About CEO
The Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983. With 16,500 members across 250+ university chapters, CEO is the premier entrepreneurship network in higher education.
Our Mission and Vision
Mission: To inform, support and inspire college students to be entrepreneurial and seek opportunity through enterprise creation.
Vision: To be the preeminent organization dedicated to serving colleges and universities in order to help students achieve their entrepreneurial dreams and goals.
The Founding Story
The 1970s saw entrepreneurship emerge as a new field of study in business and higher education. Very few universities offered coursework, and students interested in becoming entrepreneurs had almost no resources or outlets. No national student organization served this interest.
In 1983, Gerry Hills, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, called a meeting of 12 Chicago-area university students at a local restaurant to discuss building an entrepreneurship organization. John Hughes and Jean Thorne of the Coleman Foundation contributed, along with Verne Harnish, who was working with Fran Jabara to create the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs (ACE).
That meeting became the Collegiate Entrepreneurs of Illinois Conference, hosted by UIC's Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies with faculty and students from DePaul, Loyola, Illinois Institute of Technology and Northwestern University. The Coleman Foundation generously contributed as the conference sponsor and continues its support today. By 1985, the conference was renamed the Collegiate Entrepreneurs of the Midwest Conference.
After years of continuous growth, Hills refocused on the original 1983 objective: a national organization supporting student entrepreneurship. In 1997, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization was officially launched. The first two national conferences, called "pilot meetings," drew more than 700 students from 100 universities.
Growth and Impact
In 1999, the Kauffman Foundation joined the Coleman Foundation as a key supporter. With Kauffman's backing, CEO hired full-time staff, and chapters began appearing on campuses across the country.
1983Year Founded |
16,500Members |
250+University Chapters |
2,000+Events Per Year |
Today, CEO chapters host 2,000+ events annually, and members launch roughly 1,100 ventures per year. Six regional conferences span the country, and the annual CEO Global Conference brings together more than 1,400 students, faculty advisors and entrepreneurs.
Awards and Recognition
Each year at the CEO Global Conference, CEO recognizes the students, advisors and chapters making the biggest impact. Active awards include the Collegiate Entrepreneur of the Year, Chapter President of the Year, the James H. Hunter Chapter Advisor of the Year and Global Chapter of the Year — each carrying a $500 cash prize. The CEO Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Award have honored entrepreneurs like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Jeff Hoffman (Priceline), Doris Christopher (The Pampered Chef) and Kevin Harrington (As Seen on TV).
Join the Network
CEO membership gives your chapter access to training, conferences, partner tools and a global network of student entrepreneurs and faculty advisors. Individual student accounts are free when your university holds an active chapter membership.
Annual Reports
Questions? Reach CEO HQ at 813.258.7236 or at joinceo.org/contact-us.