The association has a unique program for students that take them to the next step beyond the normal business plan and idea generation competitions. The Reality Bridge is the bridge from the classroom to the world you operate in every day.

Students in the entrepreneurship program are encouraged to develop ideas; they participate in a variety of idea generation contests, both on the John Carroll campus and regionally through the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium. Some of these ideas are pretty interesting, and several have already been turned into businesses. The association runs the Reality Bridge program to help sort through these ideas by pairing you and another business owner with two-three students to answer this question: “Is this a business?”

You will work closely with top students as you guide them through the process of determining if the idea has real merit. Because Reality Bridge is not tied directly to the academic program, it runs on an ongoing basis. When you and your owner partner are satisfied that the question has been answered, you can request that your student team present to a panel of your fellow entrepreneurs. The panel will judge the presentation and cash prizes are awarded to the participating students.

Businesses formed in the Reality Bridge program agree to donate a revenue share to the University for the Muldoon Center.