Academics

BisonTank Competition

Alumni Entrepreneurs | October 19, 2023

Gallaudet graduates interested in pitching their business idea in the BisonTank Business Competition can register at the link below.

Bisontank Sign up

Creating a Culture of Entrepreneurship

GIEI Infographic

GIEI is a place where Gallaudet students can dream, try, fail, and try again – the world’s only business incubator offered in American Sign Language and English. Delivering background knowledge and experience that complements the skills and motivations of young entrepreneurs, the next generation of deaf CEOs, thought leaders, and change agents are grown right here.

Through contributions from Gallaudet University, private donors, and charitable foundations, GIEI provides an extensive range of programming for students, including:

  • Mentorship opportunities: pairing aspiring young entrepreneurs with experienced professionals.
  • Incubation programming: helping students turn business ideas into reality.
  • Co-working spaces: minimizing overhead expenses for start-up business ventures.
  • Entrepreneurship education that goes beyond the four walls of a classroom
  • Showcase competitions like BisonTank, where students pitch a business plan and win cash prizes to fund their business ideas

Donation & Sponsorship Opportunities

Donate

Donate to the Gallaudet Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute

Please join us in giving to the Gallaudet Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Planting the Seeds of the Deaf Ecosystem

Our efforts are made possible thanks to Gallaudet’s committed network of alumni, partners, and other generous community members like you.

Taking Entrepreneurship by the Horns

One of the most visible programs on campus, BisonTank is attended by hundreds of students, faculty, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and Gallaudet alumni each year. Show your company’s commitment to the Deaf Ecosystem by becoming a BisonTank sponsor! To sponsor BisonTank 2023, please contact us. $25,000...
Program Outcomes

GIEI Mentors

GIEI has experienced mentors who are willing to meet, help, and provide direction to students who want to begin the entrepreneurial journey. Students can make an appointment with a mentor by emailing us.

Faculty Goals & Outcomes

  • A wider variety of teaching methods for infusing innovation and entrepreneurship concepts across Gallaudet University
  • Revising a course to include innovative methods and entrepreneurial principles
  • Discover rewarding ways to collaborate
  • Share ideas among the community of innovative faculty
  • Witness the excitement and inspiration of a business pitch competition

Student Impact

  • Students will learn innovative skills that will benefit their careers and entrepreneurial pursuits
  • Increased adaptability in a world where many exciting, rewarding career options ten years from now do not even exist yet

University Impact

  • Establish a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the entire curriculum
  • Develop synergy that can result from productive relationships and collaboration of faculty in different programs
  • Develop Gallaudet University as a global and regional leader in innovation and entrepreneurship in the Deaf community

Community Impact

  • Collaborations and partnerships between local, regional and national businesses and Gallaudet University
  • Increased community awareness of Deaf culture, accessibility and the innovative and entrepreneurial endeavors within GIEI and the Gallaudet community

Information

Faculty

Russell Stein

Gallaudet Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute Director

Lorenzo Lewis

GIEI Coordinator

Contact Us

Gallaudet Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute

Monday
9:00 am-5:00 pm
Tuesday
9:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday
9:00 am-5:00 pm
Thursday
9:00 am-5:00 pm
Friday
9:00 am-5:00 pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

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