The Hurt Hub@Davidson convenes innovators and entrepreneurs in the Davidson College community and the Greater Charlotte region to catalyze innovative solutions to critical problems through high-impact experiential learning and educational programming in a safe environment, an inclusive coworking space, a robust mentor network, access to startup capital, and innovation consulting.
The Hurt Hub co-led our inaugural Entrepreneurship Club Spring Break trek to San Francisco (see photo above), giving six students incredible access to Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem. Over five intensive days, participants visited twelve companies and attended a successful alumni networking event that strengthened connections with our Bay Area professional network. Thanks to generous donor support, Ed Van Deman ’69 has committed to sponsoring the program’s continuation next year.
29 unique entrepreneurship and innovation-focused classes, workshops, and programs.
96 Startups and Small Businesses Supported
5 Town of Davidson businesses served with innovative business consulting through Amplify Davidson
Through the class and weekly assignments, it forced me to get out and talk to people and move from idea to action. By the end of the class, I was able to build and test my minimal viable product, applied my idea as an LLC and registered for an EIN. I look forward to more ways to learn and grow with the content learned in the class!
This fiscal year marked a pivotal transformation as our six-year Gig-Hub program evolved into the new Student Consulting Team, incorporating skill-building workshops and an agency-based model that launched in June 2025. The program’s continued growth is evident in our impact: 68 student consultants completed 85 projects for 57 clients, contributing 3,185 hours of consulting services to businesses across diverse industries.
"I really like the mix of professional experience and learning environment, which is something you don’t get often. It gives me the opportunity to work directly with small business owners, understand how businesses operate, and help come up with real solutions that support their growth, all while developing necessary career skills like professional communication, project management, problem-solving, and teamwork."
Students and young alums competed in our 4 competitions this year – Try It Fund, Avinger Impact Fund, Nisbet Venture Fund, and the R. Craig and Sheila Yoder Applied Research Fellowship. Our finalists and winners had ideas ranging from invasive species upcycling, to student-led rideshare apps, to recycling coconut husks to create biochar-enriched cocopeat and coir doormats, to college-centric event discovery apps and much more!
We also held our community focused CATS Pitch Competition in the 2024 fall season, where three entrepreneurs in our community were awarded capital, mentorship, access to talent, and space in our coworking facility. We are grateful for the generous support from the Charlie Hinnant ’72 Fund, the Avinger Impact Fund established in honor of Robert L. Avinger, Jr. ’60 and Professor of Economics from 1967-80, Marian Nisbet and Chip Nisbet ’86, Davidson alums, and other community sponsors for making this possible.
“Davidson College and the Hurt Hub have been instrumental in helping me develop both the business concept and the connections needed to bring Bizcards to market,” said Koufos. “The mentorship and support I’ve received through the Nisbet Venture Fund program have been invaluable.”
Since its inception in 2022, over 783,219 learners have engaged with our digital learning portfolio. These courses provide access to open education for ALL. Over 90% of learners accessed the courses at no cost. Self-paced courses and recorded workshops on DavidsonX include:
