Dr. Veena Khandke is teaching her students how to understand the world. She wants them to discover...
Corporate entrepreneurship is often misunderstood as “being a start-up inside a big company.” The reality is simpler and more valuable: solving real organizational problems with creative thinking and a willingness to iterate.
At the individual level, corporate entrepreneurs ask, “What problem are we trying to solve?” before jumping to solutions. They combine curiosity with pragmatism, challenging assumptions while respecting constraints. They’re comfortable with ambiguity, learn quickly from failure and move from problem definition to prototype without waiting for perfect information. These are learnable skills that make people better decision-makers, regardless of role.
Organizations that unlock this operate differently: defining the problem before assigning the solution, protecting small teams working on strategic initiatives, rewarding learning over perfection and tying entrepreneurial work to real organizational outcomes.
When leaders invest in people who can think and act like entrepreneurs and align their organizations to support that approach, something shifts. Teams move faster on real problems. Decisions get tested quickly instead of debated endlessly. People feel ownership. The organization adapts more naturally to change.
Ask yourself: Are we solving the right problems? Do our people have the skills and space to think differently about them? Corporate entrepreneurship isn’t about being bold for boldness’ sake. It’s about building a culture where big, hairy, audacious problems get solved and your people grow in the process.
Ready to build this capability in your organization?
The Certificate in Corporate Entrepreneurship, created by Furman’s Center for Innovative Leadership, is an applied, five-month-long, cohort-based program designed to equip professionals with the tools, frameworks and mindset to lead innovation from within their organization. Participants bring real challenges to the program, applying innovation strategies to develop actionable solutions that create business value.
Discover how your team can turn ideas into impact at innovationlab.furman.edu.
