Catalyzing Technology Products, Innovators, and Founders

If you are a student interested in building tech products or a founder/partner looking for student support on a project, we’d love to connect!

Our Approach

The Christensen Family Center for Innovation (CFCI) supports the next generation of technology product leaders by equipping Duke students and alumni with the skills, experiences, and mentorship needed to build impactful ventures.

Through immersive programs, hands-on courses, and founder-focused initiatives, the Center helps engineering and business students — including recent Pratt graduates — learn how to identify customer needs, design innovative solutions, and bring new products to market.

By connecting technical training with entrepreneurial practice, the Christensen Center fosters a community where aspiring product leaders and engineering founders can grow from idea to execution.

Vision

We empower communities of innovation to build technology products together.

Mission

We develop products, product leaders, and founders to catalyze Duke’s technology venture pipeline toward bold societal impact focused on the public good.

Values

Joyful innovation – We embrace creativity and approach challenges with a spirit of curiosity and fun, turning every idea into an opportunity to innovate

Outcome-oriented – We thrive on collaboration, tackling obstacles with a solutions-first mindset, quickly adapting and evolving for the best outcomes

Collaborative Learning – We are committed to constant growth — personally, professionally, and as a team — always striving to learn, improve, and push boundaries

News

Catch up on what’s happening around CFCI.

4/30 Entrepreneurship

Incubator at Duke University empowering startups, entrepreneurial dreams

From 3D printed braces used by the NFL to a gel that can help regrow bones, all kinds of innovations are coming out of a Duke incubator called the BRiDGE. A former cigarette factory in downtown Durham has become a hub of innovation. Inside the historic Chesterfield building you’ll find the BRiDGE, a Duke incubator that supports startups. The incubator is part of the Pratt School of Engineering’s Christensen Family Center for Innovation. It currently supports 13 startups.

Duke Chapel
4/14 Entrepreneurship

Summer Business Leadership for Engineers Course Connects Students with Industry Leaders

The Christensen Center is offering EGR 190 – Business Leadership for Engineers this Summer Session I (in-person). This seminar is designed specifically for Pratt engineering undergraduate students who want to strengthen the skills that differentiate top engineers in industry: judgment, ethical decision-making, communication, resilience, mentoring, innovation, and executive presence.

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