The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship Wins Model University Accelerator/Incubator Award for CYstarters

Iowa State University’s Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship Wins Model University Accelerator/Incubator Award for CYstarters at USASBE 2024 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education Awards

Two men and two women standing together after receiving an award.

Pictured from L to R: Dennis Barber III, Eastern Carolina University, USASBE Awards Chair; Julienne Shields, President and CEO, USASBE; Judi Eyles, Director of the Iowa State University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship; Thomas Pittz, University of Tampa, USASBE Chairperson of the Board

AMES, January 18, 2024 – The Iowa State University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship proudly announces its recognition as the recipient of the Model University Accelerator/Incubator Award at the prestigious 2024 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education Awards, hosted by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). The awards were announced on January 13 as part of the USASBE 2024: Forging the Future Together annual conference hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Entrepreneurship Program.

The Model University Accelerator/Incubator Award recognizes collegiate programs that empower young entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into viable and scalable businesses. The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship received the award after submitting the CYstarters summer accelerator program for consideration in this category. Judi Eyles, Director at the Pappajohn Center, attended the ceremony in Birmingham to accept the award.

Competing against other outstanding institutions, Iowa State was one of four finalists within this category, alongside Northern Kentucky, Wake Forest, and McGill University based in Montreal.

“The programs competing for this year’s award were all outstanding. It was extremely difficult to make a final selection as every one of the finalists showed so very well how their program is strengthening its model for success in entrepreneurship,” said Thomas G. Pittz, Board Chair of USASBE and Associate Professor at the University of Tampa.

“Iowa State’s program was recognized by the judges for having support from all of the deans on campus and for being a truly interdisciplinary program,” shared Dennis Barber III, who served as the 2024 USASBE Awards Chair. “They have many community members actively involved in the program, and a high percentage of the students stay in business after participating in the accelerator.”

In 2021, the Iowa State Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship was recognized as the winner of the USASBE Model Program Award, the highest of the organization’s prestigious annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education Awards. Following this award, Judi Eyles served as the USASBE awards chair for two years.

About the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship: The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship acts as a bridge among the university’s entrepreneurship courses, experiential learning opportunities, and venture creation resources. With a core mission to support Iowa’s entrepreneurs, the center provides programs connecting students, community entrepreneurs, business professionals, and alumni.