This article was originally published on the Emory News Center. Story by Shawn Reeves.
When he was a child, Anthony Vargas suffered headaches so severe he would scream into his pillow. At 14 he lost movement in his left hand. Something was very wrong. Doctors identified an arachnoid cyst the size of a small lemon and performed emergency brain surgery. Post-recovery, Vargas, an athlete and New Jersey sports fan, had to play basketball wearing a rugby helmet. Opposing players mocked him. He thought there had to be a better solution, but he couldn’t find an alternative. So he created one.
Vargas built a prototype with his girlfriend’s volleyball knee pads. He called it the Chrome Dome, and it still sits on a shelf at home next to the rugby helmet. He enrolled and played basketball at Emory University’s Oxford College, where his interest in entrepreneurship soared. After transferring to Emory College of Arts and Sciences, the pre-med psychology major has continued to refine his rudimentary Chrome Dome design. His new device, Safe Squeeze Headgear, is a more stylish option targeted specifically to youth athletes. “I want to make safety fun,” he says, “not just make fun safe.”
With support from Emory’s entrepreneurially-focused Hatchery: Center for Innovation and Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Vargas now works with and learns from mentors and peer entrepreneurs. He has pitched his idea more than 100 times, is seeking an engineer to refine the design, and conducts customer validation with youth coaches and leagues in Florida, New Jersey and Georgia.
Many Emory students have solid startup ideas but lack a business background to develop them. They want to improve the lives of others, channel their creativity, drive, entrepreneurial spirit — and sometimes their personal experience — into a business they can launch, grow and sustain. But, like Vargas in the early days of the Chrome Dome, they don’t always know where to turn or what steps to take.
Thanks in large part to the generosity of longtime supporters Stuart Rose 76B and Mimi Rose, Emory is clearing new pathways to student entrepreneurship. The Stuart and Mimi Rose Program for Student Startups, launching in the 2025-26 academic year, will offer a series of courses, programming and mentoring opportunities open to students interested in founding their own ventures.
Administered through Goizueta Business School and housed in The Hatchery, the Rose Program will offer all Emory undergraduates an opportunity to transform their bold, creative ideas into real-world solutions for real-world problems — much as a newly designed head piece might make sports easier, safer and more comfortable for a kid recovering from a head injury.
“Entrepreneurship really embodies Emory’s mission — it’s about figuring out how to apply knowledge and discovery to benefit society and expand impact,” says Wilbur Lam, vice provost for entrepreneurship, who is partnering with colleagues across the university to expand Emory’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. “We’re eager to set more student innovators on that pathway by helping them develop the skills to turn ideas into impactful products and services. We are tremendously grateful to Stuart and Mimi Rose for supporting the next generation of Emory entrepreneurs.”
An Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
The Rose Program recognizes that great entrepreneurs are everywhere. Some come from the sciences, some from the humanities, others from the arts, business and beyond. Open to students regardless of major, the program is designed to equip them with the tools and resources they need to build, launch, promote and sustain a successful business.
That level of accessibility, according to Stuart Rose, is exactly what excites the Roses about this new initiative.
“Mimi and I believe great ideas can come from anyone, anytime, anywhere — no matter their background or academic major,” Stuart Rose says. “And we want every Emory student to feel like they have a chance to bring their ideas to life. Funding this program is our way to help make that happen. Mimi and I are thrilled and privileged to know this program will both educate and challenge future leaders, problem-solvers and changemakers to dream big, take risks and make a real difference in their communities and the world.”
Barbara Krauthamer, dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences, regularly meets and hears from students who express ideas for making an impact in the world. Some of those concepts materialize into a dream to start and run a business.
“The Rose Program is a wonderful addition to the rich array of academic and co-curricular programs in Emory College,” says Krauthamer. “I am excited by the opportunities students will have to pursue innovative and entrepreneurial activities through this initiative.”
The Rose Program engages students from the start, with a week-long Ignite pre-orientation course focused on innovation for incoming first-year Oxford College and Emory College students. It continues with a three-course academic sequence focused on experiential learning, innovation and mentorship:
- Foundations of Entrepreneurship: Introduces fundamental principles, tailored for non-business students.
