Admissions Process
LEARN
APPLY
INTERVIEW
IDEATE
Ideator Focus
The Social Entrepreneurship Learning Lab (SELL) offers tailored curriculum for each of the sections of the fellowship. In the Ideator, the curriculum centers on three distinct sections.
The Bigger Picture
The Ideator Fellowship is the first step in a journey to become social entrepreneur. After ideating a solution to a social problem and being inducted into the fellowship, students have the opportunity to complete two more semesters to build their venture.
Ideator
Part One: Ideating a solution to a social problem. Fellow candidates who complete this semester are then inducted.
Incubator
Part Two: Building upon original ideas. Fellows who complete this semester become ``Senior Fellows.``
Accelerator
Part Three: Launching social ventures. Fellows who complete this semester retain ``Senior Fellow`` status.
We want people
who care about impact
The Social Entrepreneurship Learning Lab (SELL) Fellowship is built to serve any student on campus who cares about impact & wants to become a changemaker. SELL applicants don't need entrepreneurial experience, but they should exemplify our values. We look for the following in applicants:
Elements of the Ideator
Once accepted into the Ideator, Fellow Candidates must complete the following to be inducted into the fellowship as Junior Fellows.
Workshops
Ideator Workshops, where SELL curriculum is taught, are twice per week for two hours each. The first workshops teach background knowledge on social impact and entrepreneurship. The next focus on understanding social problems. The final workshops teach students how to ideate a solution for the social problem they care about most.
In the spring, Ideator Workshops are Mondays & Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00pm. In the fall, Ideator Workshops are Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6:30-8:30pm.
Tangibles
Each Fellow Candidate must complete the tangibles provided to them by the Ideator Director. Tangibles are conceptual frameworks designed to assist students in learning different approaches to problem solving. They add quality checks for research, beneficiary needs, and community validation to the ideation process.These tangibles help the Ideator Team track fellow candidate progress throughout the semester. Nearly every lesson will have 1-2 tangibles associated with it.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout Sessions consist of three different types of one on one meetings. The three types of Breakout Sessions are:
- Navigation Sessions: hour-long meetings for personal development with a SELL Officer or Executive Board member.
- Development Sessions: hour-long check-ins with the Ideator Fellow Development Lead to go over where Fellow Candidates are in the SELL curriculum.
- Mentorship Sessions: meetings with external SELL partners and alumni to help Fellow Candidates learn about the entrepreneurial world outside of SELL and receive further guidance.
Breakout Sessions provide Fellow Candidates with an opportunity to gain individualized guidance and mentorship from an experienced SELL Executive or Officer Board Members or Community Mentors. Ideator Fellow Candidates are required to complete one Breakout Session per week outside of sessions during a time that works for them and whoever they’re meeting with.
Beneficiary Interviews
Beneficiary Interviews are a major part of understanding social problems. Each fellow candidate must conduct in-person or phone interviews with stakeholders and beneficiaries associated with the social problem they want to solve.
For example, students looking to solve a social problem involving child illiteracy might interview teachers, parents, students, or UT professors.
Idea Pitch
All Fellow Candidates are required to pitch their idea at the end of the semester at our Ideator SELL Your Story Conference. The conference is meant to put all of our Ideator Fellow Candidates in a room and allow them to pitch to students, faculty, and SELL alumni.