Rady School of Management has a number of programs and services available to students looking to break into the startup scene. Among the most popular programs is the StartR accelerator — a six-month program designed to support budding entrepreneurs and their startups through workshops, mentorship, access to funding and more.
The newest class of student-led startups includes innovative ideas ranging from streamlined parking mobile applications to novel gene therapies.
SurfUp is an automated surfboard rental station that is paired with a smartphone application to make the surfboard rental process convenient for beginner surfers and tourists on the beach, in-front of stores, resorts, restaurants, and much more.
AngioX Therapeutics is an early stage biopharmaceutical company that develops novel therapies for patients with rare Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCMs).
Visionful
Visionful created a parking and traffic intelligence system for efficient transportation.
Bou is a small device that can save, transfer, and emit smells instantly in various circumstances to enhance consumers’ daily experiences in different settings like while watching movies, playing video games, shopping, online shopping, relaxing, etc.
Freightracker
Frieghtracker brings IOT solutions to the transportation industry in order to streamline operations and reduce costs.
A New Class of StartR Entrepreneurs was last modified: February 6th, 2019 by Hallie Jacobs
Each year, the Rady School of Management taps the business potential of students by offering StartR — a non-profit accelerator program for Rady School of Management students and alumni designed to provide entrepreneurs the tools needed to start and grow their businesses.
The spring Class of 2018 will culminate their efforts with the accelerator at StartR Demo Day, which takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 3.
STARTR TEAMS – CLASS OF SPRING 2018
Analytix Hub provides big data and analytics services to corporations, startups, and research institutes using a unique platform of scientists and researchers across the nation.
Beggy gives women convenience and connectivity with a highly functional and stylish Smart Bag.
Bevea makes refreshing superfruit tonics made from organic coffee fruit, ginger, and botanicals.
Hylite is an accurate and effective indoor navigation and position-based marketing solution provider.
Tryspree offers “One Click Free Samples” – the fastest easiest way to find and try free product samples.
StartR Spring 18 Teams Showcase Innovation was last modified: August 30th, 2018 by Hallie Jacobs
It has been 15 years since the Rady School of Management opened its doors to welcome a premier group of students and inspire the next generation of business leaders. Graduates have gone on to lead top companies, and have even launched companies that are leading in their respective industries. Despite less than two decades of operation, the school has reached many remarkable milestones, including earning spots on top ranking lists, launching more than 150 operating student and alumni led startups and graduating students who are now leading global organizations.
Since its founding in 2003, the Rady School MBA program has expanded its curriculum to include additional graduate programs designed to meet the needs of the business world. The Master of Finance, Master of Science in Business Analytics and Master of Professional Accountancy programs joined the stellar MBA programs offered at the Rady School to ensure a holistic and comprehensive approach to tackling important issues in all facets of the vast network of global industries.
Through the generous support of the business community, the school has grown exponentially in its 15 years, expanding the ranks of its world-renowned faculty, encouraging entrepreneurship and innovative thinking and significantly contributing to our economy. Here’s a look at the top 15 accomplishments the Rady School has achieved in its first 15 years.
Over 150 operational startup companies have been started by Rady School alumni and students. These startups have revolutionized industries, led to breakthrough medical devices, drastically enhanced the lives of the visually impaired, improved personal wellness monitoring and have forever transformed our world for the better. Many of the startups are a product of the Rady School’s unique Lab to Market core sequence and accelerators.
The Rady School community is driving local, national and global economic impact. Rady School start-ups have raised over $1.1 billion in the last 15 years.
Founded with the intention to provide quality business education to leaders in innovative industries, the Rady School has launched distinguished graduate programs to serve the needs of the business community, including the school’s flagship Full-Time MBA and FlexMBA programs, which are already recognized among the best.
Rady School faculty are recognized as leaders for the quality of their research. Over the past 15 years, the school’s faculty have been ranked #1 in the U.S. for intellectual capital by Bloomberg Businessweek, 14th globally for faculty research by the Financial Times and 12th globally in student rating of teaching quality by The Economist.
Since its inception, the school has received strong support from the business community. The school’s many supporters have been generous with their time and with gifts to support the mission of the school. Notable gifts include: a $100 million gift from Ernest and Evelyn Rady to fund strategic priorities and recruit faculty; a $4 million legacy gift and endowed chair from Nobel Laureate and Rady School Professor Harry Markowitz and his wife Barbara, a $30 million naming gift from Ernest and Evelyn Rady, a $7 million gift from Pauline and Stanley Foster for fellowships and an endowed chair, and a $5 million gift from Carol and William Stensrud for program development and faculty recruitment.
Launched in 2013, the StartR Accelerator at the Rady School is a non-profit program for Rady School students and alumni designed to provide entrepreneurs the tools needed to start and grow their businesses. The StartR program includes workshops, mentoring, advice and access to other resources for early-stage companies. At the conclusion of the program, teams present their pitches at Demo Day, attended by investors, industry experts and the San Diego community. To date, 61 companies have participated in StartR, raising over $41 million in capital.
The Rady School’s mystartupXX program is a one-of-its-kind accelerator that was created to increase and encourage diversity in entrepreneurship. Program participants take workshops on launching startups, team building, leadership, market assessment, consumer feedback, creating a value proposition, validating business models, and understanding financing strategies needed to launch the business. Each team works with a mentor and advisors who monitor and encourage their progress.
The Rady Venture Fund, a student-assisted venture capital investment fund, was established to support the Rady School’s educational objectives in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and transfer of discoveries into the marketplace. Students screen investment leads, perform due diligence, make investment recommendations, and monitor portfolio companies. To date, the fund has invested in five early stage companies.
The Rady School’s Center for Executive Development (CED) offers courses and certificates that provide valuable learning experiences to meet the needs of executives and managers in the rapidly changing world of business. Popular CED courses include: leadership, team building, and interpersonal skills. Executive Development faculty are industry experts, renowned researchers, engaging teachers and authors.
The Rady School’s D. program began in 2009, attracting top doctoral candidates from around the world. Rady School Ph.D. students have gone on to teach at top schools across the U.S. and the globe.
Two state-of-the-art buildings have been constructed to house the Rady School and provide a modern and technology-forward learning space. Otterson Hall opened in 2007 and Wells Fargo Hall Opened in 2012. Wells Fargo Hall has been LEED Gold certified for its sustainable practices.
The Rady School earned accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) in 2011. AACSB International is the premier business education accrediting body, with less than five percent of business schools worldwide achieving accreditation.
Rady School Celebrates Top 15 Accomplishments in 15 Years was last modified: October 23rd, 2018 by Hallie Jacobs
Each year UC San Diego hosts the annual Entrepreneur Challenge to celebrate innovation on campus. And each year, Rady School of Management students and alumni bring their brilliant startup ideas and launched companies to the stage to compete with fellow Tritons, sweeping the competition and earning thousands of dollars to continue developing the product or technology. The 2018 Entrepreneur Challenge was no different.
The majority of teams competing in the competition were affiliated with the Rady School and worked with one of the School’s many accelerator programs. The competition featured three tracks — Clean Technology, Life Technology and High Technology – and Rady School affiliated teams won first prize in two out of the three tracks.
Rady School affiliated teams swept the High Technology track, earning first, second and third place. StartR team GLXY – technology for weight training by preventing injuries and plateaus for athletes – earned first place. Family Proud – a mobile-application based patient advocacy software solution that provides hospitalized patients and their families easy and secure access to all their essential social, medical, and logistical resources – took second place. Beggy, mystartupXX and StartR team developing a new and trendy approach to convenient and functional Smart Bags, earned third place.
Navega – a mystartupXX team – took home first place in the Life Technology category. The company is developing technology to conquer the opioid addiction epidemic in the United States using addiction-free pain management. CReATE Medical,a StartR team, earned second place in the competition. CReATE is a patent-pending algorithm that analyzes routinely-collected patient data utilizing machine learning techniques to predict highly accurate patient-specific outcomes to pacemaker-related heart surgeries.
Green Stop won second place in the Clean Technology. The Green Stop is a mobile, solar-powered, waste-free refill station that can be used at the beach to reduce plastic pollution and provide filtered and chilled drinking water to beachgoers.
Pierre Sleiman (MBA ’13) gave the keynote address at the event, detailing how he was able to start his successful business, GoGreen Agriculture. He credited the Rady School for helping him develop the necessary entrepreneurial skills to launch and sustain a successful business.
Rady Teams Sweep UC San Diego Entrepreneur Challenge was last modified: May 25th, 2018 by Hallie Jacobs
By Karen Jensen, Program Director for the California Institute for Innovation and Design
Five teams recently graduated from the Rady School of Management’s StartR cohort and presented their company pitches to students, staff, faculty and potential investors at the biannual StartR Demo Day event.
