College of Business > About > Centers & Institutes > Coleman Entrepreneurship Center > Global Entrepreneur in Residence Program

Global Entrepreneur in Residence Program

DePaul University and the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center (CEC) have chosen to participate in the city of Chicago's Global Entrepreneur-in-Residence (GEIR) Program. Through the program, DePaul will aid international alumni company founders and essential personnel to remain in the U.S. through the H-1B visa pathway to retain much needed and highly technical talent in Chicago.

The selected residents will serve the DePaul community as mentors of professional opportunities for DePaul’s entrepreneurial efforts on campus and within Chicago's ecosystem.

It is anticipated residents will volunteer approximately 20 hours per week at DePaul and the Coleman Center to further entrepreneurship interests within the university. Residents will have access to DePaul office space and resources.

To qualify for DePaul’s GEIR Program, the applicant must be a DePaul University graduate with ownership interest in a recently established company with a board of directors, money in the bank (enough funding to cover or exceed 12 months of complete business operations) and a viable plan for future growth.

The resident's company will be responsible for sponsoring the resident for an H-1B visa. Each resident is responsible for any expenses associated with securing the visa, including attorneys’ fees and filing fees. The H-1B visa duration of stay is three years, but the visa may be extended up to six years.

The residents' activities will fall into five dimensions, each with its own set of identified targeted groups, key performance indicators and objectives tailored to the resident and the entrepreneurship needs of DePaul.

The five dimensions of the program include:

  • Learning: contribute to and assist development of DePaul’s interests in entrepreneurship.
  • Thought leadership: assist the Coleman Center in the marketing of entrepreneurial activities.
  • Networking: assist DePaul and Coleman Center associated entrepreneurs with better utilization of DePaul entrepreneurial assets.
  • Program longevity: set up the foundations for continuing growth and expansion of the GEIR program in the future.

For questions about the application process, email cec@depaul.edu.

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