McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship

Join us this Monday for the Spring Short Film Festival. Come watch innovative student films and support creative storytelling from 5–7 PM in Marroney Theater!

Join us for the Entrepreneurship Trade Show Spring Class of 2026. Come support our student entrepreneurs, explore their ideas, and connect with the McGuire community!

Join us this Friday, April 24 for one of our biggest events of the year, the New Venture Competition.

Watch 10 student teams pitch their ventures in a Shark Tank style competition for a cash prize. Main round pitches begin at 10AM.

This event is free and open to the public. Come support and see their ideas come to life.

This week’s Cat in the Wild: Blaze Smith
After Eller, Blaze pursued graduate school in Natural Resources and the Environment. He now serves as the Director of Veterans Education and Transition Services and Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Arizona.
Innovation and development are a huge part of his work at VETS & ROTC.
When asked what being entrepreneurial means to him:
“Working through ideas and projects, making them work, and then refining them.”
He adds, “Bad ideas are rare, poor ex*****on is more common. That, however, is part of development. You will fail, and that’s a good thing. Failure makes for the best lessons.”
Favorite spot on campus: Military Connected Student Center at SUMC
The takeaway? Keep building, keep refining, and don’t be afraid to fail.

Hello! My name is Catherine Pipitone, and I’m a junior at UofA and the founder of Handlettered by Catherine.
I’ve always loved art, whether it’s painting, drawing, or crafting. When I was 12, I taught myself calligraphy and started posting my work online for fun. Over time, people began reaching out for things like wedding invitations, home artwork, and other custom pieces. By 13, I turned it into an Instagram page and officially started Handlettered by Catherine.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I got more into painting and started developing a collage-style approach that felt really natural to me. It was messy, intuitive, and didn’t follow strict rules, which is exactly why I loved it. I shared these pieces on social media, and that led to more custom commissions. Since then, Handlettered by Catherine has grown into a small brand where I now sell phone cases, posters, custom paintings, and even skateboard decks.

Calling all freshmen!!

Ready to dip your toe into entrepreneurship? This 1 credit course at the McGuire Center is designed just for you, giving you a chance to explore, create, and collaborate in a low pressure, high impact way.

Even better, you will get to partner with Coke and work on real world ideas that actually matter.

Spots are limited and this opportunity is only open to sophomores, so sign up now as a freshman and set yourself up early. Start building skills, confidence, and connections that will stick with you long after the semester ends.

Entrepreneurship is for EVERYONE! Start building skills today that will shape everything you do tomorrow. No matter what you study, these are the skills that set you apart, opening doors, building confidence, and giving you the tools to create your own opportunities.

Come support your peers at these upcoming events!! To learn more, explore our links below!!

NVD: https://eller.arizona.edu/events/2026-new-venture-competition

Short Film Festival: https://eller.arizona.edu/events/spring-short-film-festival