The McNair Institute’s Carolina Entrepreneurship Fellows is a competitive program bringing together student leaders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in learning and service to further their knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship!

Each semester, the McNair Institute selects between 10 and 15 student leaders and founders at Carolina to join a select cohort with exclusive access to opportunities and programming to learn from and contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Carolina Entrepreneurship Fellows will:

• Be invited to Three Exclusive Lunch and Learns with entrepreneurs and leaders in the wider South Carolina entrepreneurial ecosystem;
  • These will take place at 2:30 pm on September 26^th, October 17^th, and November 21^st. Lunch will be served. Location TBD.
• Invited to the first day of the Fall 2025 Intercampus Alliance for Entrepreneurship Retreat on November 6^th from 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm at USC Upstate.
  • This first day is a half day tour of the Upstate’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with opportunities to interact with ecosystem leaders and entrepreneurs.
• Receive Beyond the Classroom credit on completion of the requirements of the Program.
• Other ad-hoc opportunities and programming.

Requirements Include:

• Contribute at least 25 hours to the Carolina Entrepreneurship Ecosystem by:
  • Serving in a leadership position in a relevant student organization;
  • Attending or volunteering at local entrepreneurial ecosystem events; or
  • Actively working on a student-led entrepreneurial venture;
• Attend at least two Carolina Entrepreneurship Fellows Lunch and Learn Events;
• Advise the McNair Institute on the interest and needs of students in the Carolina entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Fellows will be responsible for tracking their hours over the course of the semester, and submitting a report through Blackboard at the end of the semester that includes each instance of ecosystem engagement or service, the number of hours each instance lasted, and a description of the instance. Total engagement and service time must total to at least 25 hours.

In addition, Fellows will be asked to submit a two-page, double spaced reflection on their involvement in the entrepreneurial ecosystem over the past semester, and how they grew through their time involved with the Carolina Entrepreneurship Fellows.

Please see the link to the application here.

Contact Sean Powers at sppowers@mailbox.sc.edu if you have questions about the program or the application.