Loyola University Maryland’s Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship received the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation award
from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers. The award recognizes the Simon
Center’s Applied Angel Investing class.
“Students who are lucky enough to take Applied Angel Investing have a transformative
experience that they share with the early-stage Baltimore founders whose ventures
they recommend for investment,” said Wendy Bolger, founding director of the Simon
Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Students in Applied Angel Investing recommend Baltimore ventures for $20,000 investments
from the Loyola Angels Fund, a $250,000 charitable fund established in 2021 that supports
local under-resourced entrepreneurs, especially Baltimore-based minority- and women-owned
businesses.
To recommend the investments, Applied Angel Investing students attend pitch meetings
and analyze companies. They learn the history of early-stage investing; the entrepreneurial
landscape and social inequities in Baltimore; concepts and vocabulary in fund formation
and investment vehicles; risk management in the funding and decision-making process;
and models of valuation.
“The class is exciting because it is a win on so many levels — for students in terms
of learning and career prospects, for founders who receive investment and partnership,
for jobseekers in the city who benefit from company growth, and for donors to the
Loyola Angels Fund looking to make a concrete impact on the ecosystem,” Bolger said.
“We are excited to share our pedagogical innovation, developed in partnership with
many collaborators, and beyond honored to be selected by a jury of our peers.”
The Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation award celebrates
centers that have developed significant, original innovations in entrepreneurship
education. Winners stand out by delivering measurable learning outcomes, fostering
strong student engagement, and garnering meaningful stakeholder support. This year’s
awardees created hands-on, experiential learning opportunities tailored to underserved
entrepreneurs or addressed unique needs within their communities.
The award was presented in November at the annual conference of Rice University’s
Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, which facilitates collaboration of entrepreneurship center leaders with the goal
of advancing, strengthening, and celebrating the role universities fulfill in educating
future entrepreneurs. At the conference, 16 universities of 368 in attendance were
awarded top honors in nine categories.
Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business and Management in Baltimore delivers an internationally recognized Jesuit business education. Recognized
for its scholarship, ethical leadership, and tradition of excellence, the Sellinger
School delivers a wide range of sought-after fields of study including nine undergraduate
majors and 12 undergraduate minors as well as full-time, part-time, and fully online
MBA and Master of Accounting programs.
link