Programs for MBA Students
MBA students at Haas have the opportunity to network with some of the most knowledgeable professionals in the Bay Area, enroll in cutting edge courses in entrepreneurship and innovation, and take advantage of many other opportunities.
With the Lester Center's support, you can:
- Network with Professionals
- Learn
- Get Your Certificate
- Meet with a Mentor
- Compete
- Meet Students with Similar Interests
- Accelerate Your New Venture
- Apply for a Fellowship
Guides are available for those with specific interests:
- Interest in Venture Capital
- Interest in Biotechnology/Technology Enterprises
- Interest in Social Entrepreneurship
If you are not yet sure of where your interest lies, you can still participate in numerous programs and activities organized and supported by the Lester Center. The following is a brief guide for students who want to be involved in Lester Center activities and the entrepreneurial community at Haas:
Network with Professionals
Attend the monthly Berkeley
Entrepreneurs Forums, one of the most valued and
popular programs at Haas, where students get the chance to
listen to and interact with entrepreneurs from various fields
of business including energy technology, VoIP, social ventures
and more. For its Entrepreneurs Corner mentoring program, the Lester Center recruits successful Bay Area entrepreneurs as student mentors. They act as leaders, mentors and educators and hold scheduled office hours for students who need advice or help with their business ideas and career goals.
Learn
Attend the Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series workshops and learn about the practical aspects of entrepreneurial activity. The series is timed to match the academic year and also the business plan competition season, particularly the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition and the Global Social Venture Competition.
Attend the A. Richard Newton Distinguished Innovator Lecture Series/Life as an Entrepreneur Series Tuesday evenings at 5 PM to hear distinguished entrepreneurs from organizations at various stages of development and representing a broad range of industries. Entrepreneurs will talk about how their organizations were created and share lessons they learned throughout their careers.
Choose from a variety of Courses on entrepreneurship, taught by our exceptional faculty. Some courses that support your interest in entrepreneurship are:
- MBA 294: Life as an Entrepreneur
- MBA 295A Entrepreneurship andf Innovation
- MBA 295B Venture Capital and Private Equity
- MBA 295D/EWMBA 295T New Venture Finance
- MBA 295C: Opportunity Recognition: Technology & Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley
- MBA 295E: Case Studies in Entrepreneurship
- MBA 295F: Customer Development in the High-Tech Enterprise
- MBA 295G: Investing in Entrepreneurial Opportunities
- MBA 295H: Managing the Legal Environment of Business (formerly Top Down Law)
- MBA 295I: Entrepreneurship Workshop for Start-ups
- MBA 295J: Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology
- MBA 295T: Business Model Innovation & Entrepreneurial Strategy
- MBA 290E: Marketing Emerging Technologies
- MBA 290I: Managing Innovation and Change
- MBA 290N: Managing the New Product Development Process
- MBA 290V: Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Telecommunications & Media
- MBA 290T: Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Wireless Services
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MBA 290T: Strategy for the Information Technology Firm
-
MBA 290T: Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Telecommunications and Media
- MBA 290T: Innovation, Creativity and the Entrepreneur
- MBA 292N: Social Entrepreneurship
- MBA 292T: Social Investing: Recent Findings in Management & Finance
- MBA 264: High Technology Marketing Management
- Boalt 255: Venture Capital and IPO Law: Advising the Emerging Growth Company
- Boalt 256: New Business Counseling
Get Your Certificate
You can get an MBA Certificate in Entrepreneurship upon graduation. Take a look at this list of successful Haas alumni who started their own companies with the help of the Lester Center.
Meet with a Mentor
Since 1996 the Lester Center has recruited successful Bay Area entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and professional service providers to serve as student mentors. These generous individuals act as leaders, mentors and educators through our Entrepreneurs Corner office hours available to students who need advice or help with their business ideas and career goals. Our mentors provide wisdom and guidance to UC Berkeley’s emerging entrepreneurs.
Click here for profiles of our current mentors.
Availability of appointments with mentors is announced by e-mail ONLY. If you'd like to sign up for e-mail announcements, you can do so on our Contact page. Click here for information on the Entrepreneurs Corner Mentoring Schedule and Signups.
Compete
The Lester Center administers two business plan competitions each year: the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition and the Global Social Venture Competition. This year's competitions drew in nearly 650 entrant teams, over 125 judges from the venture capital, law and entrepreneurial communities, and gave away nearly $100,000 in cash prizes to the teams with the winning business plans. Students from all over the US, the UK, India, and Europe were involved in these competitions.
Meet Students with Similar Interests
Join one of the Student Groups dedicated to entrepreneurship at Haas. These groups organize their own events and programs with the support of the Lester Center. For example, every year, the Entrepreneurs Association and the Lester Center collaborate on the annual Venture Capital Roundtable - a great opportunity for you to meet with over 35 leading venture capitalists from the valley, all in one place... plus great food! This intimate event gives students exposure and the opportunity to speak with representatives from the venture capital industry in an informal setting. Another annual signature event is the Entrepreneurs Roundtable which brings together students and fellow entrepreneurs who have started companies and can talk with budding entrepreneurs about the challenges and excitement of the start-up world.
Accelerate Your New Venture
The purpose of the UC Berkeley Startup Accelerator is to produce fundable startup companies with scalable business models. The new approach to incubation at Berkeley will match an exclusive group of companies with high-quality mentors with deep expertise and connections in industry and Venture Capital.
Click here for fall/winter 2011 application information
Initially, the program will focus on startups in Consumer Web & Mobile, Enterprise Software & Big Data, and Cleantech & Energy. Companies will be given support through customer development processes and business model validation by seasoned entrepreneurs. Ultimately, selected companies will be on a path to revenue generation and securing funding. At least one of the company’s founding members must be a currently enrolled UC Berkeley or UCSF student or an alumnus who has graduated from UC Berkeley or UCSF within the last 5 years.
Apply for a Fellowship
Every year, the Lester Center, through the sponsorship of Dan Turner, awards one $5000 fellowship to students interested in an entrepreneurial career. Other fellowships are also available.
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