The most powerful part of our program is the community built around it. The Engler community is an active group of strong-willed Engler entrepreneurs who live out purpose-driven entrepreneurship and seek to help each other start, launch and grow purposeful enterprises. We don’t all look alike — we have different backgrounds and strengths — but we believe in the same mission. Entrepreneurship is not an easy road, but it’s much more manageable when you have a guild of fellow apprentices who are learning this trade. The community is here to support you, teach you, challenge you and encourage you along the path of entrepreneurship.

Nope! It’s our goal to build a broad community of aspiring entrepreneurs who believe in the power of purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Engler is rooted as a college program at the University of Nebraska and many of our members are current college students. Today, we seek to build a community of entrepreneurs who might be found in high schools, community colleges, serving as educators, aspiring to start an enterprise or have an enterprise going across the fullness of Nebraska’s landscape. We are building a cohort of entrepreneurs who align with the mission of Engler and desire to grow their communities through the power of entrepreneurship.

Having an idea is not required. We believe that each person has a purpose they are born to fulfill. Whether that calling lies in pushing innovation in your own startup or making an impact in an established company, our program is designed to help you discover and understand that purpose. Maybe you’ll surprise yourself and decide to start a business. Maybe you choose to work for someone else. No matter where you end up, we will help you develop the skills to approach problems with an entrepreneurial mindset and a plan to find your purpose.

Engler is building a comprehensive program entirely focused on supporting and developing the individual entrepreneur. We provide more than $200,000 in scholarship awards each year, access to mentors, connections throughout the Midwest, a customizable educational experience and a powerful tribe of fellow community members working hard to build future enterprises. At Engler, we consider ourselves a family and we take care of our own.

But most of all, if you have any sort of interest in purpose-driven entrepreneurship, this is the place for you. We believe in action and ‘doing entrepreneurship’ more than anything else. We won’t make you sit through a lecture and we won’t give you busy work. We will push you to action, challenge you to commit and support you to begin building an enterprise. If you want to get started and take action right now, Engler is the place to be.

Engler is industry agnostic — you can start whatever you want. We’ll help you find your purpose and start building an enterprise to get there.

No, we aren’t a fishing program. We are named after Mr. Paul Engler — a Nebraskan, cattleman and brave entrepreneur. In 2010, Mr. Paul Engler provided a gift to the University of Nebraska to establish a student program focused on entrepreneurship and growing rural America. It was his hope that members from this program would return to their rural communities and establish sustainable, impactful businesses. Mr. Engler grew up in Basset, Nebraska, and started his cattle herd when he was 12 years old. After graduating from UNL, he relocated to Texas and built one of the nation’s largest feedlots, Cactus Feeders. His story is one of passion, devotion, vision and grit. Paul not only serves as the founder of our program but an example entrepreneur as well.

The answer is no! We welcome any and all majors into our program. However, a CASNR minor is required in order to be eligible for a scholarship.