Entrepreneurship at Drexel University

Drexel shares Philadelphia's University City neighborhood with Penn and sits at the center of what has become a genuine innovation district. The Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship is one of the few standalone entrepreneurship schools in the country, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees specifically in entrepreneurship. This is not an entrepreneurship minor or concentration - it is a full school dedicated to producing founders and innovators. The co-op program, which places students in six-month paid work experiences (similar to Northeastern's), gives Drexel students practical operational experience that translates directly to startup founding.

The Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship runs Drexel's incubation programs, including the Innovation Fund for early-stage ventures and connections to the broader Philadelphia ecosystem. The proximity to the Science Center (the oldest urban science park in the US) and the Pennovation Center gives Drexel students access to shared lab space, maker facilities, and a community of startups and researchers. Drexel's engineering programs, particularly in biomedical engineering and materials science, create technical foundations for healthtech and deep tech startups.

Drexel's value proposition for aspiring founders is practical and economic: a top-tier entrepreneurship education with co-op experience at a price point that is more accessible than Ivy League alternatives, in a city with growing startup infrastructure and lower costs than New York or Boston.

Drexel student founders in 2026 benefit from the Close School's dedicated entrepreneurship curriculum and the co-op program's practical experience. The annual Drexel Startup Fest brings the campus community together around entrepreneurship, and the Baiada Institute's mentorship network connects students with Philadelphia's growing startup community.

The practical advantage is the combination of formal entrepreneurship education (through the Close School), operational experience (through co-ops), and proximity to University City's innovation resources. Philadelphia's lower cost of living than NYC or Boston means Drexel founders can stretch their resources further in the early stages.

• Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship
• Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship
• LeBow College of Business - entrepreneurship programs
• Co-op program with startup placements

• Baiada Institute - Innovation Fund and incubation
• ExCITe Center - interdisciplinary research and innovation
• Science Center (shared with Penn and other institutions)

• Drexel Entrepreneurs
• Drexel Venture Fund
• Startup Fest organizing committee
• Dragon Fund (student investment)

• Comcast (Ralph Roberts)
• Tasty Baking Company (Philip J. Baur)
• Liberty Property Trust (Willard Rouse)
• SAP National Security Services

Drexel founders benefit from Philadelphia's University City innovation district, where the concentration of universities, hospitals, and research institutions creates a dense ecosystem for startup activity. The Science Center, the oldest urban science park in the US, provides infrastructure that individual universities cannot match. First Round Capital's Philadelphia presence brings top-tier seed-stage expertise locally, and the broader Philadelphia startup scene has grown in healthtech, edtech, and enterprise software. For Drexel founders, the combination of the Close School's entrepreneurship education, co-op experience, and University City resources creates a practical path to startup founding that emphasizes execution over theory.

Philadelphia's University City is a growing innovation district. Drexel shares the neighborhood with Penn, the Science Center, and a cluster of health and tech companies. First Round Capital is headquartered in Philadelphia.