General Questions
Q: Is entrepreneurship only important if I want to start my own business?
A: Our mission is to help students explore the mindsets of entrepreneurs and the different ways they impact the world. The entrepreneurial mindset can benefit anyone — from an employee in a large multinational corporation to someone working in a nonprofit or starting their own business. The foundations of entrepreneurship, like a deep understanding of business and societal problems, iterative learning and relentless focus are important no matter what you do.
Q: Do I need to be a current Texas A&M student to participate?
A: Yes. Meloy Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program participants need to be current students at Texas A&M University in College Station.
Q: How is the Meloy Program related to the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship?
A: Texas A&M has a wide range of entrepreneurship and engineering programs available to students. The leaders of the McFerrin Center and the Meloy Program work closely to make sure students are connected to relevant opportunities offered by each program. Specifically, engineering students regularly participate in the Raymond Ideas Challenge and Aggie Pitch, two programs offered by the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship.
Q: Can this program help me build a prototype?
A: Our focus is to introduce you to areas of business — such as customer research, understanding competitors and market segmentation — outside of the topics covered in your core engineering curriculum. As such, we don't focus on building prototypes and encourage you to seek out help in your department and the SuSu and Mark A. Fischer ’72 Engineering Design Center.
Q: What financial resources are available to help me with my startup?
A: Please consult the Grants and Funding page.