Fostering Student Innovation

Overview

The Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI) was formed to help undergraduate and graduate Yale students start scalable new ventures. While starting as a stand-alone 10-week summer program in 2007, YEI has since expanded into a year-round University department acting as a portal for entrepreneurship on campus and offering programs and events year round that serve the entrepreneurial interest of students and the New Haven community.

What makes YEI different?

Unique among our peer institutions, YEI is an innovative program that puts student ventures first. As a complement to more traditional academic programs which provide a conceptual understanding and related case studies of new venture formation, YEI exists to help students execute on their actual business plans. It bands together entrepreneurial students, select faculty and administrators with new venture experience, alumni from both industry and venture capital, and local established entrepreneurs.

• YEI has supported the formation and growth of over 35 student-founded ventures in the last two years
• Of those companies, 15 have raised a total of over $17 million of outside investment capital.