Igniting innovation: Jeffrey Stamp’s mission to empower student entrepreneurs

At the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS), Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship Jeffrey Stamp is transforming how students think about their futures — by teaching them to think like entrepreneurs.

Students in Stamp's CFAN 2222 - Innovating the Future: Applied Human and AI-Generated Creativity in Entrepreneurial Problem Solving course get hands-on immersion experience in innovation techniques that emphasize new ways of thinking and framing for everyday problems and grand challenges in both personal and professional lives. Offered every fall and spring semester, the course explores trends and innovations from all disciplines within CFANS as catalysts for student-generated creative collisions. 

A CFANS alum himself (BS ’83, PhD ’90 Food Science), Stamp brings a wealth of real-world experience to the classroom. His entrepreneurial journey began at Frito-Lay, where he led the team that developed Lays® Baked Potato Crisps. That experience sparked a lifelong passion for innovation and a commitment to helping students develop the same mindset.

“I vowed to find a way to someday help influence this type of entrepreneurial thinking earlier in the college career,” Stamp said.

He’s done just that. Since launching the CFANS Entrepreneurial and Leadership Program in 2020, Stamp has guided more than 460 students from 39 majors across 10 colleges. The program’s success contributed to broader entrepreneurial efforts at the University, including support for the development of a University-wide Entrepreneurship Minor—an initiative led by John Stavig of the Holmes Center and supported by multiple colleges, including CFANS and the Carlson School of Management.

Students like Benjamin Gross (BS ’23, Applied Economics) credit Stamp’s courses, such as Value-Added Entrepreneurship and Food and Agricultural Sales, with shaping their career paths. “I cannot overstate the impact these classes have had on me,” said Gross, now the owner of Carbon Build & Design. “Dr. Stamp encourages students to apply themselves and critically engage with the content.”

Stamp’s teaching style is hands-on, inclusive, and deeply supportive. He fosters an environment where students of all learning styles can thrive, empowering them to turn ideas into action.

The program’s growth has been made possible through the generosity of Steve Weekes (BS ’69, Forestry), founder of Weekes Forest Products Company. Weekes saw the value in teaching entrepreneurial thinking beyond business schools. “This concept applies not just to business formation, but how we can improve existing services and products and how we do things,” he said.

For Stamp, it’s about more than launching startups—it’s about preparing students to lead, innovate, and make a difference in any field. “Great minds don’t necessarily think alike,” Stamp says. “But they do think like entrepreneurs.”