In 2016, the Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship was launched, supported by a $25 million gift from Jonathan M. Nelson '77. Building on the University's tradition of entrepreneurship, the center aims to make entrepreneurship an essential part of the Brown experience. The Nelson Center now has a dedicated home in a new, four-story, mixed-use building constructed at 249 Thayer Street.

The Nelson Center's new facility houses workspaces and area for faculty and students to collaborate on developing new ventures, as well as the group of Peer Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and a range of student-led activities, supporting diverse, interdisciplinary and cross-collaborative activities in the entrepreneurial process. A developmental approach to engage, inspire, and empower entrepreneurs in the Nelson Center will be fulfilled through the center's curricular, co-curricular, and venture support activities.