Entrepreneurship

If you’re a leader and innovator with a head for business and a passion for design, fashion, or any other rapidly changing creative industry or field, the Entrepreneurship program will prepare you to identify opportunities and turn them into profitable ventures. Whether you want to start your own business, bring fresh vision to an established company, or ultimately do both, this program provides the skills, knowledge, and mindset you need.

You’ll hone your business skills, be mentored by business leaders, and understand the demands of today’s market. You’ll graduate as part of a dynamic new workforce that’s as savvy on the creative side as it is sophisticated in business. Then forge your own path: Join an executive training program at a leading company, manage a top designer’s creative operation, launch your own enterprise. The options are unlimited.

This program is centered on creativity and innovation, and addresses the real-world demands of today’s market. Because most business concepts go through many iterations before they succeed, you’ll develop the entrepreneurial skills and vision needed to create, test, and evolve new business models and creative ideas. The program concludes with a capstone project in which you develop a full entrepreneurial business plan for critique by renowned members of the entrepreneurship and venture capital communities.

If you have an AAS from FIT or another institution, or if you've completed at least 60 credits towards a bachelor's degree, you are eligible to apply. Learn more about eligibility for this program.

Degree Details

Outside the Classroom

Graduates join startups and established companies in an array of creative industries, develop and bring to market innovative products and/or services, or launch their own businesses. They also work on disruptive products or business models within a corporate setting, developing new business areas for existing companies, freelancing for top brands, and helping to revitalize established businesses by bringing a new mindset, new products, and innovative ideas with a competitive advantage to the table.

entrepreneurship outside the classroom

Impact

Nicholas Alexis, 25' Advertising and Marketing Communications major with a Creative Entrepreneurship minor, won second place in the international ACBSP School of Thought Entrepreneurship Competition in Las Vegas on June 21st, 2025, for his app, Elevate, a platform that helps to “elevate” mental wellness through positive media for the Gen Z demographic. ACBSP is the accreditation organization for business schools, including the Baker School. He was one of four finalists worldwide. Nicholas was mentored by FIT’s Entrepreneurship Department, specifically Professor Renee Leibler (second person from the right).

Nicholas Alexis standing with judges and holding a check for his app Elevatemedia.ai

Explore All Programs

Our faculty members are leaders in their fields, with a unique combination of practical experience and academic training. Meet more Entrepreneurship faculty.

William Reinisch

William Reinisch is Chair of the Entrepreneurship program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where he brings more than 35 years of experience in strategy, technology, investing, venture capital, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Throughout his career, Reinisch has advised and supported numerous rapidly growing companies. He is also responsible for investment activities in Paladin Capital Group’s New York office and is the Founder and CEO of XIV River. Prior to these roles, Reinisch was Vice President of Strategy and Technology at Motorola, where he led initiatives involving intellectual property, industry standards, and the company’s corporate technology portfolio. He also served with Motorola Ventures. Reinisch earned an MBA from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

Renee Leibler

With 15 years of experience in the technology, creative, and startup spaces, Leibler is a seasoned entrepreneur, business strategist, and consultant. She is a partner at blockchain consultancy Harmonic Chain and the founder and president of NYU Blockchain. Leibler has a BA from Case Western Reserve University and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

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