Entrepreneurship at Howard University

Howard University occupies a unique and critically important position in the American entrepreneurship landscape. As the most prestigious historically Black university in the country, Howard produces Black founders and business leaders at a rate that no other institution can match. The significance of this cannot be overstated: Black founders receive roughly 1% of VC funding despite representing 14% of the US population, and Howard is one of the most important institutions working to change that statistic. The Howard University SBDC (Small Business Development Center) provides free business consulting and startup support, and the School of Business has invested in entrepreneurship curriculum and programming.

The Center for Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship coordinates campus-wide programs, and the annual Howard University Business Plan Competition provides funding and visibility for student ventures. Howard's strengths in communications (Cathy Hughes, founder of Radio One, studied at Howard), law, medicine, and liberal arts create founders who combine domain expertise with the communication and leadership skills that are essential for building companies. The university's alumni network is arguably the most powerful professional network in Black America, providing warm introductions and mentorship that are invaluable for founders from underrepresented backgrounds.

Howard's DC location provides the same govtech and policy advantages that Georgetown and GWU enjoy, but with the additional focus on serving communities that have historically been excluded from the tech economy. Howard founders building in fintech (serving underbanked communities), healthtech (addressing health disparities), edtech (expanding educational access), and civic tech (empowering civic participation) bring both domain expertise and lived experience that creates genuinely differentiated products.

Howard student founders in 2026 are benefiting from growing national attention to the underfunding of Black founders and HBCUs. Major tech companies (Google, Apple, Amazon) have made significant investments in HBCU partnerships and recruiting, and VC firms like Harlem Capital, Precursor Ventures, and Backstage Capital specifically focus on underrepresented founders. This means Howard founders have access to a dedicated investor network that actively seeks them out.

The practical advantage is the combination of Howard's prestige, the DC location, the alumni network, and the growing ecosystem of investors focused on diversity in tech. The challenge remains that the overall infrastructure for entrepreneurship at HBCUs is historically underfunded compared to peer institutions, but Howard is leading the effort to close that gap.

• Center for Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Howard University SBDC (Small Business Development Center)
• School of Business - entrepreneurship curriculum
• Howard University Business Plan Competition

• Howard University SBDC - free startup consulting
• Howard Innovation Lab
• DC I-Corps (partnership)

• Howard Entrepreneurship Society
• Bison Tech Club
• Howard Venture Capital Interest Group
• Howard Innovation Club

• Radio One/Urban One (Cathy Hughes)
• ActOne Group (Janice Bryant Howroyd)
• BET (Robert L. Johnson)
• Partpic (Jewel Burks Solomon - acquired by Amazon)

Howard founders operate in DC's growing tech ecosystem with the unique advantage of the HBCU network and growing investor focus on underrepresented founders. Harlem Capital (which has raised hundreds of millions specifically to invest in diverse founders), Precursor Ventures, Backstage Capital, and Google's Black Founders Fund all actively seek Howard-affiliated founders. Major corporations have invested in HBCU partnerships that provide internships, mentorship, and technology resources. The Freedman's Bank Forum (a Howard-affiliated financial inclusion initiative) and the university's proximity to federal agencies create additional opportunities in fintech, civic tech, and policy innovation. For Howard founders, the path to success increasingly includes dedicated investor networks and corporate partnerships that recognize the value of diverse perspectives in entrepreneurship. The university's mission-driven culture also produces founders who are building products that serve communities traditionally overlooked by Silicon Valley.

DC is a growing tech hub, and Howard's position as the premier HBCU provides unique access to diversity-focused VC funds, corporate partnerships, and government programs supporting minority entrepreneurs.