UC Berkeley Haas announced the launch of a new entrepreneurship program this week that will provide more seed funding and lending opportunities for startups run by Haas students.
Plans for the Berkeley-Haas Entrepreneurship Program (BHEP) in the next year include:
• Providing early-stage startups and mentorship programs with $100,000 of funding (available twice a year to MBA and undergraduate entrepreneurs).
• Assisting in the “three-phase cycle” of startups which, according to Rhonda Shrader, a Haas alumna who will oversee BHEP student services, include “ideation and team formation, customer discovery and prototyping, and creation of a business model.”
• Funding the Launchpad, a innovator training program.
• Funding LAUNCH, a late-stage startup competition.
• Joining forces with the existing Lester Center for Entrepreneurship which focuses on innovation research and entrepreneurship education.
• Strengthening ties with UC San Francisco’s science and mentorship programs.
The program will encourage Haas undergraduates and MBA students to act as real entrepreneurs while they are still studying, instead of waiting to raise funds and start working after graduation.
Related Resources:
• Leadership in Admissions [free guide]
• UC Berkeley Haas 2016 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
• Jon Medved And OurCrowd: The Remarkable Story Of An Entrepreneur