University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

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Anita Ilango[email protected]

How to Start a Startup at UCLA

Student Groups

Bruin Entrepreneurs - Helps students of all majors and levels of experience in starting their own businesses by providing educational workshops designed to introduce students to the basics of entrepreneurship as well as extensive networking opportunities.

Bruin Ventures - UCLA's premier venture capital organization dedicated to introducing UCLA's brightest students to venture capital, entrepreneurship and startup culture through a rigorous training quarter, inspiring guest speakers, consulting projects with LA's leading venture capital firms, and collaborations with startups.

Anderson Entrepreneur Association - focuses on programming, resources, and connections within the LA venture community for students who are starting their own venture, joining a startup, or joining a venture firm.

Sigma Eta Pi - Co-ed entrepreneurship fraternity transforming individuals into starters who follow their passion, develop lasting relationships, and create value through innovative pursuits.

Bruin Medical Entrepreneurs - Student-run organization at UCLA striving to bridge the gap between business and medicine.

Law and Entrepreneurship Association - The Law and Entrepreneurship Association ("LEA") promotes education, discussion, and career development for students interested in the intersection of law and entrepreneurship.

Accelerators and Incubators

Startup UCLA Summer Accelerator - provides early-stage startups with a workspace and guidance by top entrepreneurs, investors and skill experts.

Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson - a six-month, immersive program designed to leverage UCLA's resources to enable the success of promising startups. Open to any early stage founder, does not need to be Anderson affiliated.

Hackathons and Competitions

LA Hacks - Southern California's largest hackathon that takes place each year. Create projects in different tracks. Open to high schoolers, undergraduates and graduate students.

$100,000 Lowell Milken Institute-Sandler Prize for New Entrepreneurs - a team business plan competition designed to recognize student innovation and support the real-world launch of promising new business ventures. Offering the largest entrepreneurship competition award of any law school with a total of $100,000 in prizes, the Lowell Milken Institute-Sandler Prize for New Entrepreneurs is open exclusively to UCLA students.

Knapp Venture Competition - for UCLA Anderson students to develop their business plans to compete each January-May

Bruin Tank - Selected UCLA student-led ventures have the opportunity to pitch to a panel of high-profile investors and entrepreneurs in front of 300+ Bruins for a chance to win 2000+ dollars in grant funding.

University Resources

Blackstone LaunchPad UCLA - a structured entrepreneurship counseling program. Through meetings, mentoring, workshops and events help students use their education to start new businesses, find viable careers in entrepreneurship, and create jobs.

Startup Fair LA - Startup Fair LA, previously named Bruin Startup Fair, aims to connect UCLA's best and brightest students to premier rising startups in the Los Angeles area. It's a great way for entrepreneurial-minded students to interact with companies, offering an excellent opportunity for students to find full-time positions and internships in a close-knit startup environment.

UCLA Designathon - Designathon is a one day design hackathon, with the goal of fostering design thinking at UCLA. Participants are introduced to the hard and soft skills involved in developing an expertise in the field, all while getting the chance to create something exciting that solves a real world problem.