Entrepreneurship at the Gatton College of Business and Economics is no longer confined to a single center or elective course. It is becoming a coordinated effort spanning new faculty hires, expanded programming, community partnerships and a growing pipeline that now reaches into Kentucky’s high schools.
In recent years, Gatton has strengthened its academic and experiential offerings in entrepreneurship, hiring faculty with deep industry experience and research expertise while expanding startup training and ecosystem engagement through the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship (VACE).
The result is a more intentional approach: one that connects coursework, mentorship, pitch experiences and statewide engagement into a broader vision for economic growth in Kentucky.
David Hasler joined Gatton’s Department of Management in 2025 with a background including global corporations and early-stage startups. A Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame mentor of the year award winner and founder of Breakthrough Solutions Consulting LLC, Hasler previously held leadership roles at Walmart, Procter & Gamble and Limited Brands.
For Hasler, stepping into the classroom was a natural extension of leadership.
“Early in my career I had a personal experience that convinced me great leaders should also be great teachers,” he said. “Being here at UK was always on my wish list—a chance to give back to a university that changed my life.”
In his courses, Hasler grounds entrepreneurship in practical decision-making. Students repeatedly return to three core questions: Is there real demand? Can we build it? Can we grow and fund it?
He emphasizes that modern entrepreneurship looks different than it did even a decade ago. Digital platforms, flexible production models and new distribution channels have lowered barriers to entry and created opportunities for niche ventures to scale in ways previously unimaginable.
“Entrepreneurship is everywhere,” Hasler said. “It’s not confined to one discipline. As a land-grant university, we owe it to the state to champion these tools and empower people to ask, ‘Why not?’”
Bryan Stroube, who also joined Gatton in 2025 as an assistant professor of management, brings a research lens to entrepreneurship education. His scholarship examines how audiences evaluate organizations and how social dynamics—including status and perception—influence outcomes.
“Entrepreneurship isn’t just about creativity or risk-taking,” Stroube said. “It’s about understanding how others perceive your idea and systematically using that feedback to refine it.”
In the classroom, Stroube pushes students to think structurally, examining how ventures move from ideation to development to scaling. He emphasizes that while there is no formula for success, disciplined analysis can help entrepreneurs reduce uncertainty and allocate resources more effectively.
Perhaps most importantly, he sees entrepreneurship education as transferable beyond startups.
“The ability to formulate new ideas, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and refine them based on feedback applies in established organizations as much as it does in new ventures,” he said.
While faculty expand entrepreneurship in the classroom, VACE provides the practical proving ground.
Mariam Gorjian, assistant director of VACE, describes Lexington’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as growing and increasingly collaborative.
“It takes a village to build pathways for our budding founders,” she said. “Over the past 15 years, I’ve seen the ecosystem evolve significantly, particularly here at Gatton.”
VACE’s Entrepreneurs Bootcamp—described as startup training rather than a traditional accelerator—guides participants through validating business models, understanding customers and building sustainable foundations. The program is open not only to students, but to Kentuckians across the state.
“The entrepreneurship ecosystem at Gatton is incredibly welcoming to students from all majors. Coming from an engineering background, it gave me the opportunity to apply what I was learning in the classroom to real-world ventures,” said Wyatt Hench, founder of HelperHat, a bootcamp startup venture. “Mr. Hasler’s Venture Creation course, the VACE Entrepreneurship BootCamp led by Ms. Gorjian and Mr. Nash, and the pitch competitions all pushed me to think more deeply about my business model and execution. The seed funding served as a catalyst that helped turn my ideas into viable businesses. I truly appreciate how Gatton invests in its students and empowers them to take action.”
The Center is also developing a new Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) pilot program. The EIR initiative will bring accomplished executives to campus for immersive 48-hour engagements—teaching, speaking and mentoring students interested in entrepreneurship.
The first participant was John Reinhart, Serial Entrepreneur and Gatton Alum, in early March. Additional executives, including Terry Hemmings, retired CEO of Provident Entertainment, are expected to participate as the program expands.
“Coursework provides a foundation,” Gorjian said. “But pitch competitions, startup training and community partnerships introduce real-world stakes. That’s where confidence and resilience are built.”
This spring, Gatton hosted the inaugural Launch Lexington: Student Pitch Competition, welcoming Fayette County high school students to campus to present business ideas.
The idea grew out of Hasler’s work with local schools and his belief that entrepreneurial exposure should begin early.
“The sooner we start this process, the better,” Hasler said. “Students need to see pathways beyond traditional work models.”
Three schools and four teams participated in the first competition. A team from Tates Creek High School ultimately won with an idea addressing social connection through a competitive fishing app concept—an example, Hasler noted, of both creativity and scalable thinking.
Launch Lexington was designed not as a one-time event, but as the beginning of a broader pipeline. Gatton leaders hope to expand participation across Lexington, pilot the model in other regions such as Louisville or Northern Kentucky, and ultimately host a statewide championship.
Matthew Quarles, Gatton’s director of undergraduate recruitment, sees the initiative as aligned with the college’s broader mission.
“Launch Lexington reflects UK’s and Gatton’s commitment to providing students an opportunity to turn their ideas into action, while nurturing Kentucky’s entrepreneurial spirit,” Quarles said. “I’m excited to see Gatton roll this opportunity out statewide so all our students can participate.”
For Gorjian, hosting high school students on campus is about more than competition.
“When students walk through Gatton, meet our ecosystem partners and see the resources available, we’re recruiting our future founders,” she said.
Gatton’s growing entrepreneurship emphasis is also supported by alumni and community leaders, including members of the VACE advisory board.
Silas Deane, chairman of the board for VACE and a Gatton Hall of Fame inductee, has built and sold multiple ventures, including VendEngine, a fintech company acquired by Tyler Technologies. His involvement reflects the broader goal of connecting students to seasoned entrepreneurs who can mentor, invest and advise.
Gatton’s expanding entrepreneurship footprint is not centered in one program or personality. It is a coordinated effort—academic programming, startup training, pitch opportunities, executive engagement and alumni mentorship—designed to create a “whole product” for aspiring founders.
Looking ahead, Gorjian measures success not only by enrollment, but by ecosystem depth.
“Five years from now, success means students won’t just graduate with a degree,” she said. “They’ll graduate with validated ideas, market insight, financial understanding and a network to support them.”
For Hasler, the goal is equally clear.
“We want Gatton to be known as a place where entrepreneurship is possible no matter your major,” he said. “When that happens, the jobs will follow.”
