RAISED
The Rutgers Advanced Institute for the Study of Entrepreneurship and Development
Who We Are
The Rutgers Advanced Institute for the Study of Entrepreneurship and Development (RAISED) is a research institute that combines research, teaching, and community engagement within and across our entrepreneurship projects.
Founded and Directed by Dr. Ted Baker, Professor and George F. Farris Chair in Entrepreneurship at Rutgers Business School, RAISED focuses on “everyday entrepreneurs.” These include all sorts of people who organize many different types of ventures in pursuit of their goals and the changes they want to see in the world.
Urban Solutions Lab (USL)
Spearheaded by RAISED and co-founded and co-directed by Dr. Baker and Jasmine Cordero-West, the Urban Solutions Lab (USL) is a pro-social and pro-Newark place of innovation located in the Rutgers–Newark Honors Living-Learning Community building, 48 New Street, Newark, NJ. As the go-to place for entrepreneurial activity on the RU-N campus, the USL connects Rutgers students, staff, and faculty to business, government, and civil society leaders to work on building prosocial ventures that respond to local versions of grand social challenges.
Comprised of two unique spaces:
- The Creativity Studio, a classroom and seminar space with long-distance learning capability, a smart board, and podcast and videocast equipment
- The Collaboration Garage, a hands-on, active workspace where students, faculty, staff, and visiting entrepreneurs can gather to collaborate and hash out ventures
The USL is an engine for generating cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaborations that drive urban entrepreneurship, supporting and helping entrepreneurs accomplish their goals.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Urban Solutions Lab Prosocial Internship Program
Do GOOD as you earn money!
The USL is an innovative program that focuses on supporting matriculated students interested in prosocial entrepreneurship. The USL provides paid internships to students to work on their business ideas and ventures while still in school. The USL also connects students with entrepreneurs who specialize in their areas of entrepreneurial interest, providing an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience running a business.
If you’re a Rutgers-Newark student interested in starting or expanding an existing business, apply for consideration for an internship to either:
- Work on your own venture
- Work with a local entrepreneur in your area of interest
Business idea/venture must be PROSOCIAL (doing good in the world)
Now accepting applications for spring 2025.
The USL also hosts various events for students to learn more about starting and expanding a business. Click here for a list of our events for fall 2024.
RU-Flourishing Program
RU-Flourishing is a 6-month training program that supports system-impacted nascent and early-stage entrepreneurs to start, build, and nurture small businesses in New Jersey. RU-Flourishing provides business management training, business and financial coaching, mentoring, and networking opportunities. RU-Flourishing also has a small seed fund to support some graduates' ventures at the conclusion of the program.
RU-flourishing is a model that can be replicated in other urban areas.
Applications for consideration for the 4th Cohort are now open. The application deadline is November 25. If you are selected to move forward in the process, you will receive an email in December with next steps.
To learn more about RAISED and any of our programs, email us at raised@business.rutgers.edu.
RU Creative
RU Creative is a Rutgers-Newark student initiative founded by RAISED USL prosocial intern and Rutgers Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) Scholar Leslie Nuñez.
The premise of RU Creative is to fund a local artist of Hispanic/Latin descent, living or working in Newark, to create a mural that focuses on social justice themes. Mi Tierra Linda shines a light on personal and global issues such as immigration, empowerment, family, legacy, and Latino/Hispanic stories. Mi Tierra Linda is based on the story of Leslie’s family coming to the United States from Ecuador. Her family’s story is reflective of other such personal stories, making it a community story, a national story, and a global story.
Selected mural artist Bryan Espinal was born in the Dominican Republic before moving to Newark at the age of 11. Bryan combines his passion for art and a degree in engineering from NJIT to create a lasting impact in the community he calls home. Working with Leslie on a collective vision, Bryan designed and created panels that express and share the legacy of these powerful personal and global stories, including his own. The mural is installed with the assistance of the Rutgers-Newark Paul Robeson Galleries and is unveiled during Hispanic Heritage month and as part of Newark Arts Festival.
Opening reception is Wednesday, October 9th, 2:30 – 3:30pm, at the HLLC Piazza, 48 New Street, Newark, New Jersey.