Integrated portfolio of entrepreneurship and innovation programs designed to move students from awareness to action, and from ideas to impact.
The Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning and Innovation (CELI) at the Catholic University of Rwanda (CUR) delivers an integrated portfolio of entrepreneurship and innovation programs. Each program plays a distinct role within the CELI ecosystem, while collectively contributing to the university’s mission of producing ethical leaders, job creators, and highly employable graduates.
The Entrepreneurship Skills Training & Certification Program anchors CELI�s academic and capacity-building mandate. It delivers structured entrepreneurship education aligned with CUR curricula and international standards, ensuring that students acquire both theoretical grounding and practical entrepreneurial competencies.
The CUR Ignite Venture Labs Program is CELI�s flagship experiential entrepreneurship program. It is designed to help students translate ideas into structured, market-ready ventures through guided, hands-on learning. The program emphasizes problem-solving, innovation, and entrepreneurial discipline, enabling participants to test assumptions, refine ideas, and build confidence as founders before entering incubation or acceleration stages.
The CUR Business Incubation Program provides a supportive environment for student-led startups and selected community ventures to grow into sustainable enterprises. The program combines physical workspace with structured business support, mentorship, and access to networks, ensuring that early-stage ventures receive the guidance and resources needed to survive and scale.
The Venture Acceleration Program supports high-potential startups that have moved beyond early validation and are ready to scale. The program focuses on growth strategy, governance, investment readiness, and market expansion, preparing ventures to attract capital and operate competitively in local and regional markets.
The Coaching & Mentorship Program provides personalized guidance to students and startups at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey. By connecting learners with experienced entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and academic experts, the program strengthens decision-making, resilience, and ethical leadership.
The Innovation Competitions Program stimulates creativity and entrepreneurial action by challenging students to develop, test, and present innovative solutions. Competitions serve as entry points for discovery, validation platforms during development, and performance tests during execution stages.
Industry Connekt program bridges academic learning with real-world practice by exposing students to industry environments aligned with their entrepreneurial interests. The program strengthens practical understanding of markets, operations, and professional expectations while reinforcing entrepreneurial thinking.
The CUR Innovates Events Program offers intensive learning experiences and platforms for dialogue. It includes Innovation Bootcamps, the StartToday Event Series, and the Visiting Business Leaders Series to accelerate skill development, promote entrepreneurial culture, and expose students to real-world leadership journeys.
The Opportunities Unlimited Program serves as CELI�s gateway to external opportunities, ensuring that students and startups can access funding, programs, and platforms beyond the university. It strengthens inclusivity by ensuring that talent is matched with the right opportunities.
This broad program positions CELI as a center of knowledge creation and strengthens impact through strategic partnerships. It includes Research & Consultancy for evidence-based development and the Cooperation & Exchange Program for global exposure and collaboration.
CELI approach follows a 4-pillar structured, student-centered entrepreneurial journey adapted to CUR’s mission and national development priorities. This approach ensures progressive learning, practical exposure, and sustainable entrepreneurial outcomes.
Entrepreneurial awareness, curiosity, and opportunity recognition
The entry point into the CELI entrepreneurial journey. Students are exposed to entrepreneurship as a viable career pathway. The focus is on broadening perspectives, stimulating curiosity, and helping students recognize opportunities around them.
Entrepreneurial skills, mindset, and venture readiness
Equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and mindset required to transform ideas into structured and viable business concepts. Learning is highly interactive and experiential, combining formal training, coaching, and mentorship.
Hands-on venture building and industry exposure
Translating entrepreneurial learning into real-world application. Students actively apply knowledge by engaging in venture creation, industry immersion, and practical entrepreneurship environments. The emphasis is on learning by doing.
Ecosystem integration, markets, and scale-up
Ensuring students and ventures are fully integrated into broader ecosystems. The focus shifts to long-term sustainability, growth, and impact through connections to markets, investors, partners, and policymakers.