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Hello Bruins!
Hope you are having an amazing summer break. July is known as Disability Pride Month after American Disability Act (ADA) was passed in 1990. So, let’s take a moment to recognize the challenges faced by differently-abled people. We all need each other!
“We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps.” – Francis Bacon
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Happy week four of the Summer Accelerator! This past Tuesday, teams had a Finance 101 Skill Series workshop led by our Summer Accelerator Director and Startup UCLA Co-founder Robert Jadon. Teams learned how to answer a variety of finance-related questions from potential investors. On Wednesday, we welcomed more than 20 mentors for our annual Mentor Night! During this two-hour event, teams pitched their ventures and formed new professional connections with UCLA alums and other community members. Thank you again to our incredible mentors for the insights they provided to our teams, and for all of their continued support for Startup UCLA and the Summer Accelerator!
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Meet Vincent Morales, founder of Cure N Go and a rising senior at UCLA! Vincent launched Cure N Go in December 2020 and is currently a member of the 2021 Summer Accelerator.
Cure N Go’s mission is simple – cure hangovers using a 100% natural remedy comprised of 17 herbs and nine fruit extracts. It’s simple – take Cure N Go after a night of drinking before going to bed, and the herbal enzyme rehydration drink will speed up your alcohol metabolism so you wake up without a hangover. Essentially, Cure N Go utilizes enzyme-boosting nutraceuticals to help your body break down alcohol faster.
Cure N Go brought its quick hangover fix to the college scene in January 2021 when it partnered with Duffl, a Summer Accelerator ‘19 alum. Today, you can purchase Cure N Go on Duffl at UCLA, USC, and UCSB. Vincent’s long-term goals include securing nationwide shelf space for Cure N Go in liquor and convenience stores. As a consumable product, scaling has been a challenge for Cure N Go, but Vincent is focusing on building a reputation, capital, and distribution capabilities as part of the Accelerator this summer to help make those goals a reality.
You can learn more and purchase Cure N Go here.
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Cure N Go is seeking a Sales Intern!
Cure N Go is currently a team in the 2021 Summer Accelerator with the goal of curing hangovers using an herbal remedy. Responsibilities for the sales intern role include: Cold calling, in-person visits & emailing local convenience & liquor stores to bring products into the retail industry; attending and participating in meetings, workshops, events, and exhibitions; reviewing sales performance against sales targets; observing and carrying out sales processes; and identifying potential weaknesses and offering improvement suggestions, among other responsibilities. Learn more and apply through Linkedin here.
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UCLA Ventures is seeking a Program Assistant!
UCLA is striving to be a leader in entrepreneurship, and UCLA Ventures is seeking a program assistant to help with this mission. The program assistant will provide administrative support to UCLA Ventures and its programs. They will work with staff on various projects which include, but are not limited to, managing its donor database, its portfolio of UCLA startups, and its social media presence as well as assisting in event planning. Apply by July 30th via Handshake here.
Formative is hiring!
Formative is a student learning and analytics platform that aims to challenge the current test-based approach to K-12 education. A member of the 2013 Startup UCLA Summer Accelerator, Formative recently raised $70M in funding and is now looking to expand its team. Learn more about the available roles and apply here.
UCLA Health is seeking an Accelerator Program Manager!
UCLA Health is looking for an Accelerator Program Manager to help oversee its EDA SPRINT Challenge Award. Apply here and learn more about the program here.
UCLA Biodesign Program is accepting fellow applications!
Applications are open to become a 2021-2022 fellow in the UCLA Biodesign Program. Over the course of the year-long fellowship, trainees learn the fundamentals of product development – from the identification of clinical opportunities to the initiation of a new venture. Apply here and learn more about the program here.
MedTech Innovator is hiring a Marketing and Event Assistant!
MedTech Innovator is looking for someone who can support their day-to-day operations, including performing a variety of administrative, event planning, and communications tasks. The Marketing & Events Assistant will work closely with the Program Teams to execute regional pitch events, conference showcases, and virtual accelerator curricula. The position requires a bachelor’s degree with minimal experience. Learn more and apply here. The company is recruiting actively.
Future Founders is hiring a Program Manager!
Future Founders is seeking an entrepreneurial leader who believes in their vision and wants to join them in their work. The Program Manager will be responsible for supporting the Fellowship and Alumni programming for diverse 18 to 30-year-old founders from across the country by helping the founders to leverage their networks, coordinating the right kind of speakers, and organizing impactful in-person and virtual retreats for their program participants to hit their goals. The application deadline is August 6, and to learn more about the position, click here.
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2021 Women Founders Foundation Fellows Program
What: Program to introduce college women to the world of investing and entrepreneurship
About: After the WFN Fast Pitch Top 5 finalists are chosen, each team of two fellows and their mentor will be assigned a finalist company to analyze for its investment potential and prepare a due diligence report which they will present to the Junior Judges and Fast Pitch Judges. The mentors will be women angels and VCs. A $250 stipend will be given to all Fellows. They will also gain experience by learning about due diligence, studying a company, and presenting a live analysis.
