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Key Differentiators

 
Through our affiliation with the No. 1 public university as part of UCLA Anderson's Price Center, 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

Select Mentors and Advisors

 
Our mentors and advisors come from a wide range of industries and offer constructive, practical and valuable feedback to cohort companies. Each one gives our companies access to extensive networks and critical contacts.
Mark Robinson ('97)
Advisor, Presidio Innovation

Mark Robinson is a seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and executive with over two decades of experience in mobile applications, security, artificial intelligence, analytics and risk management. He was responsible for the successful product launches of the 1st GUI Browser, MMS client, FOTA system and WAP advertisement platform in the mobile space. Products have been adopted by 1000s of companies, used by over 2 billion people worldwide and earned over $5 billion in cumulative revenue. 

Mark currently holds numerous board positions, is a guest lecturer at several universities and associations, an author and a business advisor for companies throughout the world. 

Kristen Sager ('97)
CMO, IndieGoGo

Kristen Sager, IndieGoGo  

Kristen Sager is the first ever Chief Marketing Officer for IndieGoGo. She is an award-winning, senior-level, and innovative technology growth marketing leader. Kristen has a proven track record that includes creating, leading, and executing strategic, data-driven campaigns and overall marketing performance for fast-growth startups.  

Kristen was the ninth employee and head of marketing at Wonderschool, where she helped to grow the company to upwards of 85+ employees. Wonderschool was recognized as a “Most Innovative Company by Fast Company;” listed in A16z’s list of “Top 100 Marketplace companies;” and noted by IAB as a “Top 100 Direct Brand Service to Watch.” 

Kristen is a double Bruin, having earned her BA from UCLA and her MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

Jarrod Barnes
Investor, Head of Ecosystem Acceleration, NEAR Foundation

Jarrod Barnes, Emerson Collective 

Jarrod Barnes currently serves as an Investor with Emerson Collective. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Jarrod began his career as a college football coach at the Ohio State University and Clemson University and would go on to work in an NFL Front Office with the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to joining Emerson Collective, Jarrod was a Venture Fellow at Unshackled Ventures, Investment Partner with the Dorm Room Fund, and the first hire for the Minority Entrepreneurship Institute, a non-profit incubator founded by NFL Athlete, Jaylon Smith. 

Jarrod is passionate about all things ed tech and future of work and previously founded Prime U, a learning and development platform for sports teams, and the Athlete Development Lab, an athlete venture studio and community for sports tech professionals. Jarrod is a proud alum of Ohio State University and the University of Louisville and is currently completing his Doctorate in Learning Design at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. 

Janet Allgaier ('92)
Former Global Vice President, P&G Personal Care

Janet Allgaier (’92) 

Janet Allgaier is a top-performing global executive with 25+ years of experience at Procter & Gamble, private equity consulting and board advising for smaller, fast-growing companies. Known for driving focus and breakthrough results on high-impact opportunities that demand creative problem solving, bold thinking, and authentic leadership. 

She is a trusted board advisor for small, fast-growing companies as well C-Suite executives of large companies needing strategy, acquisition, product innovation, revenue and profit growth, branding, commercial and digital content creation expertise. 

Prior to joining Procter & Gamble in 1992, Janet leveraged her accounting and financial business degrees, working in investment banking and as a C.P.A. for KPMG. Janet earned her M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson School of Management and her undergraduate business degree from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce. Janet was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma business and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies. 

Sanjay Reddy ('97)
Co-Founder, Unlock Venture Partners

Sanjay Reddy (FEMBA ’97) 

Sanjay Reddy is a co-founding partner of Unlock Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments in Seattle and Los Angeles. He has over two decades of corporate leadership, investment and advisory experience and a deep expertise in the areas of media, tech, and finance. He has demonstrated successes and advises clients in diverse arenas, including venture capital, technology, corporate development, entertainment, and digital media.  

Sanjay is an early-stage investor in technology companies. His diverse background includes having served as a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences National Primetime Emmy Awards Committee and on its interactive media peer group’s executive committee, as well as having produced a Top 20 Billboard Rap Single. 

Sanjay holds a B.A. in economics from Cornell University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is a member of the advisory board at the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at UCLA Anderson, as well as a board member of the organization Swipe Out Hunger, a leading nonprofit addressing hunger among college students. 

Saujin Yi ('07)
Founder and CEO, Liquid

Saujin Yi (’07) 

Saujin Yi is the founder and CEO of Liquid, a venture-backed fintech and future of work startup building the operating system for agile businesses and their global contractor-vendor networks. She is also a founding partner of 79 Studios, an agency providing operational support and capital to underrepresented entrepreneurs. 

 A strategic, results-oriented, hands-on early-stage company executive, Saujin has advised numerous startups in the tech, media and retail industries. She has more than 13 years of experience and expertise in e-commerce (subscription, digital distribution), strategic planning, corporate development, finance, business intelligence, product management (Web, mobile, PC client) and marketing. Previously, Saujin was SVP of strategy and product and GM of digital at GameFly Inc., the leading online video game rental subscription service in the U.S., where she ran strategy, business development, analytics, product, digital and media teams.  

Saujin holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MBA from UCLA Anderson, where she was a Venture Fellow, working at ZelnickMedia and Redpoint Ventures. 

All Mentors

Select Partners Providing Exclusive Discounted Resources

 
Our 38 partners and service providers equip our cohort companies with exclusive access to discounts and content that complement our customized, immersive curriculum. We also offer non-dilutive “proof-of-concept" grants that help our companies scale.

All Resources

Access to Best-in-Class Thought Leadership and Talent to Hire

 
Through our affiliation with the No. 1 public university in the U.S., we offer our cohort companies access to professors who are pioneering business research across industries — keeping them on the cutting edge in various fields. We also position our companies well to find talent across campus, making hiring for internships and full-time roles easier.
Check out our faculty’s latest research
Access our talent pools across our diverse range of robust programs:

Customized curriculum curated by the
Accelerator team

 
Meet our Team