{"id":4765,"date":"2026-08-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entrepreneurship.asu.edu\/blog\/?p=4765"},"modified":"2026-08-25T15:31:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T15:31:25","slug":"five-years-of-expanding-opportunity-celebrating-the-j-orin-edson-entrepreneurship-innovation-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entrepreneurship.asu.edu\/blog\/2026\/08\/25\/five-years-of-expanding-opportunity-celebrating-the-j-orin-edson-entrepreneurship-innovation-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Years of Expanding Opportunity: Celebrating the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In September 2020, Arizona State University proudly named the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute in recognition of J. Orin Edson’s transformational endowed gift and his longstanding commitment to empowering entrepreneurs. The naming honored a legacy that began in 2005 with the creation of the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative. It also reaffirmed a bold commitment to expanding entrepreneurship and innovation opportunities for generations to come. <\/span>Read the original announcement here.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Over the past year, we’ve celebrated this milestone alongside the students, founders, faculty, mentors, educators, partners and supporters who make our entrepreneurial ecosystem so remarkable. But anniversaries aren’t simply about looking back. They’re an opportunity to recognize how far we’ve come, and to recommit ourselves to building what comes next.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Five years after becoming the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, one thing is abundantly clear: J. Orin Edson’s belief in the power of entrepreneurship continues to create opportunity every day.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Legacy That Continues to Create Opportunity<\/b><\/h3>\n

J. Orin Edson believed that innovation could improve lives. His generosity established a lasting foundation for an entrepreneurial ecosystem designed to help people transform ideas into action. Today, Edson E+I has grown into one of the nation’s largest and most accessible university entrepreneurship communities, built around the simple but powerful belief that entrepreneurship is for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

From middle school students discovering innovation for the first time to college students exploring a startup, faculty researchers commercializing groundbreaking discoveries and community founders building a small business, our role is to create pathways that help you succeed. Edson E+I has intentionally built an interconnected continuum of experiences, including education, mentorship, venture development, innovation spaces, funding opportunities and community partnerships. These experiences allow innovators to enter wherever they are and access the resources they need as they grow. That vision has guided everything we’ve built over the last five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Startup founders at the Edson E+I Inferno Invitational Startup Cup event<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

A Remarkable Fifth Year by the Numbers<\/b><\/h3>\n

The impact of J. Orin Edson’s investment continues to grow. During FY2026*\u00a0 alone, Edson E+I achieved extraordinary impact:<\/span><\/p>\n