In a unique approach to entrepreneurship education, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program is challenging traditional business education through its innovative $50 Venture Class.
Unlike conventional entrepreneurship courses focusing on case studies and theoretical frameworks, the $50 Venture Class puts real money in students’ hands with a simple instruction: start a business. This experiential approach has helped over 400 students launch ventures ranging from handcrafted fishing lures to custom leather goods.
“We don’t study case studies or write reports. We believe the best way to learn entrepreneurship is to try it,” said Brennan Costello, Chief Business Relations Officer for the Engler Program and creator of the course. “The main goal is for students to discover if entrepreneurship is something they want to continue to pursue.”
The class structure represents a radical departure from traditional education. Throughout the semester, students review essential business modules, conduct real customer interviews, secure mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, and ultimately showcase their ventures at a capstone Demo Day event. Rather than emphasizing grades and exams, students are evaluated on their effort and engagement and ultimately negotiate their final grade based on evidence of their work throughout the semester.
For Mattie Beattie, what began as a $50 class project has transformed into the Virginia Leather Co, a thriving business that now sells high-end, handcrafted leather goods and ships to customers across the US.
Studio portrait of Mattie Beattie, Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneur. February 19, 2025.
“Starting Virginia Leather Co. with limited funds and set deadlines was a game-changer,” said Mattie. “The hands-on experience taught me practical business skills I could never learn on my own. I quickly learned how to prioritize the most critical steps in building a startup, focusing only on what truly mattered. That structure and constraint built my confidence as an entrepreneur and showed me how to make the most of limited resources. Now, I have a successful business that I love due to the foundation I established in the $50 venture class.”
The Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, which houses the $50 Venture Class, takes a fundamentally different approach to education. “The Engler program is about customized, experiential learning,” Costello explained. “It’s not one-size-fits-all and doesn’t just move people through a system. It’s about the founder and growing the person.”
This philosophy aligns with the program’s mission to embolden people to pursue their purpose through entrepreneurship. Rather than following a rigid curriculum, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning journey and develop real-world skills through hands-on experience.
“The class gives students permission to start,” Costello added. “Many people get stuck in planning mode, but our students learn that entrepreneurship is about action.”
“Many ask if you can really start a business with just $50, but we’ve found that entrepreneurs in our class follow the same path as fully funded businesses—they make the same mistakes, follow the same business models, and operate in the same real-world environment. The difference is that we’ve created a low-risk setting to try entrepreneurship without the pressure of significant financial investment.”
To ensure the program’s continued success, Engler alumni are spearheading a fundraising initiative to provide seed money for future $50 ventures. This alumni-led fund will help sustain the program and allow more students to experience entrepreneurship in this unique, hands-on environment.
For more information about the $50 Venture Class or the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, visit englerjourney.com or contact:
Tom Field
Director, Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program
402-472-5643
tfield2@unl.edu