Designed for faculty and postdocs in computer science and engineering, our National Innovators Forum—Entrepreneurship Academy helps you gain the knowledge and networks you need to identify, develop and validate the commercial potential of your research or idea ... to successfully move it off campus and into the world.
The academy supports national needs identified by the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to broaden participation in innovation and entrepreneurship and build partnerships that accelerate research at Minority-Serving Institutions.
UC Davis has a rich entrepreneurship ecosystem that flourishes across our campus. For over a decade the Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has taken the latest in innovation research to design programs for university researchers that build the entrepreneurial mindset. We are delighted to now make this wealth of expertise available to a wider audience.
The academy will take place in person at UC Davis, with interactive lectures, talks by guest entrepreneurs and industry experts, and individual and small-group activities each day. Join with innovators from across the U.S. for this immersive experience this fall.
Please check back for dates and to register.
Prepare to innovate.
Get Started
- Many pathways to innovation | The power of the network.
- Making the leap—from lab to market, from research to business.
- Reducing uncertainty around your idea.
- Crafting your elevator pitch.
Validate Your Ideas
- Market, business and technology validation.
- Putting together a pitch deck as your living, evolving business plan.
- Making customer calls.
- Avoiding legal pitfalls.
Maintain Momentum
- Mapping and building your network to succeed
- Building your team, seeking resources, setting milestones.
- Avoid early legal mistakes.
- Focus on outcomes: next steps to move forward.
60
PARTICIPANTS
Join the community of university innovators across the U.S. who are using their research to advance solutions in computer science and engineering.
23
SPEAKERS
Develop a network of professionals in a diversity of areas who can help you move forward with your new venture or incorporate entrepreneurial thinking into your work.
60
MENTORS
Meet one-on-one in a speed-dating format with industry experts, who help you focus your approach and hone your pitch.
30
SESSIONS
Interactive workshops, rich panel discussions, office hours and more provide a solid foundation to help you commercialize your research.
Learn from the Leaders.
Mariah Lichtenstern
DiverseCity Ventures
Joe DiNunzio
UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Andrew Hargadon
UC Davis Graduate School of Management
Damon Tull
UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Be inspired.
“Seeing my research through the eyes of an entrepreneur instead of those of a scientist has been like landing on another planet. The academy has given me the tools to quickly evaluate the viability of my research from a commercial perspective—a process I had no insight into before.”
—ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACADEMY ALUMNUS
Innovation in action. | UC Davis Professor of Computer Science Kwan-Liu Ma sits with his World Plankton Popluations table at the Exploratorium, a museum of art, science and human perception in San Francisco.
UC DAVIS | National Innovators Forum — Entrepreneurship Academy
