April Lane Schuster

About

April Lane is a Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University. She teaches the entrepreneurship major and minor to undergraduate business students.

She is also the Executive Director of Catapult Chicago, a collaborative co-working space for digital startups that have demonstrated business traction. Founded in 2012 as a non-profit organization, Catapult Chicago provides office space, educational programming, mentoring, corporate connections, and networking opportunities for some of the most innovative startups in the Chicagoland area.

April has created Catapult’s building infrastructure and educational programs, as well as fostered relationships with the Chicago VC community and formed an effective sales and marketing team that highlights Catapult and its resident startups.

Previously, she was the Associate Director of the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University. In her role, April was responsible for helping entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses through the delivery of the Center’s strategic advisory services. 

She also taught the popular seminar SYOB (Start Your Own Business) and Start Up! Chicago courses, where attendees learn the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, how to identify a viable business opportunity, and how to develop a business plan.  Prior to joining the Coleman Center, April had a career in marketing research and brand consulting for Fortune 500 companies.

Degrees

• BA, Communication Studies, University of Michigan, 1999
• MBA, Entrepreneurship, DePaul University, 2006

Professional & Community Affiliations

• Science and Entrepreneurship Exchange
• Future Founders
• FWD
• Lane mentors a number of startups, judge entrepreneurial competitions, and frequently speak at events in the Chicagoland community.

Courses Taught

• ENTR 310 Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• ENTR 311 Social Entrepreneurship
• ENTR 313 Entrepreneurial Global Opportunity Scan
• ENTR 345 Entrepreneurship Marketing
• ENTR 390 Entrepreneurship Strategies