News Release
The UC San Diego Rady School of Management and the Jacobs School of Engineering Receive Grant to Empower Women Technology Entrepreneurs
San Diego, CA, May 20, 2011 -- The UC San Diego Rady School of Management and the von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement at the Jacobs School of Engineering today announced they have been awarded a grant from the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance for mystartupXX, a program that will empower the next generation of women technology entrepreneurs.
The mystartupXX program will target women undergraduate and graduate students at UC San Diego who are traditionally underrepresented in the invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship processes.
“Although women represent nearly half of all entrepreneurs in the United States, women founders are severely underrepresented in technology startups,” said Robert S. Sullivan, Dean of the Rady School of Management. “The mystartupXX program will facilitate and encourage women students to participate in the technology startup process and provide the high-quality education and training that will enhance their ability to become successful entrepreneurs.”
The mystartupXX program will connect women students with mentors, investors and other experienced entrepreneurs. Although there are several programs nationwide that are designed to support women-owned businesses, very few serve the unique needs of technology startups. In addition, existing technology commercialization programs throughout the United States, including those at UC San Diego, have seen low female student participation.
“We want to encourage women to participate in technology entrepreneurship by giving them the unique opportunity to explore their technology ideas and how to develop them from concept to product,” said Lada Rasochova, mystartupXX Program Director.
“The primary goal of mystartupXX is to increase the numbers of female tech company founders by increasing awareness among female students that entrepreneurship is a viable career option,” said Rosibel Ochoa, Executive Director of the von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement.
The program will provide students with the skills to evaluate opportunities and help them with launching their ideas into the marketplace. Students will receive one-on-one business coaching and will participate in educational workshops and seminars. They will also learn about management principles, performing market opportunity assessments, creating value propositions and the business models and financing strategies needed to launch a business. The program will culminate with a demonstration day where the students will present their ideas to potential investors.
The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego educates global leaders for innovation-driven organizations. A professional school within one of the top-ranked institutions in the U.S. for higher education and research, the Rady School offers a Full-Time MBA program, a FlexMBA program for working professionals, a Ph.D. program, and undergraduate and executive education courses. For more information, visit www.rady.ucsd.edu.
The von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering provides visibility for inventors, industry and partners into what causes successful innovation and technology development. Through programs and services, the Entrepreneurism Center offers experiences that provide education, networking and resources. Visit www.vonliebig.ucsd.edu to learn more.
Media Contacts
Daniel Kane
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-3262
dbkane@ucsd.edu