
Faculty Innovation Fellows Application Deadline November 29, 2020
Application for 2021 Cohort
Pitches/Interviews: scheduled between December 7 – 11, 2020
Notification of Acceptance: December 18, 2020
Program begins: January 13, 2021
Pitch Showcase: May 2021 (date TBD)UCLA’s Faculty Innovation Fellows is a campus-wide program aimed at advancing entrepreneurial excellence and startup culture among faculty. Due to COVID-19, the program has transitioned to a virtual experience for the 2021 cohort.
Open to all UCLA faculty, 8-10 faculty-led teams will be invited to participate during winter and spring quarters 2021. The program is designed to advance innovative faculty projects into new startups, centers, or non-profits through a series of workshops and 1:1 venture consulting meetings. Postdocs and project scientists may apply for program with a letter of support from their faculty supervisor.
The program culminates in a virtual public Pitch Showcase to the UCLA community and a network of local entrepreneurs and investors.
Responsibilities
1. Attend all virtual program events:
- January 13: Orientation & Customer Development Workshop
- February 3: Legal Formation Workshop
- March 3: Fundraising Workshop
- Week of March 29: Pitching Workshop
- Week of April 12: Pitch Coaching Workshop
- One-to-one Venture Consulting Meetings with Startup UCLA staff (four 30-minute sessions)
- Meeting with assigned Mentor
- Meeting with TDG, as needed
- Pitch Showcase practice session
- May 2021 (date TBD): Present at Pitch Showcase
2. Commit roughly three hours minimum per week to developing your project/startup
3. Stay involved with Faculty Innovation Fellows and its alumni network after the program
Qualifications
1. All UCLA Faculty (both senate and non-senate faculty, academic administrators, and lecturers) may apply for the program. Visiting faculty are not, however, eligible. A list of senate and non-senate titles can be found here: https://www.senate.ucla.edu/about/academic-senate-membership
2. Postdocs and project scientists may apply for program with a letter of support from their faculty supervisor
3. Faculty/postdocs/project scientists must have a project/startup to work on during the program
4. Project/startup must have demonstrated proof-of-concept at time of application
5. Open to receiving feedback and willingness to iterate on project/startup
Perks & Benefits
1. $2,000 per team for faculty research support funds (may be used for design work for web/print media, brand development, consultations/travel, etc.)
2. Collaborate with program leaders, Startup UCLA staff, and colleagues across the University
3. Meet with a mentor with relevant experience to your area of interest
4. Raise your project’s visibility in the UCLA community and beyond
5. $5,000 in Amazon Web Services credits
6. $20,000 in Google Cloud Platform credits
7. Complimentary legal guidance from a premiere law firm
Faculty Innovation Fellows is a collaboration between Startup UCLA, the UCLA Technology Development Group, and, the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research & Creative Activities.
If you have any questions about the application or any of the above, please email InnovationFund@tdg.ucla.edu.