Welcome to the Sherman Center
At The Sherman Center, we provide opportunities designed to help our community members at any stage in their venture or product development.
The Michael J. and Ann Sherman Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship strives to be an inclusive entrepreneurship community that provides personalized experiential learning to all NU innovators. We believe that entrepreneurship is more than just the act of launching a startup. It’s a skillset that can be applied to teams, challenges, and business concepts of any size.
Our programs and initiatives focus on quality over quantity. We don’t flaunt large numbers of launched products or startups. Instead, we focus on developing the individual. Entrepreneurial mental health, community inclusivity, and the individual needs of our members are paramount to us.
FIND YOUR PATH
If you’re interested in product development or entrepreneurship, there are opportunities for you within the Sherman Center.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
The Sherman Center offers hands-on programs designed to launch students into the product development and entrepreneurship spaces. From venture building to product development studios, our programs allow students to develop real-world experience and experiment in a creative, supportive environment.
Academic Development
At the Sherman Center, we help students foster an interest in product development, entrepreneurship and engineering through innovative courses. Led by industry professionals and esteemed faculty members, our course offerings push students to explore concepts in product development, including disciplinary fundamentals, assessing market needs, creating technologies, and determining how to manufacture solutions sustainably and economically.
COMMUNITy building
The Sherman Center offers students the chance to foster connections and collaborate with other like-minded individuals in an inclusive and welcoming environment. Through programs, courses, events — all hosted in our two inclusive spaces, 008C Hayden Hall and the 010 Hayden Hall Makerspace — students build life-long friendships and find a sense of community at Northeastern that extends far beyond graduation.
OUR HISTORY
The Sherman Center was born in 2014 with support from our primary benefactor, Northeastern College of Engineering alum Michael J. Sherman, his partner Ann Sherman, and their family.Â
In 2011, Mr. Sherman attended a startup show for young engineers. He was inspired by the students’ creativity and engineering skills, but sensed a gap in business knowledge. Hoping to better equip Northeastern students with the tools needed to succeed in the entrepreneurship and product development world, Mr. Sherman established the Sherman Center in 2014, starting with a four-course undergraduate minor program. Today, the Sherman Center has grown to include 5 programs and over 700 community members from across the university. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Sherman moved to Boston in 1963 to attend Northeastern.Since then, he’s built a 40-year career in communications hardware and software development, including wireless applications for military, government and commercial use. His busiÂness, AES Corporation, proÂduces and installs leading-edge secuÂrity prodÂucts for organizations and houseÂholds in more than 130 counÂtries around the world.