Fueling Founders: A Look Back at the Inaugural Dyer Student Venture Grant Program
The 2024-2025 academic year marked a new era for student innovation at Lafayette College with the launch of the Dyer Center Student Venture Grant program. This initiative, made possible by a generous donation from Zilla Gunawardana ’95 , was designed to give early-stage student entrepreneurs the vital seed funding they needed to take their ideas from concept to reality.
The success and high demand of this initial program have directly inspired a bold new step forward for our entrepreneurial community, laying the foundation for our next major launch.
Impact and Success Stories
The pilot program was a huge success, receiving 19 applications and leading to 7 grants awarded5. The early demand for funding was high, demonstrating the passion and readiness of our students. The funded ventures demonstrated the impressive breadth of student creativity, spanning technology, education, and consumer goods. These funds enabled students to take real steps toward launching and growing ventures, some for the very first time. A few highlights inclued:
Locava: Used funds for marketing, server costs, and LLC incorporation support for their mobile app.
Pitra LLC: Created specialized planners/journals for first-generation college students.
Voltage Fitness: Supported the production of fitness apparel and a wholesale partnership.
Students consistently reported that receiving the grant gave them a sense of validation and credibility, giving them the confidence to take their ideas seriously. As Armaghan Ejaz of Voltage Fitness said, “It allowed me to create the products and get started”.
Evolving Support: The Launch of the Dyer Venture Studio
The grant pilot was incredibly successful in providing necessary funding, but our experience revealed a clear opportunity to enhance the support structure for student founders1. Feedback showed a strong need for more front-end support, particularly for those who were still shaping their ideas or unsure how to take the next step1.
This insight is the driving force behind the Dyer Venture Studio, launching in Fall 2025. The Venture Studio represents a new, intentional model that connects grant funding directly to structured mentorship, peer learning, and milestone-driven development. Under this structure students participating in the Studio, receiving targeted support in refining their ideas and conducting customer discovery, before applying for funding. Funding is available only to active participants, ensuring that the financial support is embedded within a supportive framework of meaningful engagement and growth.
The Dyer Venture Studio is not just a funding pipeline, it is a comprehensive learning environment that empowers students to develop entrepreneurial confidence, skills, and mindset. We look forward to sharing more success stories in the year to come.