SMU Impact Lab

Vision

The SMU Impact Lab serves the University’s entrepreneurial students, faculty and alumni in the spaces of social, creative and arts entrepreneurship. Through investments, experiential learning opportunities, course work, cross-disciplinary educational workshops, and structured mentoring, the SMU Impact Lab will invest in those who desire to have a net positive impact in the world through entrepreneurial action.

“The program has been really exceptional in every respect!
Incredibly informative, and everyone has been willing to help
PREVO at every turn!

-Ryder McNeal, Founder and CEO of Prevo, (MBA ‘26)

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Program Summary

Jim hart teaching in a classroom

Coursework

The Division of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs (CCPA) will launch a new Social Impact Investing course for undergraduate and graduate students.

university lecture

Funding

Through the generous support of the Phillips Foundation, the SMU Impact Lab will invest in for-profit social impact endeavors in the social, creative and arts spaces.

two students working together on laptops

Mentorship

Through SMU’s incubator program, participants gain mentorship from alumni and local entrepreneurs to develop their skills.

two students working together

Experiential Learning

Our hands-on approach provides workshops, research and coursework that empower participants to take ownership of their learning.

University lecture

Interdisciplinary Offerings

Faculty across SMU provide workshops, with contributions from Cox, Meadows, CCPA, Lyle, MADI, the Hunt Institute and Engaged Learning.

Key Objectives

The SMU Impact Lab’s program objectives are fourfold:

  1. Educate a new generation of social, arts and creative entrepreneurs through startup support, management, measurement, course work, workshops and guidance in the scaling of social ventures. We will start a new Corporate Communications and Public Affairs (CCPA) course for undergraduates and graduates titled “Social Impact Investing”in the Meadows School and partner with experts from the incubator’s mentorship program, enhancing stakeholders’ likelihood of measurable, sustainable, scalable success.
  2. Provide opportunities for SMU students, alumni and faculty to engage in structured impact investing in the spaces of social innovation and creative, social and arts entrepreneurship. The SMU Impact Lab will serve as a source of entrepreneurial funding at SMU.
  3. Identify emerging trends, best practices, and present nationally and internationally, promoting the merging of arts and creative entrepreneurship as part of social entrepreneurship and the collaboration between SMU and the Phillips Foundation.
  4. Encourage cross-campus collaboration at SMU by pursuing interdisciplinary cooperation within our SMU entrepreneurship ecosystem and attracting more entrepreneurially focused prospective students, all resulting in rising academic rankings and more significant social good.

Impact Lab Newsletter

Ready to spark change? Join the Impact Lab newsletter and get a front-row seat to the future of innovation! From groundbreaking startups to game-changing ideas, we’re bringing you the latest in social innovation, impact investing and upcoming events. Sign up now, and let’s create something amazing together – one impact at a time.