Entrepreneurship

Akshay Sethi, a biochemistry and molecular biology major, is a member of a team that are working on a bacteria that will break plastics down into their component parts, which can then be sold to make more plastic
Akshay Sethi competes in the Big Bang! Business Competition.

Entrepreneurship and Translational Research at UC Davis

Many DEB alumni have founded or participated in biotech company startups.  Through seminars and coursework, DEB students are introduced to business functions and concepts essential for bringing new life science and bioengineering technologies to market, such as the foundational role of intellectual property for startups, pursuing regulatory approvals, and understanding product development, including good manufacturing practices (GMP), life cycle analyses and market dynamics that may impact commercial success. In the DEB263 core course, interdisciplinary teams bring this knowledge together as students work to develop biotech business plans for the final class project. To further extend training in entrepreneurship, DEB students may consider participating in one or more of the campus courses or programs listed below:

Leaders for the Future - a nine-month program for doctoral and postdoctoral scholars interested in business skills and experiential learning.  The program includes participation in an Entrepreneurship Academy, a series of workshops and attendance at a career fair.

Entrepreneurship Academies - academies offer students a few days of deep immersion into business approaches for technology development and commercialization (scholarships available for UC Davis students).

Big Bang! Business Competition and Workshop Series - the Big Bang! serves as a collaborative training environment for would-be entrepreneurs, bringing together teams, hosting free workshops and providing mentoring.

Little Bang! Poster Competition - an entry-level poster competition, the Little Bang! provides an early stage opportunity for business plan idea development and practice pitching to potential investors.

 

For students ready to dive into the world of startups, the UC Davis Office of Research houses several units essential for translational research, but especially useful will be: 

InnovationAccess - evaluation and protection of campus-associated intellectual property.

UC Davis also has a Chief Innovation and Economic Development Officer who leads efforts for Aggie Square and the unit that supports campus startups:

Venture Catalyst - toolkits and other resources to support campus-derived technology startups.