Introduction: A Partnership at the Intersection of AI and Entrepreneurship
On July 14, 2025, Florida State University (2027 USNews Ranking: 59) ‘s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship (JMC) and Universal AI University (UAi) in Mumbai, India, announced a research and academic partnership focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship. The two institutions plan to collaborate on joint research, academic exchanges and educational innovation, with particular attention to how AI is changing entrepreneurial ecosystems, especially in poverty alleviation and family business development.
Under the agreement, JMC contributes its entrepreneurship curriculum and expertise, while UAi shares its AI research and tools with students and faculty at both institutions. The stated goal is to prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs to use AI for economic and social impact.
What Each Institution Brings
The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship is known for a highly experiential approach to teaching students who want to launch ventures, innovate and lead change. It offers three undergraduate majors (commercial entrepreneurship, retail entrepreneurship and STEM entrepreneurship), five graduate majors and 10 minors. In November 2024, The Princeton Review ranked JMC 18th on its list of “Top Schools for Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs of 2025,” up three places from the previous year, and No. 2 in the South. According to FSU, students started 531 companies using JMC resources over the preceding five years, and the university offers more than 125 entrepreneurship courses. The college’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship extends this work to the wider community, for example through the Leon Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program (LEAP), a 10-month program of training, mentoring and consulting for local entrepreneurs.
Universal AI University, based in Mumbai, describes itself as India’s first 100% AI university, with artificial intelligence embedded in all of its programs and curricula. Alongside AI and data science, it offers programs in music, film, design, liberal arts and business, and it emphasizes experiential learning to prepare students for an AI-driven future.
“This partnership represents a powerful step forward in equipping students to lead in a rapidly evolving digital economy,” said Eric Liguori, associate dean for research and external affairs at JMC. “We are excited to collaborate with UAi in creating new knowledge and empowering entrepreneurial leaders who can leverage AI for real-world impact.”
Simon Mak, UAi’s founding vice chancellor, described the partnership as a meeting of two firsts: “By connecting AI expertise from the first AI university in India with entrepreneurship education expertise from the first entrepreneurship college in America, we’re unlocking opportunities to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. We look forward to the research, innovation and student experiences this unique global collaboration will spark.”
Focus Areas: Poverty Alleviation and Family Businesses
The partnership names two areas where it expects AI to matter most for entrepreneurs. The first is poverty alleviation. AI tools can help small businesses and smallholder producers improve productivity, reduce losses and reach markets, but only when people have the connectivity, skills and locally relevant tools to use them. Research on entrepreneurship in low-income settings is therefore as much about access and training as about the technology itself.
The second is family business development. Family firms are a large share of businesses in many economies, and their long-term success depends on the owners’ financial knowledge, management skills and willingness to adopt new methods. Joint research between an entrepreneurship college and an AI university can examine how AI tools for planning, finance and marketing can be adopted by family businesses, and what training owners need to use them well.
What Comes Next
One concrete part of the agreement is a quarterly webinar series on AI and entrepreneurship, jointly hosted by JMC and UAi and open to scholars, practitioners and students worldwide. The first session was scheduled for September 4, 2025. JMC will also serve as a founding member of the UAi Center for AI and Entrepreneurship, helping to shape the center’s vision, initiatives and global collaborations.
For students, the partnership reflects a broader shift in business education: entrepreneurship programs are adding AI skills to their curricula, and AI-focused institutions are looking for partners with expertise in turning technology into ventures. Students interested in either field can follow the joint webinars and the work of the new center to see how that collaboration develops.