© 2015 Gensler
The traditional model of graduating college and finding a job has been turned upside down. Are today’s universities preparing students for lifelong learning and to succeed in the workforce?
© 2015 Gensler
Today’s tech success stories are idolized by millennials... And were also famously founded by college drop-outs.
*Pew Research: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/30/5-facts-about-todays-college-graduates** **Federal Reserve Bank of New York: http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/current_issues/ci20-1.pdf
$25,000
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The number
of young people making less than
$25,000 has spiked to the highest level since
the 1990s.*
44% of college grads in their
20s are stuck in low-wage, dead-end jobs.**
The recession has put millennials in the corner.
© 2015 Gensler
27% of millennials are
already self- employed.*
Millennials launched almost
160,000 startups each month
in 2011.*
Rather than looking for jobs, they’ve turned to creating them.
*Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Young Invincibles (2011) Young InvinciblesPolicy Briefing. http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/millennials-want-to-start-companieswhen-economy-rebounds-poll-says.aspx
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*US Chamber of Commerce**Kauffman Foundation - http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/2012/11/an-entrepreneurial-generation- of-18-to-34yearolds-wants-to-start-companies-when-economy-rebounds-according-to-new-poll
92% of millennials want increased access to education & training
needed start a small business.** 50% of students
in entrepreneurship curriculum are unsatisfied.*
60% of millennials are interested in
entrepreneurship.*
The desire to create is there; what’s missing are the resources and connections
What is an academic incubator?
A new kind of place
Designed to spark strategic partnerships
between academia and industry; a
place to test and grow ideas.
They connect students to start-
ups, investors, and institutions they
might not otherwise encounter.
Academic incubators provide the community, resources, and physical
environments that empower entrepreneurial
leaps. © 2015 Gensler
To foster a permanent connection
between industry and academia
To retain entrepreneurial
students, faculty, and researchers
To remain competitive
To maintain relevance
Why are universities building them? Today’s university students don’t just want degrees; they want to launch their own businesses.
© 2015 Gensler
© 2015 Gensler
Depending on their unique mission and vision, incubators may include:
co-working spaces maker spaces cafés
conference rooms lab spaces mentors concierge services
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dreamers
angel investors
...and more
venture capitalists
tinkerersfree
agents
programmers
entrepreneurs
designers
Who uses incubator spaces?Incubators are worlds unto themselves, ecosystems populated by the curious and inquisitive, and not limited to students.
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Students who want to connect to the professional world
Research organizations seeking people who think in entrepreneurial ways
Companies looking to recruit top talent
Who uses incubator spaces?
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Industry:• Mine intellectual capital
• Recruit talent• Access to cutting-edge
research, without fully funding it
Cities:• Position as an innovation hub
• Attract businesses• Spark new start-ups that
bring jobs
Universities:• Relevance
• Attract the best students
What benefits do incubators offer?
How does design impact the success of an incubator?
Generates the right type of connections and interactions
for cross-pollination
Provides an exciting, inspirational environment
Encourages serendipitous collaboration
Enables flexibility, yet not so flexible nobody knows what to do with it
Offers students cues for how to use the space © 2015 Gensler
© 2015 Gensler
For more information on Academic Incuabors:
www.Gensler.com/education