Mission
Creates hands-on, experiential opportunities for students to learn entrepreneurship by doing. As a hub for founders and the ecosystem that surrounds them, the Center strengthens a culture of entrepreneurship across campus and helps turn ideas into meaningful action and impact.
Vision
To cultivate a campus where every student can see themselves as an entrepreneur, build confidence through hands-on and experiential learning, and have the resources and support to turn ideas into action.
About the Founder
Marc Talluto '94
Marc Talluto is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and Illinois Wesleyan University
alumnus with experience in technology, consulting, and business leadership. He founded
Fruition Partners, a technology consulting company that grew to more than 300 employees
across four continents before being acquired by DXC Technology. Today, he serves as
a Principal at 4Corners and invests in software, services, and real estate ventures.
A 1994 IWU Graduate, Talluto earned degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and
Business. A former Titan football player and team captain, he remains deeply connected
to IWU as an Entrepreneur in Residence and Board of Trustees member, supporting student
entrepreneurs through mentorship and investment.
Upcoming Events
September 29
IWU SELL Workshop 1: Business Basics
3 p.m.
Petrick Flex Lab (227)
October 13
IWU SELL Workshop 2: Marketing
3 p.m.
Petrick Flex Lab (227)
October 27
Improv Pitch Night
4 p.m.
Petrick Conservatory (140)
November 3
IWU SELL Workshop 3: How to Price Goods & Services
3 p.m.
Petrick Flex Lab (227)
November 9 - November 13
Entrepreneurship Scavenger Hunt
Across Campus
November 17
IWU SELL Workshop 4: Basic Accounting & Tax Knowledge
3 p.m.
Petrick Flex Lab (227)
Activities
Student-run Airbnb
In December 2023, Marc Talluto ’94 purchased a home near campus with the vision of creating a vacation rental that would provide students with hands-on business experience. Since opening in May 2024, students manage nearly every aspect of the operation, including cleaning, staffing, pricing, customer service, revenue allocation, and property maintenance, with guidance from Talluto.
Preterm Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) Student Group
- Recruiting students to help with special projects that give them hand-on experience of working with a business owner and the challenges they face
- PIOMI is a 5-minute oral motor intervention (a type of physical therapy in and around their mouth) done on tiny premature infants when they are in the neonatal intensive care unit
- Created by Dr. Brenda Knoll, former IWU nursing professor