![St. John's Students sitting at long table watching presentation](/sites/default/files/styles/640w/public/2024-07/venture_innovation_center_students.jpg?itok=79ZRpw56)
![St. John's Students sitting at long table watching presentation](/sites/default/files/styles/640w/public/2024-07/venture_innovation_center_students.jpg?itok=79ZRpw56)
Venture & Innovation Center (VIC) at St. John’s University
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- Venture & Innovation Center (VIC) at St. John’s University
Innovate. Create. Empower.
In a world where entrepreneurship is the driving force behind progress and prosperity, St. John’s University is committed to nurturing the next generation of innovators. Our new Venture and Innovation Center (VIC) is at the forefront of this mission, providing students, faculty, and administration with the resources, support, and inspiration that they need to turn their groundbreaking ideas into reality.
The VIC provides an ecosystem of resources for aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs. It offers a range of services and
programs, such as:
- Commercialization Strategies
- Intellectual Property Strategies
- Events
- Mentoring
- Investment
Entrepreneurship is not just about starting a business; it's about developing a mindset that embraces creativity, resilience, and
the ability to solve complex problems. Entrepreneurs foster economic growth, create jobs, and address social challenges. St.
John’s University's role in honing these pioneers has never been more crucial.
The VIC is the embodiment of this crucial educational responsibility, and we invite you to be an indispensable part of it.
Our Venture and Innovation Center (VIC) is a transformative initiative that provides:
- Students with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to pursue entrepreneurial careers
- Support faculty and student researchers in commercializing their groundbreaking innovations
- Vibrant ecosystem for entrepreneurship and innovation within and beyond the university
The VIC's Three Strategic Focuses
Collaboration
To enhance intercollegiate collaboration at St. John’s focused on innovation and ventures
Entrepreneurial Culture
To transform our entrepreneurial culture as an institution
Idea and Venture Support
To fill the void created by the (pent-up) demand among our stakeholders for idea and venture support.
The VIC strives to...
Connect
Serve as a cross-campus information and connections hub.
Incubate
Serve as a support system for stakeholder ideas and businesses.
![Students smiling during presentation at the SJU Venture Innovation Center](/sites/default/files/styles/600x400/public/2024-07/20240415_vic_180-600x400-bf06395.jpg?itok=FxQ9WK5k)
Collaboration
As a university, we offer impressive resources that serve our students and faculty and enable us to offer a wide variety of cutting-edge programs. The ecosystem of resources and programs spread across the Schools and Colleges includes the James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition and Pitch Event, Pitch Johnny, European Innovation Academy, Design Factory, Executive-in-Residence Program, and a Television, Film, and Radio Center.
However, despite our best efforts, our collegiate organizational structure can make it programmatically difficult for us to share these resources between Schools and Colleges and across the campus and to raise awareness about their existence, especially amongst new students and faculty. The VIC is designed to address this deficiency and more.
Among other things, the VIC acts as an information hub that connects stakeholders from across the Schools and Colleges to discuss their business ideas, collaborate, and become better informed about the full scope of resources available on campus.
The VIC is also a catalyst to foster deeper connections with the wider community that includes local government, businesses, and alumni.
![Female presenter in the St. John's Venture Innovation Center (VIC)](/sites/default/files/styles/600x400/public/2024-07/20240415_vic_75-600x400-bf06395.jpg?itok=a9UT9TWi)
Entrepreneurial Culture
Within the VIC, we provide a range of support that helps budding entrepreneurs with their foundational business skills (e.g., customer segmentation and acquisition, communications and networking, sales and marketing, problem-solving, and strategic thinking).
We hold a range of events and have introduced incentives to encourage entrepreneurship. Speaker events have succeeded in raising awareness and encouraging our stakeholders to make use of the center. We sponsor student research awards and hold multidisciplinary programs involving students from different colleges. We support students in attending international programs such as the European Innovation Academy in Porto, Portugal.
