Brandeis Innovation

Spark: Impact and Outcomes

Brandeis Innovation’s Spark Program is designed to encourage and support entrepreneurial activity within the Brandeis community, including students (graduate and undergraduate), postdocs, faculty and staff. Brandeis Innovation conducted a study in the Fall of 2021 to learn about the long-term impact of Spark on participants. The study data paints an impressive picture of the impact that Spark has had on participants. The program positively impacted their career skills, including critical professional skills such as leadership, creativity, and teamwork. In addition, the program had a lasting impact on participants’ career development, including their choices of industry, professional networking, and lifelong learning. Below, we explore the data on specific outcomes of the program on past participants.

Developing Leadership

Leadership skills are considered to be the gold standard in competencies fostered by innovation programs. In this regard, Spark is achieving the goal of building tomorrow's leaders. Over 84% of past Spark participants noted an improvement in their leadership skills.

Fostering Creativity

Many participants found that the skills they gained are applicable to a range of professional situations. They considered participation in Spark to be a critical, positive booster of their professional development. Creativity is among the vital additional skills learned through Spark. And it's one that will serve students throughout their careers, improving employability and job satisfaction. Today, 94% of hiring managers consider a candidate's creativity in hiring decisions, according to Adobe's Hiring for the Future Study. Spark has a track record of building creative thinking skills, with a majority of students saying they became more creative thanks to the program.

Building Confidence

Importantly, over 90% of students became more confident thanks to Spark. By building their leadership skills, developing stronger strategic thinking, and nurturing their creativity, Spark gave them a foundation of professional achievement that gave them the confidence to tackle future challenges.

 

Outcomes Over the Longer Term

Several projects originating in the Spark program have become startups, including WorkAround, AI Capital Management, and GreenChoice. Social impact endeavors that took part in Spark have also seen ongoing success as part of university and state initiatives, such as the Disabled Parenting Project, which continues to operate within the University. Participating startups have also won acceptance into leading incubators, as well as winning major startup prizes and recognition:

• MassChallenge
• BeanTown Throwdown
• Google Best Apps for Good 2020
• HULT Prize
• One Young World Ambassador Program
• Katapult Accelerator Demo Day
• Venture Cafe Providence Pitch Night First Place