De La Vega Innovation Lab for Students

Come to the De La Vega Innovation Lab during open lab hours to work through the design thinking process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test). Bounce your ideas off other students, practice your pitches, connect with potential collaborators and business partners and use the open space for innovating your next business idea.

Spring 2023 Hours

Tuesdays and Thursdays
1-4 p.m.

Reserve the De La Vega Innovation Lab for your meetings, events and programs. Students, staff and faculty can reserve the space and technology (3-D printer, Cricut vinyl cutter, projectors, OWL recording device) for free.

Tech support available Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. No food or drinks (besides water) allowed in the lab.

You can also reserve a PwC office space to further develop or manage your business endeavors.

Reserve

Students, faculty/staff, alumni and community partners can attend the 101 Workshops that focus on the key steps in developing an entrepreneurial mindset. Gain insight on innovating and accelerating your business idea. Topics include Pitching 101, Market Research 101, Social Media Marketing 101, Networking 101, Crowdfunding 101 and more.

Do you have a request or idea for a workshop topic? Email beccahusar@niu.edu.

Hear the perspectives of successful entrepreneurs, alumni and partners. Attending the Entrepreneurial Journeys speaker series is a great way to network with industry professionals, gain more insight on the entrepreneurial mindset and ask questions from knowledgeable professionals.

The Entrepreneurial Journeys series is brought to you by the Innovation Club, 71 North, and De La Vega Innovation Lab.

The annual De La Vega Pitch Competition invites undergraduate and graduate students from all majors across NIU to pitch an innovative business idea to a panel of judges. Participants can enter for the chance to win a cash prize, meet like-minded entrepreneurs and get valuable feedback from judges and potential investors.

The Business Law Innovation Clinic (BLIC) offers legal assistance to primarily underrepresented entrepreneurs, small business owners and not-for-profit business organizations.

Contact Lawrence Stein, clinical assistant professor of law, at l-stein@niu.edu.

Legal Representation and Assistance Areas

• Business formation
• Business Enterprise Program certification
• Obtaining 501(c)(3) status
• Drafting bylaws
• Reviewing contracts to sell and purchase
• Advising on corporate recordkeeping
• General intellectual property issues such as trademark registration