ESCALATE

It's innovation. It's a constant craving for creation and discovery. It's using your skills to solve a problem and change the world.

Rose-Hulman students are filled with the entrepreneurial spirit. They are naturally curious and always pushing the boundaries of innovation. No matter where you are in your entrepreneurship journey, Rose-Hulman offers several opportunities to push your innovation to the next level, including living-learning communities, entrepreneurship clubs and societies, startup events, and academic coursework.

ESCALATE (Engineering Student Community Actively Learning About Technical Entrepreneurship) is a living-learning community designed for first-year students passionate about entrepreneurship. Participants take two foundational courses, Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Personal Finance, to develop essential business skills. The ESCALATE program prepares students with an entrepreneurial mindset, whether they are working in an existing company or starting a new venture. Students focus on identifying market opportunities, developing innovative solutions, and capturing value to build companies and industries.

RISE (Rose Innovative Student Entrepreneurship Club) is a student-run organization dedicated to fostering and educating Rose-Hulman students in entrepreneurship. RISE strives to empower students to make their ideas a reality by giving them the tools to start, refine, and realize the visions that will shape tomorrow. The club hosts educational workshops and a speaker series featuring influential leaders in technology and business. Members actively develop startups, driving innovation in fields such as artificial intelligence, electric mobility, and mental health.

Delta Rho Sigma is Rose-Hulman’s premier co-ed professional fraternity for entrepreneurship. Founded by student entrepreneurs seeking hands-on experience in the startup process, the organization encourages members to ideate, validate, create, and present their own startup projects with mentorship from senior students and a network of angel investors. Delta Rho Sigma emphasizes action, believing that the "do" comes first, and the "how" follows.

Entrepreneurial students are invited to participate in several campus events to cultivate leadership and entrepreneurship, including Startup Weekend and Engineerathon.

Startup Weekend occurs every fall quarter. It is a 54-hour event that kicks off on Friday night with a "pitch your idea" session and continues through Sunday when a panel of judges awards teams for their progress toward starting a company.

Started in 2025 by members of RISE, Engineerathon is a spring weekend event that culminates in two separate competitions: a Startup Pitch Competition and the Engineerathon Demo Competition. Students in the Startup Pitch Competition deliver pitches of their own early-stage startups to a panel of judges, while students in the Engineerathon Demo Competition work with clients to solve real industry problems.

Additionally, Rose-Hulman students may be invited to pitch their ideas at the annual Sawmill Society weekend for an opportunity for investment from the Sawmill Angel Network or a Sawmill Society Ventureship.

In a globally competitive environment, the need to rapidly transition from an innovative idea to a viable product necessitates that 21st century engineers and scientists think and act in an entrepreneurial manner. Students can complement their undergraduate technical education with a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies through the Department of Engineering Management. The five-course curriculum (20 credits) will introduce students to the fundamentals of an entrepreneurial mindset.