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Access U.S. Markets, Accelerate Global Expansion
 
Each year, the Global Access Program (GAP) sends teams of talented professionals around the world to work with select technology companies. These final-year, Fully Employed MBA students invest thousands of hours in research with one goal in mind: to find new growth opportunities in the United States market to take a company to its next level of development. With a focus on new-market entry, GAP helps cross-border companies with their U.S. launch.

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Introduce yourself and stay up to date on what the UCLA Anderson Applied Management Programs can offer you.

Introduce Yourself

“The ability to get a cross section of feedback within the market we are hoping to enter was the biggest benefit of participating in GAP. The program provides a point of reference to the U.S. market that is really important. We are already looking for a reason to come back to GAP again next year.”

Nathan Rothschild
Co-Founder, Genius Tech Group, Melbourne, Australia

A Program With Real Benefits
 
GAP pairs companies with dynamic teams who work to create an investment-quality, new-market entry plan with full financial projections.
Partner with Diverse Professionals

On average, GAP students are 31 years old, fully employed, multi-talented and have an average of seven years of professional experience.

Develop the Research Plan and Project Scope

Two company executives will meet with students at UCLA Anderson for two days to evaluate and define the depth of the project.

Conduct and Analyze the Research

Each GAP team will conduct 125+ personal interviews with customers, experts, distributors/resellers and consultants. 

Embark on Your New Entry Plan

Executives return to UCLA to receive a comprehensive business plan and observe the teams’ findings as they are presented to a panel of three expert judges.

Program Benefits
Meet the Advisors
 
Over the course of the six-month program, each GAP team is advised by our world-class faculty members and technology experts.
George Abe
GAP Advisor Since 2019

George Abe

George Abe is a lecturer at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and faculty director of the Strategic Management Research (SMR) program. SMR is the field study project required of Anderson’s Executive MBA students. He teaches entrepreneurship, business plan development and field study program advisories.

george.abe@anderson.ucla.edu

Jody Dunitz, J.D.
Faculty Advisor Since 2017

Jody Dunitz, J.D.

Dunitz has an extensive business and legal background in the entertainment industry. She served as the EVP of Sony/ATV for nine years and is an active member of the Tech Coast Angels. She also provides her support by judging entrepreneur competitions and providing published commentaries to the music business community.

jody.dunitz@anderson.ucla.edu

Jeffrey C. Lapin, J.D.
GAP Advisor Since 2012

Jeffrey C. Lapin, J.D.

Lapin, a consultant and angel investor since 2010, has served as CEO of six companies, including Atari S.A., Razorgator Interactive Group, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. and Starwood Hotels. He has extensive experience in executive management, organizational structure, finance, corporate growth, public company management, and restructuring, as well as domain experience in a variety of industries.

jeffrey.lapin@anderson.ucla.edu

Jonathan Lasch, Ph.D.
GAP Advisor Since 2005

Jonathan Lasch, Ph.D.

Lasch is the executive director for the Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California (AMI-USC). He brings more than 25 years of experience in science and technology development and evaluation in the fields of biomedical instruments and systems, biotechnology, chemistry and materials science. In addition to advising GAP, he served for two years as the director of the Executive MBA Field Study Program at UCLA Anderson. 

jonathan.lasch@anderson.ucla.edu - 626.233.8349

Jim Myers
GAP Advisor Since 2019

Jim Myers

Myers joined Northrup Gunman in 1997 at the former TRW Space & Electronics, where he served as vice president of business development and, subsequently, vice president of strategic development with responsibility for strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and portfolio and intellectual asset management. In 2003, he was named vice president of satellite communications and later served as vice president of payloads and sensors at Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. In 2007, he joined the company's Electronic Systems sector serving as sector vice president and general manager of the Navigation Systems Division. Today he serves as vice president and general manager of its Civil Systems business group

jim.myers@anderson.ucla.edu

Paul Park, J.D.
GAP Advisor Since 2018

Paul Park, J.D.

Park is a principal of Bethel Counsel, PC, where he focuses on corporate law and general counsel to real estate, startup, nonprofit and social enterprise clients. He previously worked with the Cesar Chavez Foundation. He is an Anderson Lecturer who teaches on nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship, and international business at the UCLA International Institute, in addition to serving as a faculty advisor for the Applied Management Research program.

paul.park@anderson.ucla.edu

Paulo de Rezende
Senior Faculty Advisor
GAP Advisor Since 2017

Paulo de Rezende

Paulo de Rezende has over fifteen years of experience in investment management, both in Venture Capital and Private Equity, having worked sourced, negotiated and managed deals in both United States and Brazil.

paulo.de.rezende@anderson.ucla.edu
 

Meet the Advisors

“We assigned the students a native plant extract that boasted a high level of scientific evidence, but with low market awareness in the U.S. The team narrowed the opportunity to a sports recovery food in a novel format and formulated a concise market entry strategy for the product. GAP's consult empowered PFR to raise funds to launch a new product in the U.S.”

Brendan Vercoe
Commercial Development Manager, Plant and Food Research (PFR), Aukland, New Zealand

Global Network
 
Join 778 
technology companies 
from around the world that comprise the UCLA Anderson GAP network.
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Introduce Myself
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