Centennial Lab

Centennial Lab (CLab) is an experiential learning program that helps train top students create ambitious, entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. CLab includes a spring break trip to California to meet with entrepreneurs, companies, and investors in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

This SFS course helps train and enable top students to create ambitious, entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. Students will work individually or in self-selected teams to identify societal needs and innovative, financially-sustainable solutions that fit their long-term passions and life/career goals. Working in collaboration with Citi Ventures and its network, students will liaise with individuals in and outside the university, including other entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, mentors, alumni, policy think-tanks, potential funders, incubators/studios, regulators, and existing institutions (corporate, government, academic, and/or NGO) to move their proposals toward feasible proposals worthy of implementation and investment. Students are guided to quickly field-test their ideas and pivot as needed, to embrace fast, productive failures that accelerate learning and optimize resource allocation. Broader long-term goals include the successful implementation of solutions, the education of global-citizen leaders, the further development of Georgetown’s entrepreneurial-ecosystem, the strengthening of SFS’ role as the leading institution for innovative answers to global issues, and deepening its partnerships with top thinkers and institutions around the world.

Field-study*: over spring break, students will convene in Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area with other entrepreneurs, investors, Citi Ventures, and alumni working in their areas of interest, to further field-test, pivot, and network.

Undergraduate Students: The class will consist of 3 credit semester-long class + 1 credit field trip during spring break

Graduate Students: This class will be a 3 credit semester-long class + required attendance of field trip during spring break

Admission to the course is by application.

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS FROM CLAB Spring 2019:

“This class has transformed my SFS experience. It’s brought me from learning about problems and learning about them helplessly, to identifying problems to solve and actively taking steps to build a plan that would address them. I believe this is a revolutionary model in education…”

*Students may not participate in the spring break course without full engagement in the semester-long course.

“This CLab has quite frankly been life changing….it has been incredibly eye-opening to see people with similar backgrounds to me starting companies or working at very early stage companies.”

For additional questions, please contact Prof. Dale Murphy (ddm41@georgetown.edu); Rosie O’Neil, Deputy Director IDB (rao@georgetown.edu) or Jamie Welling, SFS Global Experience Program Director.