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Up and coming UC San Diego startups showcase their products and technology at IGE Launch

Tammuz Dubnov, a UC San Diego engineer, features his startup, Zuzor, which uses sensors to project graphics based on movement

On June 2, the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Rady School of Management launched the new Institute for the Global Entrepreneur (IGE), a joint program focused on helping to train students to become Entrepreneurs and Technology Leaders. These powerhouse schools have come together to emphasize the importance of education, leadership, and entrepreneurship training, and assist in the process of translating discoveries to the marketplace.

The von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center and Gordon Engineering Leadership Center are key segments of the new Institute. The von Liebig Center hosts one of the most active NSF I-Corps sites in the nation for training engineering and science innovators, advocating for start-ups, and using the customer discovery methodology.

The Gordon Center provides leadership development through a competitive selection process to current engineering students, from undergraduate to working professionals.

In celebration of the IGE launch, the von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center and Gordon Engineering Leadership Center invited a number of UC San Diego startups to showcase their technology and to speak on how they utilized the resources provided to them by the centers. These resources are now a part of the new Institute for the Global Entrepreneur. 

The launch celebration also consisted of panels on entrepreneurial education, innovation translation, and the impacts of the entrepreneurism training panel.

To read more about the New Institute for the Global Entrepreneur event, click here.

Engineering Leadership at the Gordon Center Thrives
with $3 Million Gift

Thanks to the generosity of Bernard and Sophia Gordon, engineering leadership continues to thrive at UC San Diego.

Dean Albert P. Pisano and Dr. Ebonee Williams, Executive Director of the Gordon Engineering Leadership Center, recently visited Mr. Bernard Gordon in Boston. Mr. Gordon, an avid believer in leadership development for engineers, donated once more to the Jacobs School of Engineering as a continuation of their $3 million gift from 2014. 

The Gordons believe in the potential of the exceptional engineers at the Jacobs School of Engineering, and advocate for leadership encouragement and development to support a future where engineers continue to have a dominant role. Their generous gift exists as the result of successful programming, which is demonstrated by the successful track record of alumni from this program. The Gordon Center has supported the development of over 150 engineers and recently accepted the eighth cohort of future technology leaders.

The Gordon Center looks forward to continued collaboration with the local engineering community to showcase the exceptional talent here in San Diego. The program plans to remain an important part fo the fabric here at the Jacobs school, by continuing to grow the endowment. Mr. Gordon challenged the Jacobs School to a $100,000 match to ensure the program's sustainability for years to come.

The Gordon Center has identified and trained effective engineering leaders at the Jacobs School since 2009. These leaders have created jobs and products that consistently benefit society. For further details on the Center as well as the program’s accomplishments, visit the Gordon Center’s website. We invite you to engage in leadership development at the Jacobs School of Engineering by emailing gordoncenter@ucsd.edu.

Celebrating 3 Years of Success at the UC San Diego NSF I-Corps Site

On May 26, the von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center successfully completed its third year and seventh Cohort as an NSF I-Corps site. To celebrate, the Center threw a reception for all the students, faculty, and mentors who have participated, ending the night with presentations from Spring Quarter’s 12 teams. During the final presentations, teams presented their ideas, target markets, and lessons learned from customer interviews conducted throughout the quarter.

Each of the mentors ranked the presenting teams' progress throughout the program, as well as the quality of each presentation. Each and every mentor believes that the teams have improved significantly from their initial idea pitches to their final presentations.

For example, the idea for Catalyst Technologies was initially developed in India. Through customer discovery and market research, Lenord Melvix, the Entrepreneurial Lead, pivoted his focus from Indian to small American hydroponic farmers who were interested in seeing how his solutions could significantly cut their operational costs. 

Dr. Seth Alexander of GenTag Solutions identified that designing multiple "all-in-one kits" that allow technicians to tag and capture RNA are much more useful and potentially profitable than his initial offering of a "do-it-yourself" method for clinical and academic researchers. He was able to gather this crucial information through the customer discovery process, an important tactic taught by mentors at the Center.

Armando Armillo of Saros created unique 3D Printers for community maker spaces and individual hobbyists. Through the customer discovery process, these customer segments revealed the need for a niche quality of 3D printing between high-cost industry grade and the slower, lower-cost consumer grade 3D printing.

Saharnaz Baghdadchi of Singular Imaging, a team from the Phase II group, is developing a single-pixel imaging microscope that reduces the time and cost of stem cell tissue sample processing.  Through customer discovery, researchers confirmed that a beneficial application of the microscope is its high-definition quality, providing images of greater depth for brain imaging research.

Over the past three years, the von Liebig Center (vLC) has trained approximately 100 teams (250 student and faculty participants) in the process of starting a company using the customer discovery process and lean startup methodology. The two-phase program has resulted in over 2,780 customer interviews, and 19 teams have since filed patents, 44 teams have created prototypes, and 9 teams have gone to the NSF I-Corps Teams (National) program.

According to a survey sent out to the teams, participants revealed that the best part of the (vLC) I-Corps program was the focus on mentor relationships, the cultivation of the entrepreneurial mindset, the understanding of the customer discovery process, and enhanced presentation skills.  

“The best part of the I-Corps program was going through the process of determining the value of your technology,” says Dustin Fraley of the HeatSeq project. “It was a great framework for developing a business plan and justifying why your technology is needed through potential user interviews."

The NSF I-Corps program will be offered again in Fall 2016. Applications are open and teams will be selected in September. Click here to apply! And to read more on the I-Corps Final Presentations as well as feedback on the experience, please visit our blog by clicking here.

Gordon Center and Von Liebig Center Logos
 
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