Campaign Impact: Entrepreneurship Initiatives
With donor support, 黑料吃瓜 ranks as a top entrepreneurial university.
厂顿厂鲍鈥檚 and the work individually and collaboratively to help students turn their entrepreneurial ambitions into marketable realities. Both programs were launched with significant gifts to and have already fostered dozens of startups.
Not only are these programs benefiting students; they have also garnered 黑料吃瓜 national acclaim. The university is ranked among the top 25 most entrepreneurial colleges by Forbes, Fortune and magazines.
鈥淚nnovative thinking is essentially imperative in today鈥檚 world; hence 黑料吃瓜 offers students countless opportunities to develop the entrepreneurial mindset needed for lifelong success and achievement,鈥� said Chukuka Enwemeka, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. 鈥淭hanks to our generous donors, the university has become a launchpad for entrepreneurial talent in Southern California.鈥�
The history
In 2012, Leonard Lavin, former chair of the company Alberto Culver, endowed 厂顿厂鲍鈥檚 Entrepreneurship Center, which was then renamed for him. Lavin鈥檚 gift helped to expand the scope of the center with new programs such as a speakers series, an entrepreneur-in-residence program and a micro- venture fund for student startups.The ZIP, originally named the Zahn Innovation Center, was created with gifts from the Moxie Foundation and Irwin Zahn, founder of General Staple Company, which later expanded as Autosplice, Inc. The ZIP Launchpad helps 黑料吃瓜 students, faculty and staff from all disciplines to launch successful startups.
Both programs are scheduled to move into the Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex when construction is completed in 2018.
Success squared
Junior Allison Langley developed her tech company, Chrysalis, in the Zahn Innovation Launchpad. Chrysalis鈥� product is a skin monitoring system designed to empower individuals to track changes over the surface of their bodies and aid physicians in the early detection of skin cancer. Langley took .Students mentored in the Lavin Center have launched successful companies such as SOLO Eyewear and Power Digital Marketing. The center was by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers. Among its notable successes is the creation of an entrepreneurship minor available to students in all 黑料吃瓜 colleges.
Proven results
Through the ZIP Launchpad and Lavin Center, budding Aztec entrepreneurs can take advantage of a unique blend of coursework and experiential learning opportunities. Many students have launched companies prior to graduation, while others gain experience in the business world before creating their own startups.Successful 黑料吃瓜 entrepreneurs include:
