Trinity College has announced the launch of its new Center for Entrepreneurship, which will support student, faculty, and alumni interests.
Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs Sonia Cardenas noted in the fall that the center will be student focused and will promote entrepreneurial thinking.
“The Center for Entrepreneurship will provide any liberal arts major, not just those interested in business or start-ups, with the confidence and know-how to turn ideas into action,” Cardenas said. “This is consistent with our forward-looking Trinity Plus curriculum, which boldly combines the liberal arts with co-curricular, experiential learning in preparing students for the future.”
The Center for Entrepreneurship also will connect students and faculty with alumni and other world-class entrepreneurs and innovators, increasing Trinity’s visibility and allowing it to partner more effectively with Hartford’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The center’s inaugural director is Danny Briere, who brings more than three decades of experience as an inventor and entrepreneur. He has started multiple successful firms—including TeleChoice, which focuses on leading-edge, high-impact technologies—and has served as a consultant to more than 200 start-ups. Briere has a B.A. and M.B.A. from Duke University, where he majored in public policy and economics. He served on the board of Duke University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiative for a decade, and his experiences span multiple industries, including telecom, internet technology, alternative energy, health and medical, social networking, education tech, and youth-oriented nonprofits.
“The Trinity community has all the elements needed to inspire and empower future innovators,” Briere said. “The Center for Entrepreneurship has two goals: first, we want to build inventive, innovative, and entrepreneurial mindsets in all Trinity students, and then, for those who want to take the extra step in pursuing product and company launch, we will support that direction as well.”
The Center for Entrepreneurship is made possible by the generosity of Lou Shipley ’85. A current member of Trinity’s Board of Trustees, Shipley has served as an executive at multiple successful technology companies and as a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management. He also served on the President’s Commission for Trinity’s Future in 2020. The center will be fully funded from new gifts to the college, energized by Shipley’s passion and commitment.
“All of the highly successful entrepreneurs I’ve worked with, mentored, or led have liberal arts educations,” said Shipley. “They have curiosity, think broadly, and are passionate, resilient, and adaptable, which are all hallmarks of a Trinity education.”