Entrepreneurship on the Heights

At the Keenan Center, you'll get one-on-one mentorship with experienced business professionals, real-world experience and support from fellow entrepreneurs. Who knows? Your idea could receive funding in our annual Dolphin Tank competition.

Our coaching model is designed to support both student and community entrepreneurs through a range of resources and hands-on guidance. Student business coaching offers support for student-run ventures, including interactive workshops, one-on-one coaching, and access to funding opportunities. Community business mentoring extends this support by providing a collaborative space where student and community entrepreneurs can connect with mentors, build networks, and access the tools they need to grow and succeed.

Each year, the Keenan Center hosts the Dolphin Tank competition—an exciting showcase of student innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. The event brings together business leaders, educators, and community partners from across the region to share ideas, build connections, and support the next generation of changemakers. Ten student entrepreneurs pitch their ventures to ten sponsors, representing regional, national, and global firms. Each sponsor contributes $5,000, putting $50,000 in real startup funding on the line. To date, more than 35 businesses have launched from the Tank—and many are still growing strong.

Your undergraduate major with a minor in entrepreneurship from the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity in the heart of the Madden College of Business and Economics will take your big idea to big rewards.

Keenan Innovators is an after-school program for 6th to 8th graders. Through hands-on projects and guided mentorship, students learn how to take an idea from concept to reality, building creative thinking, problem-solving, and project management skills along the way. Whether they’re engineering a gadget, launching a YouTube channel, designing custom apparel, or dreaming up something entirely new, Keenan Innovators gives them the tools, support, and space to explore, create, and bring their ideas to life.

The Keenan Center is helping lead the way in Upstate New York’s rapidly growing drone economy. Through partnerships with NUAIR, GENIUS NY, and the Onondaga Environmental Institute, the Center supports workforce development, drone pilot certification, and advanced prototyping. Recent initiatives include topographical mapping for environmental research and preparing students for careers in this cutting-edge field. With 45 students currently enrolled in drone programs, the Keenan Center is actively shaping the future of drone technology and innovation.