How does the Eagle Startup Center work?
The Eagle Startup Center (ESC) is a hands-on program designed to take students through the entire process of launching a business. Whether you have a business idea of your own or want to contribute your valuable talents and abilities in other ways, we have a place for you in the ESC.
Through the Eagle Startup Center, you can form a team, develop your skills, and access funding opportunities. Through the school year, students can experience Ideation Workshops, weekly training sessions and team projects through The Commercialization Academy, and the culmination event of our program, The Eagles Accelerator. These three main parts of our program are detailed below.
Ideation Workshops
To kickstart the ideation process and get students to begin considering business ideas and the role they wish to play, the Eagle Startup Center hosts twice-quarterly Ideation Workshops. The Ideation Workshops are held on two Saturday afternoons per quarter. Mentors lead discussions, facilitate idea generating games, participate in guided role play, and other activities designed to stimulate business incubation. These mentors include faculty from various Eastern departments, as well as successful entrepreneurs and business professionals from the Spokane area.
Ultimately, students will gain an understanding of the process behind idea formation and business incubation. For those interested in taking their ideas further or becoming part of a business team, they are encouraged to enter The Commercialization Academy.
Ideation Workshops for Winter Quarter are occurring on January 25th and February 22nd, with the following schedule. Registration is open here.
| Time | Activity |
| 12:00-1:00p | Welcome and lunch |
| 1:00-4:00p | Activities/Events |
| 4:00-5:00p | Dinner and Goodbye |
The Commercialization Academy
The Commercialization Academy (TCA) is dedicated to helping students turn their business ideas into reality. This program brings together passionate students with innovative ideas and connects them with experienced mentors and faculty members. By drawing on the rich expertise within Spokane’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, TCA offers instruction on over 25 key topics related to new business creation.
Students gain a diverse skill set throughout the program, learning what makes a good business, how to develop a minimum viable product, and strategies for securing funding, among others. The journey begins with TCA Kickoff Weekend in late October, followed by weekly lessons every Tuesday night, guiding students through the business-building process.
During Kickoff Weekend, students are organized into teams to collaborate on a shared idea or goal. This intensive weekend covers a broad range of topics and provides a roadmap for success throughout the academic year. For the remainder of the Fall and Winter quarters, teams meet weekly to cover new topics, practice their skills, and receive ongoing guidance from mentors.
At the conclusion of Winter quarter, teams compete in the $10K Commercialization Academy Pitch Competition, where they gain experience pitching their business ideas to real-world investors, as well as the chance to secure additional funding for their business. The Commercialization Academy is an ongoing program so registration is closed for this year, but check back here to register for 2025-26!
Upon completion of The Commercialization Academy, students are highly prepared to enter the next element of ESC, The Eagles Accelerator.
The Eagles Accelerator
The Eagles Accelerator (TEA) is a school-wide pitch competition held during the 10-week Spring quarter, designed to support the completion and launch of student businesses. This competition is open to aspiring entrepreneurs from all degree paths at Eastern, offering them a platform to develop and pitch their business ideas. Participants, who may compete individually or as part of a team, present their ideas to faculty members and business professionals from the Spokane entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Eagles Accelerator consists of three stages.
Stage 1 features a speed-dating style of elevator pitches. Each student has 2 minutes to pitch their business idea to a judge, followed by 7 minutes of feedback and questions focused on improving both the pitch and the concept. This process is repeated nine times within the two hour event, maximizing the amount of feedback and professional insight each participant receives. At the end of this stage, judges score the teams, and the top 20 teams advance to Stage 2.
Stage 2 adopts a trade show booth format, emphasizing the development of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and sales strategy. Judges visit each booth to ask questions and engage with students. Based on a provided rubric, the top 10 teams are selected to move on to Stage 3. Prior to entering Stage 3, students must provide proof of the following:
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- Proof of Incorporation
- Business license
- Corporate bank account
- Draft of operating agreement
- Intellectual property agreement between team members (if applicable)
- Ownership agreement between team members (if applicable)
- Business plan
Stage 3 involves a seven-minute pitch presented to a panel of investors, followed by a five-minute Q&A session. The judges, selected for their investment expertise, use a standardized rubric to evaluate each presentation. This stage offers students invaluable real-world experience in pitching and engaging with investors—crucial skills for any emerging business. Finalists in Stage 3 will share a $27,500 prize pool, with funds deposited directly into their corporate bank accounts.
Registration for The Eagles Accelerator is now open here. See below for the timeline of each stage.
| Stage 1 | April 17th, 2025 |
| Stage 2 | May 8th, 2025 |
| Stage 3 | May 29th, 2025 |
Important Dates
Ideation Workshops
January 25th, 2025
February 22nd, 2025
April 26th, 2025
May 24th, 2025
The Commercialization Academy
Applications open
Fall 2025, TBD
The Eagles Accelerator
Applications due
April 10th, 2025
Stage 1
April 17th, 2025
Stage 2
May 8th, 2025
Stage 3
May 29th, 2025
Learn More
Curious to know more about the ESC and our programs? Drop by CEB 125 during open hours to talk with a staff member or email us at eagle-startup@ewu.edu if you have any questions.
Fellowships
Herbert B. Jones Foundation Fellowship Grant
Thanks to a 3-year, $124,000 grant from the Herbert B. Jones Foundation Fellowship Grant, we are able to offer $1,000 stipends to fellowship students who complete the program. Each year’s group of fellows is drawn from a diverse pool of many majors ranging across the breadth of academic studies, so as to not concentrate too heavily in one area. After completing the TCA, students are eligible to compete in business plan competitions on college/university campuses across the country. Students benefit from being able to network with others with similar interests, obtain licensing through Washington State University (WSU), obtain seed money for new ventures without any equity exchange, and launch their ideas for potential innovations and/or startup companies.
Prototype Funding
Thanks to a generous grant from Wells Fargo, TCA participants have access to funds for prototype development. These crucial funds give TCA participants the opportunity to build, test, iterate and improve upon their ideas.
Background and Accolades
In 2020, EWU was selected by the US Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) as the winner of the Model Emerging Entrepreneurship Program award. The award is presented every year to the top nominee in the world.
Later that same year, the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) selected the EWU Center for Entrepreneurship as the Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Center. In receiving these coveted awards, EWU joins the likes of Florida State University, Brown, and Dartmouth. In winning both awards, we join Kansas State University as the only two schools who have accomplished this feat.
