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The Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson, housed within the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, is a transformative cohort-based program for early-stage startups and their founders. Our programs operate in a hybrid format and leverage the depth and breadth of UCLA’s resources to support and accelerate business growth. We are proud that 85% of the startups that go through our programs continue to scale successfully.

Current Cohort: Activate 2023

Accelerate 2023

 

Past Cohorts

 
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Supported By and With Access To

 

MENTORS

What We Do

 
Our tailored programs are executed in cohorts and provide startups direct access to industry leaders from top companies like Google, Carta and Meta; connections with other founders who have gone on to receive funding from Techstars, Y Combinator and Kleiner Perkins; advice from faculty from across the UCLA campus; and mentorship from investors and experts from all industries throughout the entrepreneurial ecosystem. There are four distinct programs that operate each year.
Activate
A two-month summer program with professional development workshops for founders at the ideation stage focused on defining their product-market fit
  • Focused on funding, legal and marketing workshops
  • Access to professional service providers
  • Eligible for software credits
  • Access to co-working space
  • Application live from mid-April through late May; program runs from July to August
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Accelerate
A six-month, immersive program from winter to spring ideal for companies looking to scale and commercialize their intellectual property

ALL RESOURCES FROM THE ACTIVATE PROGRAM, PLUS:

  • Advisory sessions with the Accelerator advisory staff

  • Specific mentor pairings based on goals for the program

  • Presentation skills coaching

  • Proof-of-concept grants

  • Application live in September through mid-October; program runs from January to June

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Showcase
A two-month, intensive program in the fall connecting founders to investors and mentors, culminating in a large demo day to a curated audience

  • Available to all Activate and Accelerate participants, as well as Business Creation Option companies

  • Presentation skills coaching

  • Advisory sessions with the Accelerator advisory staff

  • Connections to the Anderson Alumni Network[AF1] 

  • Opportunity to present at our culminating Showcase event attended by early-stage investors and entrepreneurs, UCLA alumni, faculty and staff, as well as media representatives

  • Application live in August; program runs from September to October

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Advisory Program
Year-round support of the broader UCLA entrepreneurial ecosystem through request-based access to a network of advisors and mentors

  • Private counsel with the Accelerator’s advisory staff on request

  • Access and connections to a large network of mentors and advisors from diverse industries

  • Coaching sessions tailored to specific business needs

  • No application process; contact us for more information

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Program Stats (as of July 2023)

 

101

Accelerate companies

165

Activate companies

61%

underrepresented founders

185

program mentors

150

female founders

Accelerate Cohorts Results / Impact
(as of March 2023)

 

$7.2M

in received gifts

$83M

in sales revenue

$228M

in funding raised

8

acquisitions

1,100+

jobs created

Why Us

 
Through our affiliation with the No. 1 public university in the country, we offer a unique value to our startups, including:
West L.A. Location with global connections:
Close to Silicon Beach to network with key funding sources
Customized and immersive curriculum:
Programs built around each cohort of early-stage startups at UCLA and in the L.A. ecosystem, with access to breadth and depth of expertise, enabling us to be industry agnostic
Invaluable network (of Anderson alumni and industry mentors):
Depth of knowledge and practical guidance, as they are actively working in their disciplines
Non-dilutive grants:
Financial benefits that keep cap tables clean, sponsored by the Price Center
Proximity to expert talent pools for hiring:
Access to students across campus to recruit for internships and part-time and full-time positions
State-of-the-art co-working space:
On-campus work space open 24/7 for networking with peers

Explore Our Resources

 
Are you interested in learning more about how you can get involved with the Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson as an expert, a mentor, an investor or a founder? Check out our resources and support our work!

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