Why Every Student at This College Must Launch a Business- With Jeff Meade

Jeff Meade spent 20 years building companies. Then a friend asked him one question on a hike near Mount Fuji — what makes you happy? — and he couldn't answer it. That four-hour conversation led him to Paul Quinn College in Dallas, where he now serves as Chief Innovation Officer and runs a program with one non-negotiable rule: every student, regardless of major, must start and operate a real business before they graduate. No simulations. No worksheets. Real ventures, real customers, real failure. Every school says it wants future-ready students. Most are still teaching them how to pass tests. Jeff Meade decided that wasn't good enough — and built a venture-based learning model that turns a graduation requirement into the most practical education a student can get. If you're a school leader wondering whether entrepreneurship education belongs on your campus, this episode answers the question. ✅ What You'll Learn Why employers stopped wanting graduates who can pass tests — and what they're asking for instead How Paul Quinn structured a seed fund and advisor model so student ventures get real resources, not just pitch competitions Why this generation's biggest professional liability...