Entrepreneurship at Temple University

Temple University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) at the Fox School of Business has consistently been ranked among the top entrepreneurship programs in the country by Princeton Review and U.S. News. What makes Temple remarkable is that this level of entrepreneurship education is available at a public university price point - Temple offers one of the best value propositions in entrepreneurship education in the country. The Fox School's approach emphasizes real-world application: students work with actual startups, participate in consulting projects, and develop business plans for ventures they intend to launch.

The IEI runs the Be Your Own Boss Bowl, one of the largest university pitch competitions in the Philadelphia region, along with mentor programs and venture support. Temple's location in North Philadelphia places it in a community with real economic challenges, which has led to a strong emphasis on community-oriented entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Students who learn to build businesses that serve underresourced communities develop skills in customer discovery, unit economics, and value creation that translate to any market.

Temple's scale (nearly 40,000 students) means a large pool of potential co-founders across diverse disciplines, and the university's alumni network in the Philadelphia business community provides valuable connections for early-stage ventures. The Fox School's SBDC (Small Business Development Center) also provides free consulting to startups in the region, creating additional real-world learning opportunities for students.

Temple student founders in 2026 have access to the full Philadelphia startup ecosystem at a public university price point. The IEI's programs provide structured support, and the Be Your Own Boss Bowl competition provides funding and visibility. Temple's emphasis on community entrepreneurship means graduates are often skilled at building businesses in challenging markets.

The practical advantage is value: Temple students get strong entrepreneurship training without the debt burden of private universities, giving them more financial freedom to take the startup risk after graduation.

• Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (Fox School)
• Fox School of Business - entrepreneurship concentration
• Be Your Own Boss Bowl - pitch competition
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

• Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute - venture support
• Temple SBDC - free startup consulting
• Fox Management Consulting - student consulting for startups

• Temple Entrepreneurship Club
• Fox Venture Fund
• Owls Startup
• Temple TechCAMP

• Comcast (co-founder)
• Boscov's (Albert Boscov)
• Aramark (Dave Davidson)
• Urban Outfitters (Richard Hayne)

Temple founders access Philadelphia's startup ecosystem with the advantage of a public university cost structure. The city's growing healthtech and edtech scenes align well with Temple's strengths in healthcare education and its community engagement mission. North Philadelphia's economic challenges have also produced Temple founders who are skilled at building businesses with lean resources and real community impact. The SBDC connection means Temple students gain experience advising real businesses, building practical skills that many business school programs only teach theoretically. For founders who want strong entrepreneurship training without the financial burden of a private university, Temple offers one of the best value propositions in the country.

Philadelphia has a growing startup scene, strong in healthtech, edtech, and enterprise software. Temple benefits from the broader University City ecosystem and First Round Capital's local presence.