WSU Frank Fellows Learn From Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs

PULLMAN, Wash. – Every year, 12 junior business and engineering students participate in the Washington State University’s Frank Fellows Program, a year-long program that allows students to gain skills and experiences in entrepreneurship. Students are carefully selected through an application and interview process. 

Among the perks of the program, the selected students get summer internships at various start-up firms, getting hands on experience in their areas. They also enter a business plan and prototyping class where they are put in cross-functional teams to create a product and work through the prototyping phase. For engineering students the prototype is also their senior capstone design project.  

Student teams present the corresponding business and product at the Business Plan Competition sponsored by the College of Business. Last year over $60,000 in prize money was given to winning teams. 

This summer, students toured Tesla Motors in San Carlos, Calif. The Silicon Valley start-up has created a sports electric car that can go from 0-60 mph in four seconds and costs less than two cents a mile to drive.  

“A critical part of our Frank Fellows program is getting engineering and business students face-to-face with actual entrepreneurs, bankers and venture capitalists,” said Robert Olsen, director of the program and associate dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture. “Students spend four weeks learning the basics of entrepreneurship with the final week being spent in Silicon Valley where the action is happening.” 

“Hands-on learning and developing connections and relationships with business leaders is what makes this program so incredible,” said Debra McCarver, entrepreneurship professor in the College of Business. “I can’t tell you the number of times older adults have wished they had a similar experience like the Frank Fellows Program.” 

Additionally, Olsen said the program is unique in its partnering of business and engineering students. “These two groups are essential to each other in technology driven entrepreneurship but often don’t know how to work together. Our students spend nine months of intense time working together on their projects.” 

The Frank Fellows Program was created by a $3 million gift from Harold (’48 B.S. Electrical Engineering) and Diana Frank which established the Harold Frank Engineering Entrepreneurship Institute in the College of Engineering and Architecture. Frank, a successful entrepreneur who founded Applied Magnetics in the 1950s, benefited from the GI bill after World War II. Frank felt he wanted to provide a similar experience for other WSU students.  

“This is something I felt I had to do,’’ said Frank. “I’d like to see students go out on their own and start their own companies to benefit mankind.’’ 

To find out more about the Frank Fellows visit www.cea.wsu.edu/entrepreneurship.

The WSU College of Business and College of Engineering and Architecture are accredited programs. The colleges span the four campuses of WSU with the largest programs in Pullman and urban campuses located in Spokane, Vancouver and the Tri-Cities area. The colleges conduct scholarly and applied research, and offer degree programs in a variety of disciplines. For more information, visit the college’s Web site at www.business.wsu.edu or www.cea.wsu.edu.