At Oakwood University, the challenge wasn’t a lack of ideas—it was perception.

Many students in the Introduction to Entrepreneurship course didn’t initially see themselves as entrepreneurs or inventors. Intellectual property felt distant, technical, and reserved for “other people.” That changed when instructor Julian Waddell introduced the Inventor’s Patent Academy.

By integrating TIPA into the course, Waddell gave students a new lens. TIPA helped reframe patents not as abstract legal tools, but as practical resources that protect creativity at the earliest stages, the “Stage 0,” idea phase.

Within the supportive classroom environment, students learned that invention doesn’t start with a lab or a company; it starts with a problem worth solving. TIPA’s approachable, self-paced format made IP education accessible, lowering barriers and building confidence.

The impact extended beyond a single course. As students began to understand how patents connect to entrepreneurship, innovation felt more attainable. That shift inspired Waddell to become a strong advocate for TIPA, expanding its reach beyond Oakwood’s campus.

Together with colleague Josh Trujillo, Waddell introduced TIPA to the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), ensuring that rural communities and their Entrepreneurial Support Organizations could access the same foundational IP education as those in big cities. CORI mentors founders and employees of startups, creating opportunities for rural entrepreneurs.

CORI has promoted TIPA by integrating it into its Rural Innovation Network’s entrepreneurship education. The primary focus has been on embedding TIPA into existing startup accelerator curricula where intellectual property education can add the most value. Two of the most successful examples have been in Eastern Kentucky through its partnership with SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region). There, TIPA has been incorporated into two accelerators: one for college students across partner universities, and another for social enterprises tackling key regional challenges such as childcare, housing, and transportation. It has also been embedded into the Taos Hive Accelerator program in New Mexico. Beyond these programs, TIPA resources are included in CORI’s entrepreneurship wiki for rural ecosystem leaders nationwide.

Oakwood and CORI’s stories highlight one of TIPA’s most important outcomes: mindset change. By helping students and entrepreneurs see themselves as inventors early, TIPA opens doors to pathways they may never have considered.

This post is part of the Inventor’s Patent Academy Partner Series, highlighting how universities and organizations are expanding access to patent education.