Housed in the Rady School of Management, StartR is a non-profit accelerator program for Rady School of Management students and alumni designed to provide entrepreneurs the tools needed to start and grow their businesses. Participants are matched with entrepreneurially experienced mentors, attend a series of workshops, and work with program leadership on further developing their business.
“Over the past five years StartR has seen 57 teams graduate from the program,” said Dean Sullivan. “Of those 57 teams, 34 are still operational, meaning 60 percent of these startups have been sustained – that’s a remarkable number.”
In addition to their sustainability, Dean Sullivan stressed that StartR companies are not only alive, but continue to thrive. “StartR teams have raised about $41 million in capital,” he said. “Currently, 12 teams have participated in the prestigious EvoNexus accelerator program.”
The success of StartR teams was reinforced when Julio de Unamuno IV (MBA ’14) stopped by to discuss the success of his company, LabFellows, a member of the first StartR class and one of the first StartR/Rady School of Management startups to be accepted into EvoNexus. LabFellows is an integrated lab management platform. “We believe scientists developing medical breakthroughs shouldn’t have to spend three hours of their day on administrative tasks,” Unamuno said. “Before LabFellows, they had to. Our platform streamlines three hours of busy work into five minutes so scientists can do 60% more science.”
StartR Awards
After the pitch presentations, Lada Rasochova, Executive Director of the California Institute for Innovation and Development, and Kim Davis King, co-director of StartR and mystartupXX, presented the Spark Award to StartR sponsor CoEfficient Services for the company’s dedication and support of the StartR program and its teams. Longtime mentor Gioia Messinger was presented with the Guru Award in recognition of his support of students in the StartR program.
The audience had their say as well, selecting CReATE to win the $500 Audience Choice prize.
“We’re so grateful for the support of Dean Sullivan and the Rady School, as well as the greater San Diego community,” said Rasochova. “Our growth and the success of our teams would not be possible without all of you.”
Here’s a look at the teams that graduated from the StartR Acclerator and presented their pitches at Demo Day:
StartR Graduating Teams
Utilizing patent pending electrical biomarkers and machine learning, CReATE is providing patient-specific electro-anatomical heart models to aid physicians with the diagnosis of ventricular dyssynchrony, program CRT devices and predict patient outcomes to CRT treatment.
E-Way is developing the technology to safely electrify the roads using solar panels, removing the need to install large farms in distant locations and instead directly supply individuals, businesses, and the government.
Key is revolutionizing the birth industry by creating an accredited system for credentialing and licensing birth doulas and transforming a lifestyle based market into a profitable profession-creating industry. Key enables professional labor partners and doula agencies to build, manage and support their birth clients through a software platform that integrate billing and CRM while seamlessly providing a mobile work experience for doulas.
Kibots is a farm-to-fork food safety training and compliance system that uses IoT-enabled devices to train employees in safe food handling practices and hand washing hygiene, continuously monitors compliance and uses AI to predict risk of non-compliance.
Wasim The Dream is an online platform to help graduating students land their dream job through coaching, research and supportive online training.
StartR Demo Day A Successful Showcase of Rady School Innovation was last modified: April 10th, 2018 by Karen Jensen
The start of a new quarter signifies the start of a brand new cohort of innovative thinkers. The StartR Accelerator housed at the Rady School of Management admitted a new batch of startups in the fall who will be working throughout the next few months to develop business, marketing and pitching skills. At the end of the program, teams will pitch their companies to investors, industry experts and the San Diego community at the StartR Demo Day event.
Fall 2017 StartR teams
Utilizing patent pending electrical biomarkers and machine learning, CReATE provides patient-specific electroanotomical heart models to aid physicians with the diagnosis of ventricular dyssynchrony, program CRT devices and predict patient outcomes to CRT treatment.
EWAY
E-Way is developing the technology to safely electrify the roads using solar panels.
Key is a platform that enables professional labor partners and doula agencies to build, manage and support their birth clients, within a growing business. We are first-to-market, industry-creating infrastructure, transforming a freelance-based lifestyle market into a profitable industry, delivering an essential pregnancy and birth service.
Kibots reduces the cost, time and risk associated with food safety compliance and enables food establishments to monitor compliance across multiple sites in real-time.
Viking Scientific, Inc. (“VSI”) has created a groundbreaking delivery system for pharmaceutical agents, by using drugs as molecular building blocks to construct biodegradable materials. This proprietary “hydrogel prodrug” platform allows measured release of active agents and optimizes management of patients who require regular and consistent dosing.