Application deadline: Learn more and apply by July 30th here. The program will take place in October 2021.
Long Beach Accelerator Winter 2021
What: A 14-week program is intended to achieve maximum acceleration for YOUR company.
About: Each month of the program startups will work on a specific component of the business with expert instructors, mentors, and other resources. The program offers 75-100k in capital funding. It will also provide a digital resource package worth approximately $500,000 which would include services such as Amazon Web Services, Airtable, Stripe, Zoom, and many more.
Application Deadline: Learn more and apply by July 30th here.
SEED Lab Pre-Accelerator
What: 8-month pre-accelerator for early-stage social entrepreneurs
About: SEED Lab is an 8-month pre-accelerator for early-stage social entrepreneurs. Developed in partnership with the University of California Riverside Extension, it aims to tap the deep reservoir of unrecognized talent within marginalized and under-served communities and support their efforts to identify and develop pioneering paths out of inherited problems that have been buried and muffled those voices. The program is designed to support the implementation of visionary ideas into similarly powerful tools to generate social impact, deepen civic engagement, and bring about empowerment and sustainable change.
Application deadline: Learn more and apply by August 1st here.
SCALE Demo Day
What: Come see live pitches from all eight of the companies that participated in the 13-week SCALE program!
About: This hybrid event will be hosted at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center, offering you the opportunity to meet the founders in person and allowing exclusive access to a presentation of their technologies.
Event date: This event will take place on August 4th, 2021 from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center. For more information, contact brija@starburst.aero. Register here.
WBENC Women & Pride Peer Groups and Community Building Event
What: Event to address and help overcome the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ women business owners
About: Studies show that LGBTQ+ women are underrepresented at every stage of the management pipeline. For LGBTQ+ women, who are workplace minorities in both gender and sexual orientation, the feeling of isolation is common—and particularly challenging—in work environments. The Women & Pride Peer Group was designed to build a community of LGBTQ+ women business owners to voice shared experiences, strategize with one another to overcome problems and strengthen the WBENC entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Event date: This event will take place on August 12th from 3 pm to 4:30 pm ET. Register here.
SCALE Fall 2021 Cohort
What: 13-week program for early-stage aerospace startups
About: SCALE is designed to inspire a generation of students, entrepreneurs, and investors to pursue entrepreneurship for the development and advancement of novel technologies with aerospace applications and to build businesses here in Los Angeles. Each team selected for the program will receive personalized instruction and engage with potential corporate clients and investors. The program is designed to help teams set milestones, develop products, find the market fit and get customer traction, and secure the next round of funding.
Application deadline: Learn more and apply by August 13th here.
UCLA TDG Business of Bioscience Bootcamp
What: Free 5-week bioscience webinar
About: This weekly webinar, hosted by the UCLA Technology Group, will cover a variety of topics involving bioscience, from what you should know about drug development and the FDA review process to the basics of licensing university intellectual property to a startup.
Event date: The webinar will take place every week on Friday from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm starting August 13th until September 10th. Register here to attend the whole program.
BCP Tech Accelerator
What: The BCP tech accelerator is looking for innovative insurtech companies wanting to improve their client experience or increase the efficiency of the service team.
About: The panel of independent and expert judges will select the 5 participating companies for this year’s cohort, and those companies will be notified by the end of day Friday, August 27th. The winning cohort will be required to be in Kansas City for the first two weeks (9/20-10/1) and the last two weeks (11/1-11/12) of the program. The program will begin on September 20th and will conclude with a demo day on or around November 11, 2021. The program offers 35k investment, connections to investors, and most importantly connections to new sources of revenue.
Application deadline: Learn more and apply by August 22nd here.
ASPIRE Program
What: Intensive 7-week program that prepares startups for the investments and partnerships necessary to launch their venture
About: They are seeking seed-stage MedTech companies to help pinpoint fundraising needs and develop the deal room materials needed to back up their ask. During this 7-week virtualized program, teams will spend one-on-one time with mentors-in-residence, including VentureWell staff and active investors, as they prepare for investment conversations.
Application deadline: Learn more and apply by August 23rd here.
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Funding To Black Startup Founders Quadrupled In Past Year, But Remains Elusive
After a year in which the racial justice movement took center stage following the murder of George Floyd, Black entrepreneurs have seen a massive increase in startup funding. In the first half of this year, Black founders raised $1.8 billion, a 400% increase compared to last year, according to a recent report by Crunchbase. Nonetheless, it is still a long road to equity for Black entrepreneurs, as American startups raised $147 billion in the first half of 2021, out of which only 1.2% went to Black founders. However, this is a start that suggests a different future. Read more here.
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