Bulletin No. 1, 2018

Do entrepreneurs need a college education? Given the stellar startup careers of famous dropouts like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, the answer to this question seems like a no-brainer. But while outliers are given a disproportionate amount of attention, it is easy to overlook the fact that for every Bill Gates, there are countless dropouts who have failed. Plenty of research has shown that higher education is a good way for young entrepreneurs to increase their chances of business success, and that companies started by more educated founders tend to have greater sales volumes. In recent years, CUHK has been developing new ways to equip the next generation with the skills and resources they need to create their own futures. Entrepreneurial classes impart not only knowledge but also nurture inner ability. The opportunities offered by the many centres, incubators and College programmes enable students to explore their ideas and get a taste of the external business world. An extensive alumni network allows them to receive both advice and capital investment from those who have been there before. Back when Steve Jobs started Apple in his garage or when Zuckerberg built a dating website in his dorm room, starting one’s own company was much less common than today and the university campus was an unlikely place to find allies and support. Nowadays, with entrepreneurship having become a global phenomenon, universities, the felicitous meeting point of campus resources, expert knowledge and ambitious students, are natural sites for entrepreneurial energy and provide a safe environment for nascent founders to build a network of like-minded people and give their future startups a head start. Equipping Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs 03