It starts with a spark: a late-night idea, a problem that feels too big to ignore, or a skill just waiting for the right outlet. At the NAU Venture Studio, students take those sparks and turn them into something tangible—prototypes, business models, startups. Housed in Cline Library and part of The W. A. Franke College of Business, the studio helps students build real-world ventures that begin with their own curiosity, conviction, and drive to create change.
A launchpad for student innovation
“If a problem impacts you, you get up and solve it. You take a crack at it,” said Ashok Subramanian, dean of The W. A. Franke College of Business. “That’s what entrepreneurship—and an entrepreneurial mindset—is all about. And, at the end of the day, that’s what we’re trying to create in our students.”
The studio provides students with the space, mentorship, and resources they need to solve problems through entrepreneurship.
The Venture Studio’s centerpiece is the Lean Startup Series, a semester-long experience that includes two immersive weekend workshops as well as access to mentors and resources. During the first, students refine their ideas using a Lean Business Model Canvas —a one-page business plan that helps entrepreneurs map out their problem, solution, audience, and strategy. In the second, they build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)—a testable version of their idea—and prepare to present it. The process culminates in Demo Day, where students pitch their concepts to community members, investors, and mentors for feedback and potential funding.
“We intend to be a startup factory,” said Brandon Clarke, ’98, managing director of the Venture Studio, and co-founder of StartupAZ. “The Venture Studio is not about going through the motions. It’s about unlocking untapped potential and guiding students through a true venture-building framework, whether they’re advancing their own ideas, collaborating on faculty-led projects, or tackling sponsored challenges from the community.”
Beyond a business plan
The studio doesn’t just equip students with technical tools—it changes the way they see themselves and the world around them: “Before Venture Studio, I thought of entrepreneurship as strictly about money, but every company is started by someone who wants to solve a problem, and every company has a level of social impact,” said Landen Erndt, ’26, a student entrepreneur in the Venture Studio.
Through the process, he’s developed skills in storytelling, public speaking, leadership, and team management—skills he says will help him wherever his path leads.
Erndt is one of many. Across campus, students from a wide range of disciplines are using the Venture Studio to apply their skills in new ways. A gifted coder, freshman Evan Lunceford, ’29, is part of the team behind CampusPM, an AI-powered project management tool developed in the Venture Studio to help faculty guide student capstones and manage undergraduate and graduate research projects. Alongside Marco Castrita, ’25, and Cathy Ly, ’25, Lunceford is building a platform that automates the routine parts of team collaboration—like documentation, task tracking, and reporting—by integrating directly with tools like Slack, Trello, and Google Drive.
Through the studio, he’s also had the opportunity to collaborate with Igor Steinmacher, assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems and a leading researcher in human-centered software engineering.
A regional economic engine
The Venture Studio is part of the college’s broader effort to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in northern Arizona.
“As an alum and the father of a Lumberjack, I’m excited to see NAU define a culture of purposeful innovation,” said Clarke. “NAU excels across a wide range of disciplines from nursing and education, to engineering and environmental. The goal is to lean into these strengths as we build multidisciplinary teams to solve problems.”
NAU’s impact on the state’s economy is significant, contributing an estimated $2.06 billion annually and supporting over 24,000 jobs across Arizona. This economic influence is bolstered by initiatives like the Venture Studio, which not only equip students with entrepreneurial skills but also stimulate economic growth in the region.
Jesslynn Armstrong, NAU Venture Studio’s senior project manager, said, “The experiences these students have with the Venture Studio don’t just make them better entrepreneurs—it makes them better community members and better human beings all around. I love seeing their eyes light up when they realize these skills don’t stop when their venture building experience ends.”
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