The VCU Entrepreneurship Academy proposes a new model of delivering 21st century innovation and entrepreneurship skills. Through a new national grant, the VCU da Vinci Center and VCU REAL have partnered with the Jackson Ward Collective and Activation Capital to form the VCU Entrepreneurship Academy which consists of a blended learning environment where students and ecosystem partners learn and work together. Complete our micro-credential courses to earn Credly badges and share on your LinkedIn profile!

The academic and experiential offerings of the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation aim to create T-shaped individuals who are anchored in a discipline and have the capacity and openness to span across disciplines. As a result, students are better prepared to engage in our increasingly global world because they have developed the skills and tools necessary to engage in difficult dialog, to disagree, to reframe failure, and make change.

VCU’s Relevant, Experiential and Applied Learning represents a promise. It’s a promise to provide students with a meaningful, career-building experience during their time at VCU, and a promise to support our faculty and staff to enable them to deliver that.

Jackson Ward is part of Black Wall Street: a thriving community at the turn of the 20th Century that was one of the most prosperous Black communities in the United States. The Jackson Ward Collective is a hub that connects Black business owners to each other and to resources that can help our businesses thrive.

Richmond, Virginia, is on the rise. Stories about our innovative spirit and entrepreneurial success are spreading, with accolades coming in from all corners of our country. The world is finding out what we already know: the RVA innovative culture is extraordinary.