Brenna Smith

UC Berkeley students put new startups to the test at SCET Collider Cup

By Brenna Smith / January 18, 2018 / Comments Off on UC Berkeley students put new startups to the test at SCET Collider Cup

As Fall semester came to a close, student teams from entrepreneurship classes offered through the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology competed in the first annual Collider Cup. The event required participants to present their end-of-the year projects to real movers and shakers in the startup space, resulting in one stand-out team taking the prize…

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Cal alum Arjun Dev Arora shares what he thinks is the “x-factor” every entrepreneur should have

By Brenna Smith / December 5, 2017 / Comments Off on Cal alum Arjun Dev Arora shares what he thinks is the “x-factor” every entrepreneur should have

Students in the A. Richard Newton Lecture Series attended a fireside chat with 500 Startups partner and Cal alum, Arjun Dev Arora.  While Arora is an engineer by training, he developed a keen interest in the business of technology while at Berkeley,  which has gone on to inform much of his career. During his talk,…

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Tech icon Judy Estrin spoke to Berkeley students on the importance of company culture and the evolution of Silicon Valley

By Brenna Smith / December 5, 2017 / Comments Off on Tech icon Judy Estrin spoke to Berkeley students on the importance of company culture and the evolution of Silicon Valley

Students in the A. Richard Newton Lecture Series attended a fireside chat with the iconic Judy Estrin. Known for contribution to the development of Transmission Control Protocol — a system that is critical for the networking in the internet to happen — Estrin has founded multiple companies, served on the board of directors for the…

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Playground co-founder Matt Hershenson highlights the importance of finding good people to work with before worrying about a good idea

By Brenna Smith / November 20, 2017 / Comments Off on Playground co-founder Matt Hershenson highlights the importance of finding good people to work with before worrying about a good idea

Students in the A. Richard Newton Lecture Series attended a fireside chat with founder Matt Hershenson. Known for co-founding Danger, the company responsible for bringing the T-Mobile Sidekick to life, Hershenson has also worked at Apple, Phillips, and Google as a hardware engineer and then co-founded Playground, a fund and studio for entrepreneurs. During his…

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Haas Alum and Traveling Spoon Co-Founder Aashi Vel encourages students to pursue ventures that ‘tug at their heart’

By Brenna Smith / November 2, 2017 / Comments Off on Haas Alum and Traveling Spoon Co-Founder Aashi Vel encourages students to pursue ventures that ‘tug at their heart’

Students in the A. Richard Newton Lecture Series attended a fireside chat with Cal alum and Traveling Spoon Co-founder Aashi Vel. Since graduating in 2011 with an MBA from the Haas School of Business, Vel and her partner Steph Lawrence have turned Traveling Spoon into a business venture spanning 18 countries and counting. During her…

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Predicting the next ‘Big One’: SCET earthquake researchers find business model when most would rather not know

By Brenna Smith / October 23, 2017 / Comments Off on Predicting the next ‘Big One’: SCET earthquake researchers find business model when most would rather not know

Here at the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, innovators from a variety of fields utilize the Center’s resources to further their pursuits. MyShake is a prime example of an academic pursuit turned startup venture that took advantage of the opportunities we offer. Learn more about how you can commercialize your research at the Sutardja…

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Chef Dave Anderson on alternative meats: sustainable solution and big opportunity for entrepreneurs

By Brenna Smith / October 9, 2017 / Comments Off on Chef Dave Anderson on alternative meats: sustainable solution and big opportunity for entrepreneurs

During the Sutardja Center’s Alt.meat Challenge Lab course, Chef Dave Anderson walked students through his career path in the meat analog industry, imparting his view on why this emerging field is important more now than ever before. Prior to his success as a vegan chef, Anderson’s passions lied far outside of the food industry. Determined…

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UC Berkeley SCET Welcomes the Inaugural Class for the Startup Semester

By Brenna Smith / October 6, 2017 / Comments Off on UC Berkeley SCET Welcomes the Inaugural Class for the Startup Semester

The Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology welcomes the first-ever class of students participating in the fall 2017 Startup Semester, an exclusive program providing international students with the opportunity to take entrepreneurship courses at UC Berkeley and work on startup projects. In addition to gaining access to SCET courses like the highly-regarded A. Richard Newton…

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Berkeley alum and former White House Deputy CTO Ryan Panchadsaram talks to students about civic service and fostering curiosity

By Brenna Smith / September 28, 2017 / Comments Off on Berkeley alum and former White House Deputy CTO Ryan Panchadsaram talks to students about civic service and fostering curiosity

Students in the A. Richard Newton Lecture Series attended a fireside chat last week with Cal alumni and Kenneth Priestly Leadership Award recipient Ryan Panchadsaram. Since graduating ten years ago, Panchadsaram’s career has taken him many different places, from working at Microsoft to launching his own healthcare startup to advising the president of the United…

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Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer surprises Cal students with fireside chat, shares leadership insight and career experiences

By Brenna Smith / September 25, 2017 / Comments Off on Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer surprises Cal students with fireside chat, shares leadership insight and career experiences

During the week of Sept.11, students in the A. Richard Newton Lecture Series had the honor to learn from Marissa Mayer, former Yahoo CEO and longtime executive at Google. Mayer has been at the helm of some of the most successful products Google has to offer, such as Gmail and Google News. Throughout the lecture, Mayer gave…

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