Our Crowdfunding Groups
About Us
Bruin Entrepreneurs is the premier entrepreneurship organization at UCLA. Founded in 2013, BE’s core mission is to facilitate entrepreneurship among undergraduates by providing resources, networking, and guidance.
Our aim is to assist students of all majors and levels of experience in starting their own ventures by providing educational workshops designed to introduce students to the basics of entrepreneurship. In addition to hosting guest speaker and presentation events, we also intend to help establish UCLA’s presence in the Los Angeles startup community by providing students with external networking opportunities to connect with existing startups, accelerators, and investors in the area.
BE is designed to not only be a network and resource for learning, but a place to innovate. Via Startup UCLA, we open a meeting place for like-minded students who desire to bring their passion into a collaborative environment. We aim to provide a productive environment for business people, developers, and everyone in between to connect and share their talents.
Through Weekly Nights, Startup Labs, Startup Fair LA, BruinLabs, Designation, and 1000 Pitches, BE is dedicated to providing equity, transparency, and support to student entrepreneurs so that they may solve the complex problems, questions, and issues facing our world today. Our purpose here is to inspire those to BE the Next Big Thing.
Weekly Nights
Weekly Night is our flagship program that occurs every week (hence the name). This is where our general members come and engage with our invited speakers and other members of our community through workshops, speaker sessions, and other activities. Our Weekly Nights are designed to be a place where general members can learn about entrepreneurship and find a community.
1000 Pitches
1000 Pitches is a campus-wide pitch competition with a simple premise: 1000 students are asked to pitch an idea. The competition begins there, where students are encouraged to think bigger and bolder and be their own entrepreneurs.
Startup Labs: Bootcamp
Startup Labs is an in-house pre-accelerator program hosted annually where candidates selected based on their ingenuity, intelligence, and willingness to strive for success are supported into turning their projects into a startup. Throughout the bootcamp, Startup Labs help founders grow their startups by providing them with mentorship, an on-campus working space, and any other resources they need. Startup Labs has historically launched numerous startups to the next level, with several joining well-acclaimed accelerator programs or securing venture funding. At Startup Labs, the mission is to embolden UCLA’s emergent entrepreneurs to learn by doing.
Startup Fair LA
Startup Fair LA provides an exclusive opportunity for high-growth startups to connect with UCLA students who are experimental, independent-minded, and thoughtful leaders in their pursuit of startup work experience. With a combined 700 active members and over 1500 engineers in their network, Startup Fair LA has sought to connect startups with some of the best and brightest that UCLA has to offer to discuss potential full-time, part-time, or internship positions.
Designathon
Designathon at UCLA is a beginner-friendly design competition with the goal of fostering design thinking . Student designers and creatives from diverse background and skill levels come together to innovate and create. Students have an incredible opportunity to network with peers and professionals, attend dynamic workshops, seek guidance from expert designers and learn about buzzing opportunities in the design industry.
BruinLabs
BruinLabs is a virtual venture initiation summer program where participants design their own venture and work on making it a success through product development and business savvy with their teams, while also engaging in a series of specialized workshops and panels on early-stage startups. Each group consists of 3-5 students supported by a Project Manager who will help the participants and act as the team’s guide throughout the 8-week entrepreneurial process.
Finance Solutions
The Finance Solutions Initiative focuses on fundraising and securing financial support for Bruin Entrepreneurs’ events and programs. This includes obtaining sponsorships, managing fundraising campaigns, and coordinating partnerships to help cover costs for initiatives like Weekly Nights, 1000 Pitches, and hackathons. By ensuring the necessary funding is in place, Finance Solutions allows BE to continue offering resources, workshops, and opportunities for students interested in entrepreneurship.
Media
The Media Initiative works on the front-end visuals as well as the back-end workings of all our systems. Our board members in Media work on establishing our marketing and branding standards on top of managing the assets, vectors, and accessibility of our front-facing initiatives.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE UCLA FOUNDATION'S DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS FOR DONORS
Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.
A personalized thank-you email from Bruin Entrepreneurs (fully tax-deductible).
Receive all previous perks. A social media shoutout featuring your name and startup (fully tax-deductible).
Receive all previous perks. A handwritten thank-you note from the BE team (fully tax-deductible).
Receive all previous perks. Your name (and startup) listed on the Bruin Entrepreneurs website as a valued supporter. Exclusive BE keychain and stickers (tax-deductible gift of $92).
Receive all previous perks. An invitation to serve as a speaker or judge at a BE event. A premium BE notebook and pen (tax-deductible gift of $175).
Receive all previous perks. The opportunity to host an info session with BE. A high-quality BE hoodie will be included (tax-deductible gift of $425).
Receive all previous perks. An exclusive social or lunch with BE leadership. A personalized thank-you video from the BE team. A commemorative plaque recognizing your support (tax-deductible gift of $900).