The Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship is a hub for MICA students & alumni to engage with programs that connect resources & training to grow creative ideas into viable businesses.
Here at MICA, entrepreneurship is cultivated with the artist and community in mind.
MICA established the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (RCCE) to expand its educational mission of empowering students to forge creative and purposeful lives and careers. The RCCE sees creative entrepreneurship as the place where creative vision, entrepreneurship, and social innovation meet.
The RCCE's Signature Programs provide students experiential learning opportunities in creative entrepreneurship - in and beyond the classroom. Our programs offer experiences, training, resources, experiential learning, funding, and ongoing professional development to support the emergence and growth of sustainable, profitable, and impactful businesses. As a MICA student, you have access to a variety of offerings allowing you to learn about creative entrepreneurship pathways, and ideate, test, and launch ventures with the support of expert faculty, industry professionals, and creative entrepreneurship advisors.
Whether you are in the exploration phase and want to shadow creative entrepreneurs through A Day in the Life, the ideation phase and want to practice pitching through the JUST/Start Idea Competition, or you have a business idea and are ready to launch through the UP/Start Venture Competition, the aim of the RCCE is to meet you where you are. The entrepreneurial journey is your canvas and you get to design a structured approach that aligns best with your vision, goals, and core values.
If you don’t know where to start - that’s okay too! Schedule a 1:1 meeting with an RCCE staff member to chat through ideas, opportunities, and next steps.
Check out the RCCE’s Signature Programs
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The JUST/Start Idea Competition inspires inspiring creatives to share their ideas with the MICA Community through a 1-minute pitch, and compete for seed funding.
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A Day in the Life is a one-day experience during which students can shadow a local creative entrepreneur to learn about what entrepreneurship looks like on a day-to-day basis across different creative industries.
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Receive up a fellowship of up to $3,000 to support participation in a creative entrepreneurial internship anywhere around the world.
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The UP/Start Venture Competition is an accelerator and pitch competition for those who are ready to take their business ideas to the next level! Finalists compete for a pool of $105,000 in seed funding.
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Art Market is a three-floor holiday market that provides over 100 MICA students, alumni, faculty, and staff with the opportunity to sell their artwork, craft and artisan-made pieces in a two-day public event on MICA's campus.
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CEINNOV is our go-to-market program, supporting students and alumni in learning how to share your creative practices and generate income through launch events.