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September 15, 2021 | Tom Ballard

Walton Foundation seeds another entrepreneurial program at the University of Arkansas

Corporate support for entrepreneurship is so important.

A new program is being developed at the University of Arkansas (O of A) that will train and support regional entrepreneurs focused on outdoor recreation-oriented hospitality, service and experience businesses, as well as outdoor industry product design and development start-ups.

And, for those of us who have watched the evolution of entrepreneurial programs at the Fayetteville-based university, it should come as no surprise that the new initiative is supported by a $4.1 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

“This grant will help us create an entrepreneurial culture surrounding outdoor recreation and more,” said Matt Waller, Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. “We could not create these programs for students, innovators, startups and small businesses without the support.”

Program partners include Walton College’s Department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Venture Innovation and Executive Education program along with U of A’s College of Education and Health Professions, Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Division of Economic Development.

The program will capitalize on a rising tide of student interest in creating new service and product businesses that capitalize on Northwest Arkansas’s rapidly growing prominence as a destination for outdoor recreation. It will also serve those with an interest in pursuing scalable ventures and developing regionally focused businesses.

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