Wasim The Dream is a platform for motivational speaking services, book sales, career and fitness coaching.
Meet the New StartR Class was last modified: January 18th, 2018 by Hallie Jacobs
The Rady School of Management StartR Accelerator is a popular aspect of the MBA program. The non-profit accelerator program provides tools and a space for students and alumni need to start and grow their businesses. While in the program, participants can utilize workshops, mentoring, advice and access to other resources for early-stage companies.
Seven teams were admitted into the prestigious accelerator.
BarStar maximizes weight training by preventing injuries and plateaus for athletes.
Cool2Zero develops unique and proven technology to reduce electricity use in large commercial coolers and freezers by up to 40% and increase equipment life by up to 200%. Savings of thousands of dollars each month can be realized.
Intelligent, content-adaptive video compression.
Greyble is reducing water footprints on residential properties with an appliance that recycles indoor wastewater for outdoor irrigation.
USYNO is building an online platform to facilitate cost-free exchange between US Dollar and China Yuan.
Veocor pioneers software technologies that will reduce cost and improve quality of care by identifying patients at increased risk of stroke who benefit from anticoagulation.
Weighty Corn LLC provides technologies for removing fiber from corn.
StartR Teams Ignite New Companies was last modified: November 8th, 2017 by Hallie Jacobs
Six teams recently graduated from the Rady School of Management’s StartR cohort and presented their company pitches to students, staff, faculty and potential investors at the biannual StartR Demo Day event.
Housed in the Rady School of Management, StartR is a non-profit accelerator program for Rady School of Management students and alumni designed to provide entrepreneurs the tools needed to start and grow their businesses. Recently, the Rady School partnered with the Jacobs School of Engineering to form the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur – a program designed to help students gain business acumen, build new ventures, and improve career preparedness. This StartR class was the first graduating cohort to feature students from the Jacobs School of Engineering.
“Since Fall 2013, 51 teams have graduated from StartR,” said Dean Sullivan. “Of those 51 teams, 30 are still operational, meaning 60 percent of these startups have been sustained – that’s a remarkable number.”
The success of StartR teams was reinforced when current student and recent StartR graduate Josh Shaffer (MBA ’18) stopped by to discuss the success of his company, Glöbier. He spoke about how the business is growing and expanding to clubs and venues across San Diego, as well as Las Vegas.
In addition to the sustainability of StartR companies, Dean Sullivan mentioned how the companies are not only alive, but continue to thrive.
“StartR teams have raised about $41 million in capital,” he said. “Currently, 11 teams are housed in the prestigious EvoNexus accelerator.”
StartR Graduating Teams
BarStar maximizes weight training by preventing injuries and plateaus for athletes by applying a precision medicine approach to weightlifting that increases both gym profitability and member health. Rady entrepreneurship minor Austin Fennacy developed a system that allows barbells to capture user data.
FASTech aims to make video streaming and storage faster, easier and more cost effective using intelligent, content-adaptive video compression.
Greyble is reducing water footprints on residential properties with an appliance that recycles indoor wastewater for outdoor irrigation. According to the company, their system has enabled the average user to decrease water consumption by 55 percent each month.
USYNO is building an online platform to facilitate cost-free exchange between US Dollar and Chinese Yuan. Current methods are costly and take time to send and receive money, but USYNO enables currency to be exchanged quickly, cheaply and safely.
Veocor Diagnostics uses non-invasive ultrasound imaging diagnostic tool that identifies and quantifies blood flow in the heart to direct anticoagulant prescription.
Weighty Corn LLC provides technologies for removing fiber from corn using sieving and air classification. This process increases the production of ethanol and produces higher quality feed for chickens and hogs.
StartR Awards
After the pitch presentations, Lada Rasochova presented the Spark Award to StartR longtime sponsor Sheppard Mullin for the company’s dedication and contributions to the StartR program, including the incorporation of many of the teams.
Longtime mentor Darrel Drinan was presented with the Guru Award in recognition of his dedication to mentoring teams in each StartR cohort.
“The contributions of Michael Umansky of Sheppard Mullin and Darrel Drinan, as well as all of our program sponsors and mentors, are vital to the success of our teams,” Rasochova said. “We could not do this without them.”
