J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Entrepreneurship Program

Video Transcript

[00:00] (Patrick J. Murphy, Goodrich Chair, Professor) In 2020, UAB launched several significant entrepreneurship initiatives, including an Undergraduate Entrepreneurship major, the fourth one in Alabama and the first one in the University of Alabama system. Our entrepreneurship program puts the entrepreneurial mindset, meaningful outreach projects, and external impact at the heart of the UAB student educational experience.

[00:24] (Dr. Eric Jack) Here in the Collat School of Business we’re very proud of our entrepreneurship program as part of our 2025 strategic plan. With some 35 students already enrolled in the new major in entrepreneurship we have positively impacted this Birmingham community and we’re proud of our program.

[00:43] (Matthew Graben, graduate of the program) I took a break from college for several years but I came back to finish my degree because of UAB’s new Entrepreneurship major. The entrepreneurship classes in that program completely transformed how I see my future. When I started university, I couldn’t see how the things we talked about in the class could help me accomplish my goals. I’m a very entrepreneurial person, and this program gave me a context for succeeding in my career.

[01:05] (Yawa-Grace Emmanuelle Dapa, program alumna) My entrepreneurship class we had students from the medical school in it and we had we had professional and experienced students from many different areas all in the class. We were all learning about entrepreneurship so that eventually we could launch our new ventures in our respective fields.

[01:23] (Ashlee Ammons, co-founder/president of Mixtroz) When my mom, my co-founder, and I got to Birmingham just a few years ago, the entrepreneurial ecosystem was just starting to pick up steam. UAB had a big town hall meeting for the launch of the entrepreneurship program in early 2019 and hundreds of people came out. We spoke at that meeting because we believed in what the program was setting out to do. And since that town hall, UAB has transformed itself as a force in our entrepreneurial ecosystem, from pitch competitions to hackathons, panel discussions, workshops, and even a Coding Academy. They are doing all the things that world-class entrepreneurship programs do. If you’re thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, there’s really only one thing that you can do, and that’s get started. And that’s what UAB’s entrepreneurship program will help you do.

[2:12] (Alice Holloway, Samford University) I used the Heptalogical model in my entrepreneurship classes at my university. I think it is such a powerful contribution to the entrepreneurship education literature. I’ve also found that it provided me with a framework for designing these collaborative business-based outreach projects with local entrepreneurs. It has really made a real impact for me. It’s also provided me with a framework for designing these collaborative business-based outreach projects with local entrepreneurs. It has really made a real impact for me.

[02:45] (Dr. Murphy) We have a vision for how entrepreneurship education can have a positive effect on students coming from a wide range of backgrounds. We teach established frameworks as well as our own signature model, but that’s only about half of the job. We also serve our local entrepreneurship community. From the student perspective, most of our classes feel like a project that just happens to be a class. Since its inception, UAB’s entrepreneurship program has been a driving force that connects the local entrepreneurial ecosystem with the power of our academic program. Our UAB Blazer Hatchery and Hackathon, sponsored by the Alabama Power Foundation, is a two-month intensive experience serving UAB students from all disciplines at UAB who are not yet entrepreneurs, but who have strong entrepreneurial aspirations. It gives them a change to attack real-world problems with entrepreneurial solutions.

[03:40] Our entrepreneurial coding academy teaches current UAB students who have entrepreneurial projects but know next to nothing about technology, how to coordinate with specialists, and how coding and programing can be used to scale their ventures. The Birmingham Entrepreneurship Academy is a two-month workshop series for local entrepreneurs taught by UAB experts and local practitioners.

[04:03] (Pam Benoit, UAB Provost) Entrepreneurship is an important goal at UAB that allows our students to gain competencies and knowledge to achieve their dreams. It’s an important part, not just for the business school, but for other schools across the campus where students have entrepreneurial aspirations and want to build successful careers.

[04:26] (Ray L. Warts, UAB President) The UAB Entrepreneurship Program is a top strategic priority for our university. UAB is a young, vibrant institution in downtown Birmingham that that was built on innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. They’re in our DNA. This program teaches an entrepreneurial mindset, and we want to be educating the future leaders of our active startup technology community.

[04:56] UAB is focused on five mission pillars, and this entrepreneurship program really interfaces with all five: education, research, world-class health care, economic development, and community service. We are working with many partners in Birmingham to create a vibrant innovation ecosystem. This educational program is very intentional to help educate our future CEOs and executives in our startup emerging technology companies.

[05:32] (Drew Honeycutt, CEO, Innovation Depot) Innovation Depot is the epicenter for technology startups and entrepreneurs in the Birmingham region. We help entrepreneurs gain a competitive advantage in winning new customers and attracting talent. We provide mentors, programs, training, and funding to grow their businesses. UAB’s emerging entrepreneurship program has already become one of our closest allies. And their students are exposed to more than 100 startups here at the Innovation Depot. Those startups also benefit from acces to these talented students.

[06:03] (Randall Woodfin, Mayor, City of Birmingham) It’s been a challenging year, but it remains a very exciting time in the city of Birmingham. Our entrepreneurial ecosystem has persisted through the challenges of 2020. We continue to intentionally grow our regional economy to make a positive impact on all of our city’s neighborhoods. Entrepreneurship is vital, so vital to our efforts. The UAB entrepreneurship program trains our future entrepreneurs and is a key part of our community. Please continue your growth and the city 100 percent supports you.

[06:34] (Dr. Murphy) We are thrilled with what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last two years with the support of UAB, our donors, and the City of Birmingham. As a research university in an urban environment, UAB is uniquely positioned to make a difference in our community. We will continue our efforts to build a formal curriculum and initiatives that can lead and influence programs nationwide to develop distinct theories, concepts, and frameworks that all make a clear and measurable impact.

[07:05] We will build on the success of our graduate certificate program to develop a master’s program in entrepreneurship, enabling us to better serve entrepreneurially minded students outside and inside the School of Business. We seek to build a program that will promote entrepreneurship and innovation as we serve our students and our community for generations to come.