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Meet the 2025-26 Social Innovation Fellows

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A woman and two kids at a table

May 11, 2026

A Full-Circle Moment: Reflections from the Social Innovation Fellows Experience

This is a guest reflection written by Social Innovation Fellow alumna and Medicines for Humanity Development Coordinator, Victoria Fuda. A mother holds her baby as she steps into a neighbor’s small home in the Dominican Republic, where a simple cabinet serves as a community pharmacy. The baby’s fever has not gone down. The mother is…
A group of students smiling at the camera at the NC State Make-A-Thon.

Apr 23, 2026

Prototypes, Pitches and Possibility: The Make-A-Thon Story

Make-A-Thon is not just a weekend sprint at NC State; it is a launchpad where students transform sustainability challenges into real solutions and lasting confidence. Each year, NC State Sustainability invites students from across disciplines to prototype ideas that tackle real-world environmental problems, then pitch their solutions to campus and industry judges over an intense,…
A group of people posing on stage

Apr 10, 2026

Swipe Right for Your Cofounder: The Story of Cofoundr and Hackworks

On March 3, 2026, Hackworks turned NC State into a hub for innovation as students from business and engineering raced to build and pitch their innovative solutions to judges from leading companies like IBM, Red Hat and other industry leaders. Hosted by Cofoundr in collaboration with the Society of Entrepreneurs (SOE) club, this event gave…
Before an audience, a man points to a slide projection to make a point about his battery technology.

Apr 10, 2026

Pitch Competition Shows Ag Tech ‘Alive and Thriving’ at NC State

At the N.C. PSI Seed2Grow Showcase and Pitch Competition, NC State students and researchers shared their ag tech innovations with industry leaders and investors.

Apr 10, 2026

Seed2Grow Spotlight: Verdia Diagnostics’ Zach Hetzler

A recent NC State Ph.D. graduate, Hetzler leads a university startup company out to improve the way farmers detect and diagnose plant diseases.

Apr 10, 2026

NC State Launches Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The new NC State Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship will prepare students to initiate and manage new organizational opportunities and innovative ventures. Developed through a collaboration between Poole College…
A panel of 5 people with a moderator sitting.

Mar 24, 2026

Rooted in Impact: How SSIE Redefined Sustainable Entrepreneurship at USASBE 2026

At the 2026 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, Matt Fox, director of Social and Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, joined fellow educators and entrepreneurship leaders to discuss how universities can build sustainable, community-centered innovation ecosystems. Through SSIE’s cornerstone initiatives — REBUILD, Social Innovation Fellows (SIF) and…

Feb 25, 2026

From Lab to Land: How the GATE Program Is Advancing AgTech Innovation at NC State

From Lab to Land: How the GATE Program Is Advancing AgTech Innovation at NC State Agricultural innovation moves at a different pace than most tech startups. It faces longer development times, complex regulations, seasonal challenges and the need to work closely with growers and supply chains from the start. To address these hurdles, NC State…

Jan 13, 2026

The Grind Behind the Growth: Bhavya Jain’s Journey

Starting Small, Thinking Big Jain’s entrepreneurial spark ignited during his freshman year, when he noticed a growing challenge on campus: students needed affordable, reliable access to electronic devices. Rather than just accept the problem, they built a solution: a small, informal marketplace where students could buy and sell devices directly. “It was scrappy and unpolished,”…
A group of 18 students selected for the Social Innovation Fellow Cohort, smiling together.

Nov 20, 2025

Meet the 2025-26 Social Innovation Fellows

The Social Innovation Fellows (SIF) is a year-long, team-based learning experience that enables NC State’s social entrepreneurs and innovators to consider their impact on humanity and our planet.  This year’s fellows will work alongside one of five venture partners to have a greater impact on the community that each business serves. Additionally, the fellows will…