Finally, stakeholders can drop into the VIC during certain times of the day, where they can ask for advice, share their business ideas, and be connected to the right resources.
![Three students looking up at presentation in the St. John's VIC](/sites/default/files/styles/600x400/public/2024-07/20240415_vic_46-600x400-bf06395.jpg?itok=ZH26EHzP)
Idea & Venture Support
The VIC's core support is the identification, management, and commercialization of research-based innovations. The VIC manages the St. John`s University innovation portfolio and provides expert services related to innovation management, including business development, intellectual property rights, start-ups, and marketing.
The VIC’s support helps to elevate the readiness level of the concepts incubated and to derisk the commercialization process. The main innovation management programs are:
- Discovery: Provides support for concept development, feasibility assessment, intellectual property assessment and protection, business opportunity analyses, prototyping, and experimental validation.
- Proof-of-Concept: Provides more substantial project funding to validate the innovation via proof of concept, piloting, and demonstration, and to validate the commercial strategy. This program may facilitate the interaction with industry and investors and the building of networks.
The VIC seeks funding and active contributions from interested parties who want to support this unprecedented opportunity at St. John`s University.
VIC Guest Speakers
![Guest Speaker EURIPIDES PELEKANOS, Founder of Bareburger at St. John's University](/sites/default/files/styles/640w/public/2024-07/20240418_panelbareburger_33_960x640.jpg?itok=UuNKmQbs)
EURIPIDES PELEKANOS
Founder of Bareburger
![ALBERT BATEH Founder of EZ-Net Hair Care](/sites/default/files/styles/640w/public/2024-07/albert_bateh_sju_alumni.jpg?itok=jTgdTUWs)
ALBERT BATEH
Founder of EZ-Net Hair Care
![Guest Speaker EURIPIDES PELEKANOS, Founder of Bareburger at St. John's University](/sites/default/files/styles/640w/public/2024-07/20240418_panelbareburger_33_960x640.jpg?itok=UuNKmQbs)
![ALBERT BATEH Founder of EZ-Net Hair Care](/sites/default/files/styles/640w/public/2024-07/albert_bateh_sju_alumni.jpg?itok=jTgdTUWs)
VIC Team
James M. Kinsley
Director
[email protected]
Matyas Kolsofszki
Technology Transfer Manager
[email protected]
Yasmin Mathews
Operations Manager
[email protected]
Contact the VIC
Come Visit Us
Located in The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, Room 103
Email Us
[email protected]
Inquiry Form
From the Blog
![St. John's Entrepreneur Alum Wearing Professional Attire](/sites/default/files/styles/280x280/public/2024-02/180209_albert_bateh_10_under_10_108.jpg?itok=JwblKcOy)
Entrepreneurship Development Success Story: Meet Albert Bateh
Albert Bateh ’16TCB, a graduate of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John’s University, is a noteworthy alumnus renowned for his inspiring journey in entrepreneurship development. Born into a family running a flourishing textile business for over a century, Mr. Bateh grew up with a strong interest in the field. During his senior year at the University, he launched his first venture, EZ-Net Hair Care, which began his successful entrepreneurial journey.
News at St. John's
Venture and Innovation Center Events Cultivate Entrepreneurship at St. John’s
A pair of events at St. John’s University’s new Venture & Innovation Center (VIC) brought the entrepreneurship experience to life for students, faculty, administration, and staff gathered at the Queens, NY, campus.
New Resource Aims to Foster Innovation and Entrepreneurship across Campus
St. John’s University is establishing a new resource to rally students, faculty, administrators, staff, and members of the Queens , NY, community around a culture of entrepreneurship and collaboration. The...
New Venture & Innovation Center at St. John’s University to Foster Entrepreneurship across Campus and beyond
For Immediate Release: January 9, 2024
Media Contact: James Stephen Smith
Director of Media Relations
516-313-4568 (m), 718-990-5789 (o)
[email protected]