IIT-Knapp Entrepreneurship Center

Who We Are

The mission of the IIT – Knapp Entrepreneurship Center is to be Chicago’s leading professional support services center for IIT-related entrepreneurs by providing effective, affordable, and expert resources to help create and grow successful commercial ventures. IIT-KEC is a collaborative community of supporters of entrepreneurial ventures. The Knapp Center was designed to support a swift and significant expansion of entrepreneurial activity at and around IIT. By leveraging the Center’s resources, those seeking assistance from the Jules F. Knapp Entrepreneurship Center can solidify their business’s structure, develop a sound launch strategy, increase time to value, reduce risk, maximize valuation, protect original founders as the company grows, prepare for and take on smart investment, scale their enterprise, and benefit from the economies of scale and established networks of IIT and the Knapp Entrepreneurship Center.

The Knapp Center services channel IIT and Chicago resources to fulfill IIT’s commitment to help businesses grow along with the university and the University Technology Park.

IIT-Knapp Center Staff

Board of Advisors

What We Do

The Knapp Center was designed to assist entrepreneurs at every stage of development and growth. The following are some of the services available through the Knapp Center:

o Start-up Services: Company Formation and Structure, Business Plan Development, Launch Strategies, Real Estate and Lease Negotiations, Incubator Business Creation Services, Employment and Staffing, Strategy Development

o Expansion Facilitation: Outsourcing Methodology, Business Financing Network, Loans, venture capital, private equity, Strategy Execution, Marketing, Alliances and Ventures, Build and Scale, Exit Strategy—IPO or Sale

o Provided through partners at IIT: Intellectual Property, Legal Advisory Services, Tax Advisory Services, Accounting Services, Technology Management, Usability testing