Brandeis Innovation

2022 February News from Brandeis

February News from Brandeis Innovation

 

Spark Finalists Announced

Spark is Brandeis Innovation’s virtual incubator for startups in any field outside of bench research. Social impact, health tech, fashion, retail, and sustainability are just some of the industries that Spark startups address with their creative solutions. The program provides students, faculty, and staff with mentorship, training, and funding to develop their innovations. Each fall semester, prospective Spark participants and anyone interested in learning more about entrepreneurship enjoy weekly workshops on all things related to startups, from design thinking to finance. At the end of the semester, ambitious teams apply for a chance to win funding and progress to the next stage in the virtual incubator, which can lead all the way to a successful business. We’re excited to share with you the finalists for this year’s Spark competition. This month, the finalists will square off at SparkTank, our pitch event, where a panel of judges will decide which ideas have the potential to be the next big startup to emerge at Brandeis. Stay tuned for who wins this prestigious competition.

Meet the Finalists

Apply to I-Corps by February 15

Spark may be closed to applications as the finalists get ready for their pitches, but new opportunities for entrepreneurship abound here at Brandeis Innovation. The next cohort of NSF I-Corps Fellows is accepting applications. In this program, business students are paired with Brandeis teams who have invented significant technologies in the lab. Ranging from biotech to materials science, past inventions have run the gamut of today’s most dynamic sectors. You don’t need a science background, however, to take part in the program. I-Corps fellows are the business leaders of tomorrow, working alongside scientists to explore the commercial potential of scientific breakthroughs.
In this program, you will get to:
  • Learn entrepreneurship skills from local experts
  • Learn what it takes to move an innovative technology from the research lab to the market
  • Be part of a team with diverse backgrounds and skills
  • Access to funds for travel reimbursement and professional development
  • Contribute to university’s innovation ecosystem
  • Add your experience with NSF I-Corps program to your resume and receive a digital badge for LinkedIn profiles

Brandeis University Innovation Center and Hampton University Launch NSF-Funded STEM Innovation Training Program

We’re excited to announce that we have partnered with Hampton University, a historically black university, to help STEM students at Hampton learn innovation and entrepreneurship skills. Today’s STEM PhDs overwhelmingly pursue careers in private industry, so developing skills that can take them from university labs to corporate leadership positions is essential. The program aims to increase the number of HBCU STEM students in leadership positions in national university startup ecosystems. Funded by a supplemental grant from the National Science Foundation, the new partnership represents further growth in collaboration between the science communities at both universities.

Read more about the partnership

Profiles in Innovation: Launching an App While in Medical School

In this latest episode of our podcast series, Profiles in Innovation, we sat down with a Brandeis innovator making a difference in the lives of his fellow students. Ben Pockros is in the MD/MBA program at Tufts and Brandeis Universities, while also launching an app that helps students navigate their health insurance options. And you thought you were busy! Find out how this student innovator makes time to launch a startup and get through med school.

Listen now

Do You Know an Innovator?

Have you worked with a Brandesian who excels at making an impact in their sector? Are you launching a startup, developing a social impact initiative, or launching a creative endeavor? Share your story in our podcast series, Profiles in Innovation. Each episode, we converse with Brandesians who are applying innovative ideas to their industries, paving their own paths, and making a difference. To nominate yourself or someone else, email Christina Inge at cinge@brandeis.edu