You may already be planning your appearance on Shark Tank or putting together a business plan to get your own startup off the ground. If so, Saint Louis University — home to one of the best entrepreneurship programs in the country — is one of the best places you can be to make it happen.
Meet Byron Abrigg and Austin Smith, members of SLU’s class of 2017 and co-founders of Mission Control. Mission Control is a St. Louis-based startup that uses recreational esports as a medium for building community. Read on to learn how time spent playing video games growing up — plus a SLU education — has transformed into a thriving start-up with $1.75 million raised in seed funding and partnerships with companies like Cinemark and GameStop.
Byron Abrigg and Austin Smith
B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Economics, Class of 2017
I Chose SLU Because...
Austin Smith, B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Economics, Class of 2017, says, “Coming from a Jesuit high school, I appreciated the approach of learning in order to apply knowledge to something very purposeful. I come from a family business, so I was very interested in how I could improve my own family business or use my past skills to start my own. The entrepreneurship program at SLU is highly ranked and the classes seemed like exactly what I wanted to learn.” -Austin Smith
The origin story of this duo
"We met during freshman year Move-In as part of the Ethical Leaders in Business Learning Community. I credit all of the entrepreneurship stuff I got involved in on campus to Austin — he would get an internship and then recommend me. During school, we joined clubs, revived clubs and started new clubs. We always knew that we wanted to start something, and SLU was our first customers when we started Mission Control.” - Byron Abrigg
The Lasting Impacts of a SLU Education
“The most impactful people of our professional careers to date are all staff members or professors at Saint Louis University.” -Austin Smith
A Jesuit Education In Action
“SLU and the Jesuit education taught us to be intentional, reflective, contemplative and to understand why we’re doing what we do. This education helped us reflect on what impact we want to make in the world and our community and what skills we need to do it.” -Byron Abrigg
Highlights From My Time at SLU
I Got Here with SLU
“The entrepreneurship program is a stellar program that teaches strategic thinking within business. It teaches you how to deal with challenges and how to strategically approach very complex programs with very specific actions. I still use a financial planning document from the program in our business today.” -Austin Smith
“Saint Louis University runs through Mission Control’s blood. We know the quality of a student and human that we are hiring when we bring on someone from SLU.”
SLU career resources
Job and career preparation starts early at SLU. Career Services can help you explore what career path may be a good fit, and can assist with résumé reviews, mock interviews and finding internship opportunities.
SLU supports our students by providing opportunities to engage in virtual and on-campus internships and experiential learning. As a student or alum, you’ll have access to job fairs attended by hundreds of employers, both in St. Louis and nationwide.
SLU’s career development specialists can assist you with creating a job search plan, equip you with salary negotiation skills and teach you how to access career services available from other colleges and universities located in parts of the country where you may be interested in finding a job after graduation.
Network with other Billikens
Once you become a Billiken, you’re a Billiken for life — and a member of our global SLU network.
Billikens aren’t just current SLU students; they are also our 133,000-plus alumni around the world.
SLU students can join Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow. As an alum, you can get involved with Billikens of the Last Decade, along with alumni clubs in cities across the nation and around the world, to network with other Billikens.
Life after graduation
No matter how you define success, a SLU education will prepare you to achieve it. Our alumni are well-rounded leaders and critical thinkers who make a positive impact on the world.
Where Do SLU Graduates Work?
- Amazon
- American Red Cross
- Anheuser-Busch InBev
- AT&T
- Barnes-Jewish Hospital
-
- Boeing
- Centene
- Emerson
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Express Scripts
- Federal Reserve Bank
- Fidelity Investment Services
- IBM Global Services
- MasterCard
- Mayo Clinic
- NASA
- Nestlé Purina
- St. Louis Blues
- SSM Health
- Target Brands Inc.
- United Airlines
- UPS
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- The Walt Disney Co.
- Warby Parker
- Wells Fargo
- World Wide Technology
- More
SLU Prepares You to Succeed
Watch a video about the resources available to help you reach your career goals — before and after graduation.