8th StartR Demo Day Event Showcases Innovation in Action was last modified: October 19th, 2017 by Hallie Jacobs
The StartR Accelerator housed at the Rady School of Management welcomed ten new teams into the latest cohort. The non-profit accelerator program provides tools and a space for students and alumni need to start and grow their businesses. While in the program, participants can utilize workshops, mentoring, advice and access to other resources for early-stage companies.
Ceravis
Cervais was created to empower cures for Parkinson’s through knowledge and data collection in a Virtual Reality based environment.
Ciari
Bringing the magic of music to guitarists on-the-go, Ciari Guitars boasts the first patented, break-neck foldable travel guitar that provides convenient, low profile transportation and quality guitar playability upon deployment.
GemiNice
Geminice focuses on developing aesthetic products that rejuvenate people’s skin and greatly slow the aging process.
Globier
Light up your night with Globier.
Marksman Targeting, Inc.
Marksman Targeting, Inc.
This company developed two products and a pedicle screw placement protocol to reduce radiation exposure to operating room staff and patients.
NeithE
Through the competitive advantage of a 75 year old family owned textile conglomerate, NeithE empowers fashion designers to start their own small business with no upfront costs.
Recall
Recall
Recall is a mobile app that facilitates memory formation and recall, records recall habits and creates an interface between caregivers and survivors.
Skinalytics
A personalized mobile skin genie that knows more about your skin health than you.
Trifecta Therapeutics
Trifecta Therapeutics
This company has a development plan for a bispecific antibody therapeutic against myeloid-derived suppressor cells.
VisiCELL
VisiCELL
VisiCELL is a safe and biodegradable stem cell tracking agent that can be used in both patients and animal models.
Introducing the New StartR Teams was last modified: September 5th, 2017 by Rady School
The year 2016 was an exciting one for the StartR Accelerator at the Rady School of Management.
StartR, a non-profit accelerator program for Rady students and alumni designed to provide entrepreneurs the tools needed to start and grow their businesses, launched more than 10 new business ventures, won challenges and continued to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation.
StartR Achievements
Ten new teams joined the program in November 2016, and the incoming cohort is the most gender diverse cohort to date.
Braykion, a healthcare system designed to rid the healthcare environment of preventable infections, was accepted into EvoNexus – the seventh StartR team to be accepted into the prestigious accelerator.
In 2016 alone, current student and alum teams won numerous awards in prestigious local competitions including the Social Innovation Challenge (TutuRoomii); the Entrepreneur Challenge (Genrix and Braykion); the Proof of Concept Competition (Brew’n’Go); EvoNexus Demo Day (LeadCrunch); Tech Coast Angels Quick Pitch (Braykion); and CONNECT’s Most Innovative New Product Awards (Aira).
Twelve teams completed StartR in 2016, bringing the total number of StartrR teams to 28.
Two teams (Aira and Braykion) were featured at the TEDxSanDiego Innovation Alley on October 22, 2016.
In 2016, current student and alum teams raised more than $7 million in funding. Total funding since the start of the program in 2013 is over $23 million.
Two teams (Clarify Medical and Grolltex) were named to Xconomy’s 12 San Diego Tech Startups to Watch.
Aira, a technological service that helps the visually impaired, was a finalist in The Wall Street Journal’s Startup Showcase.
Local industry professionals contributed more than 600 hours of volunteer time to mentor StartR teams.
About StartR
StartR was founded by a group of Rady students in 2013, this free six-month long acceleration program held on the Rady School campus accepts up to six teams per cohort. The program includes workshops, mentoring, advice and access to other resources for early-stage companies. At the conclusion of the program, teams present their pitches at Demo Day, attended by investors, industry experts and the San Diego community.
StartR Accomplishments in 2016 was last modified: September 5th, 2017 by Rady School
It has been 15 years since the Rady School of Management opened its doors to welcome a premier group of students and inspire the next generation of business leaders. Graduates have gone on to lead top companies, and have even launched companies that are leading in their respective industries. Despite less than two decades of operation, the school has reached many remarkable milestones, including earning spots on top ranking lists, launching more than 150 operating student and alumni led startups and graduating students who are now leading global organizations.
eam developing a new and trendy approach to convenient and functional Smart Bags, earned third place.
“Since Fall 2013, 51 teams have graduated from StartR,” said Dean Sullivan. “Of those 51 teams, 30 are still operational, meaning 60 percent of these startups have been sustained – that’s a remarkable number.”
The year 2016 was an exciting one for the