recent events including “A Conversation with Yancey Strickler, Co-Founder of Kickstarter,” a workshop titled “How to Identify a Good Business Idea” with Professor MacClary, and a talk with Cynthia Santiago ’07, an entrepreneur and immigration lawyer. Together, these initiatives have strengthened ties among students, alumni, and faculty, ensuring that Wesleyan’s entrepreneurial community extends beyond campus boundaries. While student energy can fluctuate year to year, the university’s growing infrastructure ensures that this momentum becomes a sustainable, long-term feature of Wesleyan life.
No entrepreneurial ecosystem can thrive without capital, and the Patricelli Center is Wesleyan’s financial engine for student innovation. The center’s New Venture Awards (NVA) grants $6,000 each year to several top student ventures, providing crucial early-stage funding. Alongside the NVAs are smaller grants and the Experience Fund, which offers up to $1,000 for students to attend conferences, pitch competitions, and entrepreneurial events (Wesleyan University n.d.). This tiered funding structure enables Wesleyan to support students at different stages of their venture development—from early experimentation to formal launch. Astorino has played a significant role in aligning the Shark Tank forum with the NVA cycle, creating a pipeline where ventures can transition from classroom pitch to funded project. He has also helped secure additional non-dilutive funding from alumni donors, allowing student entrepreneurs to receive capital without sacrificing ownership of their companies. Wesleyan’s non-dilutive and mentorship-focused model is uniquely suited to the needs of early-stage founders. The university’s emphasis on sustainable funding, peer collaboration, and intellectual rigor provides a strong foundation for student ventures to grow.
The real shift at Wesleyan isn’t just the addition of new courses or funding streams, but rather the growing idea that students can build something meaningful while they’re here. The combination of academic structure, peer-driven community, and accessible capital is creating an environment where ideas don’t disappear after a semester. Leaders like Michael Astorino have helped stitch these pieces together to build a grounded and sustainable environment. If this trajectory continues, Wesleyan won’t just support student founders; it will shape the kind of entrepreneurial culture that reflects the values of a liberal arts institution: critical thinking, collaboration, and student-centered education.
References
Wesleyan University. (2025). CSPL 249: Startup Accelerator: The Art and Science of Growing Your Idea. WesMaps. https://owaprod-pub.wesleyan.edu/reg/!wesmaps_page.html?stuid=&crse=017896&term=1261
Wesleyan University. (2025). CSPL 239: Startup Incubator: The Art and Science of Launching Your Idea. WesMaps. https://owaprod-pub.wesleyan.edu/reg/!wesmaps_page.html?stuid=&crse=015370&term=1259
Wesleyan University. (2025, October). CSPL 341G: Applied Entrepreneurship: From Idea to Exit. WesMaps.
https://owaprod-pub.wesleyan.edu/reg/!wesmaps_page.html?stuid=&crse=018051&term=1261The Wesleyan Argus. (2025, April 29). Students Present Ventures to Investors in Packed Inaugural Shark Tank Event. https://wesleyanargus.com/2025/04/29/students-present-ventures-to-investors-in-packed-inaugural-shark-tank-event/
Kai Wes. (n.d.). About. https://www.kaiwes.com/about-1
Wesleyan University. (n.d.). Patricelli Center Grants. https://www.wesleyan.edu/patricelli/grants/
Wesleyan University. (2025). Parents and Family Weekend: Rededication of the Patricelli Center for Entrepreneurship.https://wesleyanaq.my.site.com/s/event-detail?eventId=a35PX000000blBF