- Applied Entrepreneurship (Startup Lab): Students explore real-world business scenarios and test startup concepts.
- Business Development (Startup Launchpad): Students develop their business ideas and write a business plan.
The first course will be offered in spring 2026, followed by additional coursework in the 2026–27 academic year. After completing the Foundations of Entrepreneurship course (or, for BBA students, the Entrepreneurship course), Emory College, nursing and business undergraduates may apply for the opportunity to become Rose Program Fellows, who are eligible to take the Startup Lab and Launchpad courses to further develop their ventures. Fellows can also apply to participate in a 10-week Summer Accelerator program at The Hatchery, Emory’s 15,000-square-foot creative, collaborative space, where they can benefit from further learning, testing, mentorship and even startup funding.
A Unique Approach to Entrepreneurship
Many universities have entrepreneurship programs, but Emory’s Rose Program is distinguished by its integration with Emory’s unique strengths, according to Brian Cayce, managing director for The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and a key figure in planning and developing the Rose Program.
Emory is a leader in health care research, an area ripe for innovation. It is also at the forefront of artificial intelligence, climate science and health care technology — fields increasingly intertwined with entrepreneurship.
“We’re creating an ecosystem that leverages Emory’s strengths,” Cayce says. “This isn’t just about building tech startups. It’s about empowering students across disciplines to become entrepreneurs in their own fields.
“They already have the raw materials — the curiosity, the knowledge, the drive,” Cayce adds. “Our role is to guide them, to help them shape their ideas into something tangible, something impactful. We don’t just want to tell them what they need to know; we want to give them the tools and the confidence to take action.”
The Hatchery: Where Ideas Take Flight
A startup needs more than a great idea, and student entrepreneurs need more than classroom instruction. They need physical space to grow their ventures.
That’s where The Hatchery comes in.
Serving as both the physical and symbolic home of the Rose Program, The Hatchery provides students with a collaborative workspace, mentorship and access to key resources, says director Ben Garrett.
“Entrepreneurs thrive within a supportive ecosystem. This is why, in addition to best-in-class instruction offered via the Goizueta Business School, The Hatchery will provide Rose Program participants with the ideal environment for student founders to succeed,” Garrett says, pointing to the center’s long track record of supporting student innovation. “Rose Program students will engage in real-world entrepreneurial challenges, from customer discovery to competitive landscape analysis to financial planning. Just as important, they will be surrounded by a community of like-minded innovators, learning from one another’s successes and setbacks.
“The Hatchery is a launchpad,” Garrett adds. “These students won’t just learn theories about entrepreneurship — they’ll be actively building their businesses in an environment that supports them every step of the way.”
Not Just Another Business Program
While the Rose Program works with students while they are enrolled, its reach extends beyond the university itself.
Young people are growing up in a world where innovation is at their fingertips. It’s practically in their DNA. Many students who don’t plan to launch a venture immediately after graduation are already envisioning ways in which they might create solutions to real-world problems. This experience will give them foundations to do so in the future.
At its core, it’s about more than just startups, says Cayce. “The program equips students with a mindset. Even if they don’t launch a business immediately, they will walk away with the skills and confidence to do so when the time is right.
“We don’t expect every student to leave here and start the next Nvidia,” Cayce says. “They don’t even have to bring a fully baked idea with them when they enroll in the program. What we want is for them to leave here knowing that they can start something if they want to. That they have the knowledge, the skills, and the support to make it happen.”
The bottom line is clear: The Rose Program is for everyone. It doesn’t matter what students are studying or whether they’ve thought about business before, says Gareth James, John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School. What matters is their desire to solve real problems and make an impact.
“The Rose Program is a game-changer for Emory,” he says. “It ensures that students from all backgrounds have access to the education, mentorship and resources they need to bring their ideas to life. By fostering an inclusive and interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship, we are creating opportunities for innovation across the entire university.”
| Contact the Rose Program coordinators for more information. |
