Apex Center invests in student innovation

The Virginia Tech Apex Center for Entrepreneurs awarded more than $80,000 to Virginia Tech students during the 2024-25 academic year, including over $70,000 in scholarships, to support hands-on learning beyond the classroom.

The awards were distributed through Apex Center-led programs and events, including KickStart VT, Venture Founders, Venture Scholars, the Entrepreneurship Challenge (eChallenge), Pitch Party, and leadership opportunities within the Apex Center Student Advisory Council. Each initiative immerses students in real-world entrepreneurial experiences, where they can test ideas, collaborate across disciplines, and develop the skills needed for career readiness.

Among this year’s highlights:

• KickStart VT provided students from across colleges and academic disciplines the opportunity to pitch their idea in front of VT faculty and their peers for advice and funding requests. KickStart serves as a resource to help remove the mystery of startups and is designed to help students identify achievable, short-term milestones to help move their concepts forward.
• Venture Founders and Venture Scholars offered students pathways to explore entrepreneurship ecosystems beyond campus by providing students with opportunities to compete in national competitions, travel to visit customers, and attend conferences. eChallenge and Pitch Party events brought students into the spotlight, offering scholarship prizes and feedback from alumni, investors, and industry experts.
• Members of the Apex Center Student Advisory Council, composed of various student-run organizations in innovation and entrepreneurship, were recognized for their leadership in shaping student programming and expanding the entrepreneurial community at Virginia Tech.

Will Field, a junior majoring in electrical engineering, reflected on his experience with the Apex Center during the 2024–25 academic year. “The Apex Center has played a pivotal role in supporting our journey from initial concept to a market-ready product.  Most recently, we were fortunate to receive a stipend through the Apex Center that enabled us to attend a major industry conference. This opportunity significantly expanded our visibility, allowed us to build meaningful relationships, and generated valuable traction for our company. We are incredibly grateful for the Apex Center’s continued commitment to empowering student entrepreneurs and helping ventures like ours thrive.”

The Apex Center programming focuses on providing experiential opportunities that complement classroom education through hands-on activities, mentorship, and competitive events. From prototyping new products to pitching startup concepts to panels of faculty and alumni experts, students engage in learning experiences that bridge theory with practice.

“At the Apex Center, we believe that entrepreneurship is a fundamental set of skills for today’s young professionals, ” said Sean Collins, former interim director of the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs. “These scholarships are not just financial awards—they are investments in our students' potential to identify opportunities, solve unstructured problems, innovate, and lead. We’re proud to help Virginia Tech students bring their passion, purpose, and ideas to life and put them into action.”

Based in the Pamplin College of Business, the Apex Center works in close collaboration with faculty, staff, and academic departments to foster entrepreneurial learning into the Virginia Tech experience.This collaborative approach is central to Apex’s mission and impact, as emphasized by  Michelle Seref, associate dean of undergraduate programs for the Pamplin College of Business, who highlights the center’s role in shaping hands-on entrepreneurial experiences:

“Apex is a cornerstone of Pamplin’s co-curricular experiential learning efforts, providing a dynamic platform for students to transform entrepreneurial ideas into reality. With the support of dedicated faculty and staff, students engage in pitch competitions, collaborate on venture development, and apply core business principles in real-world contexts. Through meaningful connections with alumni and industry partners, Apex fosters a vibrant community where students gain valuable mentorship, sharpen their strategies, and experience entrepreneurship in action.”

The award recipients represent a wide range of academic disciplines, highlighting the Apex Center’s cross-campus mission to foster entrepreneurial thinking in all students, regardless of major.

David Gray, collegiate assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering who collaborates often with the center, stated that, “Apex operates by necessity in an interdisciplinary space, as the students who engage are working to advance solutions to problems or opportunities that are real - scenarios they themselves have witnessed or recognized.” 

Gray goes on to say that  “Apex is uniquely set up within an ecosystem of the university-industrial interstitial where they cannot only provide basic guidance to student teams, but are adept at answering the question 'Whom should I talk to next?’".  

As entrepreneurship continues to evolve across the university, the Apex Center remains at the forefront of providing Virginia Tech students with the tools, networks, and resources to thrive. These awards serve not only as recognition of student achievement but also as a catalyst for future innovation and impact.

Written by Caroline Honeycutt, assistant director of operations for the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs.