What Is the Entrepreneur’s Examen?

Why Jesuit Entrepreneurship Needs Reflection, Not Just Momentum

In a world where startups are measured by speed, scale, and funding rounds, something essential often gets lost: reflection. At the 2025 Georgetown Entrepreneurship Summit, one practice stood out for doing the opposite. It asked founders to slow down.

The Entrepreneurs Examen, rooted in Ignatian tradition, invites founders to step back and evaluate not just what they are building, but how and why they are building it. It shifts the focus from metrics to meaning, from growth at all costs to growth with purpose.

Across the Jesuit Entrepreneurship Centers Alliance, this idea resonates deeply. Jesuit institutions have long emphasized forming leaders who are reflective, values-driven, and committed to the common good. The Examen translates those principles into a practical tool for modern founders navigating real decisions about hiring, scaling, and impact.

What makes it powerful is its simplicity. It does not require a retreat or a full day offsite. It can be practiced in minutes, yet it has the potential to reshape how entrepreneurs define success.

As entrepreneurship education continues to evolve across JECA schools, practices like the Entrepreneurs Examen highlight a distinctive edge: forming founders who are not only capable, but conscious. Not just builders, but stewards of impact.

To explore how this practice was introduced at Georgetown and how founders are applying it in real time, read the full article and watch Father Quentin Dupont, S.J., guide the Entrepreneurs Examen.

👉 View the full article here
🎥 Watch the session with Father Dupont from the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Summit