Entrepreneurship at University of Southern California
USC has built a strong entrepreneurship ecosystem centered around its location in Los Angeles. LA's startup scene has exploded in recent years, particularly in entertainment tech, consumer brands, gaming, and aerospace. USC's Marshall School of Business and Viterbi School of Engineering both offer entrepreneurship programs.
Entrepreneurship programs
- Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (Marshall School)
- USC Viterbi Startup Garage
- Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy (arts, tech, and business)
- USC Stevens Center for Innovation - technology commercialization
Incubators and accelerators
- USC Viterbi Startup Garage - on-campus incubator for student ventures
- Lavalab - student-run product incubator
- USC Annenberg Media Center - media startup support
- Grid110 - LA-based accelerator with USC ties
Student clubs and organizations
- Spark SC (startup incubator club)
- Trojan Entrepreneurs
- USC Venture Fund
- Women in Technology at USC
Notable alumni founders
- Lucasfilm (George Lucas)
- Riot Games (Brandon Beck)
- Tinder (Sean Rad)
- Snapchat (Evan Spiegel - transferred from Stanford)
- Fisker Automotive (Henrik Fisker)
Local startup ecosystem
Los Angeles is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the US. The city is uniquely strong in entertainment tech, streaming, gaming, consumer brands, direct-to-consumer, and aerospace (SpaceX is in Hawthorne). Silicon Beach in the Westside hosts many tech companies and VCs.
Frequently asked questions
Related universities
Startup resources
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