Illinois Small Business Development Center at UIC

Entrepreneurial Student Teams Program (ESTP)

"I was so impressed with the quantity, quality, and thoroughness of the market research and analysis. I was very pleased with their recommendations." - Calvita Frederick from Magnolia Spice Tea

Teams of business students from UIC's College of Business Administration work closely with companies to help them solve real business issues. The projects that the consulting teams work on are determined by the clients' needs. Students provide their clients with detailed reports upon completion of the project, recommending realistic action steps.

About ESTP Student Teams

  • Teams are comprised of graduate or upper-level undergraduate students.
  • Illinois SBDC at UIC's staff, business mentors, and professors oversee all of the student teams' work.
  • Projects typically run 12 weeks out of a 16-week semester.
  • Upon completion, clients receive the agreed-upon deliverables.
  • The Illinois SBDC at UIC staff is available for advice and technical assistance throughout the semester.
  • There is an administrative fee to participate in the ESTP Program.

Eligibility Requirements for Entrepreneurial Student Teams Program (ESTP)

Business must:

  • Be a for profit entity that is located in the State of Illinois
  • Have been in business for at least two years to apply
  • Have at least three full-time employees
  • Be able to designate at least one staff person to communicate and work with student team on a weekly basis
  • Submit a project that is feasible to complete within a 10 to 12-week period

To apply for ESTP, please download, read, and/or complete the following three forms below. Applications without completed 'Request for Counseling Forms' will not be accepted into the program. Please click on the links below to apply for the program.

ESTP Projects Descriptions (Download and review)
ESTP Application (Complete and submit)
ESTP New client Sign Up (Complete and submit)

Applications Due: JUNE 1, 2012 (applications are selected on a first come first serve basis)

If your computer does not have the updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, please click on the link below to download the most recent version of the free software so you can type your responses into the fields of the PDF files.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html