Lacy School of Business (LSB) is proud to announce that Butler Entrepreneurship has been named a 2026 TechPoint MIRA Awards Finalist for the Community Impact Award, recognizing organizations that are transforming Indiana’s tech and business ecosystem.
Launched in January 2025, Butler Entrepreneurship is more than a program – it’s a campus-wide movement that empowers students, faculty, and alumni to transform ideas into ventures that create measurable social, economic, and community impact. Rooted in the belief that business can be a force for good, the program equips students with the skills, mentorship, and resources they need to launch ventures that generate revenue, create jobs, and strengthen local communities.
“Imagine a student arriving on campus with a spark of an idea, unsure if it can go beyond a class project. Butler Entrepreneurship transforms that spark into real change,” Nick Smarrelli, Director of Entrepreneurship, said. “From their first day to graduation, students engage in experiences that cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets, launch authentic ventures, and create measurable social, economic, and community impact.”
Since its launch, Butler Entrepreneurship has grown into a cross-disciplinary engine of innovation, supporting more than 70 student-owned businesses, partnering with 40+ community organizations, and connecting students with 100+ alumni and industry mentors. Student ventures have generated six-figure profits and have contributed meaningfully to local commerce, employment, and community well-being.
Key initiatives demonstrating the program’s impact include Launch HOPE, where students mentor entrepreneurs from marginalized communities, helping them access resources and grow ventures that drive meaningful outcomes. Through Building Indiana’s Tech Future, students leverage AI tools and collaborate with alumni founders, engineers, and investors to bring tech-enabled solutions to life. Community partnerships like the Healthy Care, Healthy Costs Data Challenge & Accelerator and Rolltack Ventures’ First-Year Pitch Competition give students hands-on experience addressing real-world challenges in healthcare, financial literacy, and workplace innovation.
In addition to its campus initiatives, Butler Entrepreneurship is helping lead the way in connecting universities and fostering intercollegiate collaboration. The program has partnered with Notre Dame graduate Adam Andres, as well as CICP, Rolltack Ventures, and 16Tech, to host an intercollegiate entrepreneurship conference and competition in late February. This effort brings together student innovators from multiple universities to share ideas, compete, and build networks that extend Indiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Butler Entrepreneurship will also participate in the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Conference on January 26, supporting the community by educating and preparing the next generation of leaders to take over Indiana’s most important businesses.
Student-run ventures under Bulldog Enterprises, including Chimba Bowls, Blue’s Closet, Butler Brew, and Blue Roll Media, generate revenue, employ peers, and reinvest profits locally. Highlights include Chimba Bowls expanding to a second location, Blue’s Closet diverting over 2,200 pounds of clothing from landfills and donating 800 pounds to local nonprofits, and Butler Brew achieving a six-figure net positive while supporting campus and community causes. Every student-run venture in the Real Business Experience donates at least 10% of profits to local nonprofits, totaling nearly $20,000 over three years to support food banks, scholarships, and community programs.
Butler Entrepreneurship bridges students with mentors, investors, and peers through programs like the Private Ventures Association (PVA), Minority Owned Business Initiative (MOBI), and community events including Elevate Sprint Week, Bark Tank, and the First-Year Pitch Competition. Alumni founders from Salesforce, High Alpha, and Elevate Ventures serve as mentors, judges, and investors, creating a strong ecosystem that extends Butler’s impact far beyond the campus.
The program has ambitious goals for the coming years: launching the Butler Accelerator, a year-round hub connecting student founders with mentors, investors, and seed funding; doubling participation in programs supporting minority and marginalized entrepreneurs; piloting new student-run ventures in health tech, sustainable retail, and AI-enabled education tools; and expanding national recognition by sharing Butler’s open-source entrepreneurship framework with other universities.
With these initiatives, Butler is positioning itself as the Midwest’s most accessible university-based startup ecosystem, nurturing the next generation of socially responsible leaders ready to make an impact in Indianapolis and beyond.
The MIRA Awards gala will take place on April 24, 2026, at The Palladium in Carmel, celebrating Indiana’s brightest innovators, impact makers, and tech leaders. Butler Entrepreneurship is honored to be recognized among these outstanding changemakers.
“This recognition is a testament to the creativity, passion, and dedication of our students, faculty, and community partners,” Nick said. “Together, we’re building ventures, building leaders, and building a stronger, more equitable community.”