#AndersonAccelerator
Today UCLA Anderson is launching the new Anderson Venture Accelerator, a state-of-the-art facility that encourages students, faculty and alumni to develop new business concepts together. Anderson, in association with the UCLA Library, designed the accelerator for multidisciplinary collaboration among aspiring Anderson entrepreneurs, students in the undergraduate minor in entrepreneurship and campus researchers, with mentoring from alumni, entrepreneurs and the business community.
“UCLA Anderson is delighted to see the realization of this exciting living lab to further enhance the UCLA entrepreneurial ecosystem,” says UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian. “The UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator offers students and researchers an environment that triggers innovation and breakthrough ventures. It brings together students and faculty from across UCLA, including the health and computer sciences, engineering and the humanities to develop new ventures.”
The Anderson Venture Accelerator launch is sponsored by Cadillac, which is presenting Cadillac Dare Greatly Awards of $10,000 to three outstanding entrepreneurial ventures founded by members of the UCLA community:
- Leo Petrossian (’14), Dan Hanchey (’13) and Robert Hamilton (Ph.D. ’13, Biomedical Engineering) for Neural Analytics
- Rob Douk (GEMBA ’16) for Behavioral Healthworks Inc.
- Layne Haber (B.S. ’16) and Mykolas Marcinkevicius (B.S. ’16) for Arctica
“It is important to foster young minds to think differently, carve their own path and provide them the resources to move the world forward,” said Melody Lee, Cadillac director of brand strategy and planning. “Our partnership with UCLA’s Anderson Venture Accelerator is a terrific way to recognize those who will change the world for future generations.”
UCLA Anderson collaborated with members of the entrepreneurial, venture and campus communities to identify best practices in the management of co-working spaces and to develop the accelerator’s governance policies. The incubator will be open to Anderson students as well as to undergraduates, graduate students from other schools on campus and faculty researchers.
“With the growing interest in UCLA’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, we saw a significant need for on-campus space where UCLA startups could work and meet with advisors,” said Elaine Hagan (’91), executive director of the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. “As the usage patterns of our library have changed, the librarians have worked with us to design an active learning facility that utilizes the best of their capabilities, while physically demonstrating the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation to Anderson and the campus.”
UCLA Anderson Senior Associate Dean Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., founder and faculty director of the Price Center, said, “The active learning environment of the UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator will allow entrepreneurial members of the UCLA campus community to put lean startup principles to work in order to accelerate the launch of their business ventures.”
Read the full press release
Comments