In a recent study conducted by the Milken Institute titled “Concept to Commercialization: The Best Universities for Technology Transfer,” UCLA beat out Caltech, MIT and Stanford University to take the top spot for start-up creation. With groups like Launchpad, Startup UCLA, California Nanosystems Institute, and UCLA Anderson’s own Venture Accelerator, UCLA offers young companies numerous opportunities for lab space. According to the Milken report’s principal author Ross DeVol, UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block—an inventor himself—was an impetus in re-engineering UCLA’s culture to foster entrepreneurship a decade ago.

Arie Belldegrun, a UCLA faculty member, started several companies with the university’s help. Belldegrun sold his first company Agensys Inc. for more than $500 million—then sold Cougar Biotechnology to Johnson & Johnson for $1 billion in 2009. He still runs cancer cell therapy firm Kite Pharma and started a fourth company UroGen Pharma. He attributes his success to UCLA providing opportunities to professors and students interested in pursuing their entrepreneurial endeavors. “I can remember when the Anderson School of Business helped me write my first business plan,” Belldegrun said. “We just had an idea. And that business plan generated the first round of financing for my first company.” Read more.

As the Senior VP of Nickelodeon Social at Viacom, Kristin Mirek (B.A. ’91, MBA ’04) “plays” in the world of Snapchat filters, Instagram Boomerang and YouTube videos to reach tweens ages 11 to 13. She accomplishes this through managing a mini network of writers, strategists, storytellers and production experts to create content that resonate with 60 percent of Nickelodeon’s audience.

A double Bruin, Mirek credits UCLA Anderson for showing her “the importance of establishing strong teams, how to give helpful direction and designate specific roles, establish clear goals and, most important, gain confidence as a leader.” Her self-described role as her team’s biggest cheerleader was displayed in the pre-production meeting at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards (held July 13 at UCLA's Pauley Pavillion) where her team shared Michael Phelps getting slimed in a fun Boomerang post. Read more.

Remember a time when you didn’t check your smartphone every 5 minutes for a new notification or follower? Well, for many in the least developed countries that’s their current reality, as only 15 percent of people even have mobile broadband.

More than fostering connections and serving up entertainment, digitization can provide developing countries new opportunities for business and job creation. Kati Suominen, CEO of Nextrade Group and Assistant Adjunct Professor at UCLA Anderson, has identified four ways to develop creative partnerships among the private and public sectors to turbocharge digital economies in developing countries:

1. Private sector seeds, public sector scales
2. Spreading the risk and sharing digital dividends: social impact bonds
3. Shared data to break bottlenecks in e-commerce
4. Crafting smart digital regulations for trade.

Read more from the GE Reports post.

Legendary record producer and Apple Music Chief Jimmy Iovine recently sat down with Professor Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, and Dean Judy D. Olian to share leadership lessons he has acquired during his illustrious career. Iovine touches on the impact of mentors, value of talent, the role of technology and the intersection of cultures. Watch now.

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