Got a killer idea for a product or service? The new Center for Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking will soon open for business – your business.
Located on the ground floor of the Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center (BELC), the new hub for innovation at Bryant is a blend of hands-on workspaces and a fertile environment for collaboration among student entrepreneurs, faculty, staff, mentors, and corporate and community partners.
Facilities include classrooms, offices, co-working areas, and an expansive Makerspace where students will find an array of tools and equipment that can help bring their entrepreneurial enterprises from conception to market.
"The Makerspace is an exciting new chapter for our entrepreneurial community, shaped by input from our students, faculty, and staff," says Kristie DeJesus, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking. "In this space, curiosity is encouraged, risk-taking is embraced, and ideas are nurtured. Designed to be inclusive, adaptable, and forward-looking, the Makerspace empowers the Bryant community to experiment, collaborate, and bring bold ideas to life."
The doors to the center are now open, and members of the Bryant community can walk through and preview most of the facilities apart from the Makerspace. An official opening date for the center will be announced soon.
While still a work in progress, the Makerspace is already equipped with a variety of tools ready for use by entrepreneurs, from sewing machines...
... to Cricut cutters capable of making precision cuts to paper, vinyl, and other materials...
... a variety of hand tools for projects ...
... and a rack full of 3D printers.
The center also houses office space for the four student entrepreneurs named as the inaugural Fellowship for Office Use, Networking, Development, Entrepreneurship, Representation & Support (FOUNDERS), a program intended to support these students' work as well as establishing them as mentors and role models for other Bryant innovators. In addition to Vincent Emery '26 (above), the 2025-26 FOUNDERS are Chase Whitman '27, Sam Lower '26, and Sean Nelson '27.
Office space also will be available to the center's corporate and community partners, says DeJesus.
Like other Bryant facilities designed by Ayers Saint Gross, the center's classroom spaces are vibrant, light-filled areas designed to encourage collaboration and learning.
The center features an incubator space with dedicated desks, meeting rooms, and private spaces for team discussions and confidential meetings, as well as co-working spaces designed to foster collaboration, creativity, and a sense of community for aspiring entrepreneurs and other members of the Bryant community.
Public areas in the center incorporate the modern, comfortable design aesthetic found throughout the BELC, with an open layout, curvilinear accents, and copious use of biophilic colors and materials intended to keep students and faculty connected to nature.
The opening of the center has been highly anticipated by the Bryant entrepreneurial community, including FOUNDERS member Nelson, who has grown The Sole Provider, his sneakers and designer clothing business, from a $125 investment to six-figure revenues in just four years.
"The center has an incredible number of resources for me to use to help further my company," he says. "Two of my goals this semester are to increase my marketing spend and create versatile mock-ups and prototypes, both of which the Makerspace can accommodate. With my presence in the center, I have become an always available resource for new business owners, or even just students who are interested in the idea of starting a business. It is a privilege for me to be able to help shape the next line of Bryant based entrepreneurs."