About

The R. J. McElroy Student Business Incubator, a program of the UNI John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC), is an educational learning laboratory designed to inspire and educate students interested in entrepreneurship and small business. The SBI program was originally funded by the Small Business Administration and private donors. Currently the SBI is funded by the R. J. McElroy Trust. These funds allow student business owners to explore business ideas with the assistance of JPEC staff and other professionals. Current UNI students and teams of students are eligible to apply. Students from other area colleges and high schools will also be considered. Students are admitted on an on-going basis and must demonstrate adequate progress to remain in the program. There are three levels of service available to students — networking, business support or physical incubation. • Networking services are for students interested in learning more about entrepreneurship: program offerings include the student entrepreneurs organization, UNI-E and access to campus and community networking opportunities. • Business support services are for students working on a business concept (pre-revenue stage): program offerings include one-on-one business consulting with JPEC staff and access to co-working space in JPEC.  • Physical incubation space is available for students who have a business: program offerings include admittance in the R.J. McElroy Student Business Incubator program with 24/7 access to dedicated office space located in the JPEC.  All programming developed by the JPEC staff is designed to increase the chances for student entrepreneurial success. Students will graduate from any of the three programs equipped with the skills and experience necessary to create a positive influence on the Iowa economy and beyond.