Entrepreneurship
The San Francisco Bay Area has long been a hotbed for new business creation, and the Haas School remains one of the world’s leading centers for the study and practice of entrepreneurship. Through academic and experiential learning, the Berkeley MBA program offers its students the skills and knowledge to launch fast-growth, high-potential enterprises and teaches them how to start careers in the venture capital industry. Some Haas students begin their own firms while in school or launch startups immediately after graduation.
At the center of these activities is the highly ranked Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which emphasizes the integration of academic and experiential learning by bringing entrepreneurs and venture capitalists into the classroom. Among its many activities are two prominent business plan competitions—one global in reach—and the monthly Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum that provides the opportunity to meet with venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. Just off campus is the Haas-affiliated Berkeley Entrepreneurship Laboratory, a business incubator which has room for up to eight startups launched by Haas students and alumni. The Lester Center's classes, events, programs, and other activities are part of the UC Berkeley Venture Launchpad, a coordinated array of resources and experiences to help students interested in exploring entrepreneurship and innovation get the most out of their time on the Berkeley campus.
Certificate in Entrepreneurship
Leveraging the Haas School's proximity to Silicon Valley, this certificate integrates classroom and extracurricular activities. In addition to course requirements, you gain field experience either through an internship with a local entrepreneurial operation, or by completing a project that integrates fundamental business skills with a marketing or business plan for a venture of your own design.
Brian L. Maxwell Fellows Program
The Brian L. Maxwell Fellows Program supports Berkeley MBA students who exhibit an entrepreneurial nature and a willingness to take a chance on new ideas and innovations. Students selected as fellows receive full tuition and fees, and become part of a fellowship network with other recipients. The program was established by Jennifer Maxwell, BS 88, (Nutrition) in honor of her late husband, PowerBar co-founder Brian Maxwell, BA 75.
Innovative Business Plan Competitions
The $25,000 grand prize of the 2007 Global Social Venture Competition was won by Kirsten Tobey and Kristin Richmond-Groos, both MBA 06. They recently co-founded Revolution Foods, a startup that serves healthy, mostly organic school lunches in primarily low-income Bay Area communities. The contest, one of two business plan competitions at the Haas School, drew a record 245 teams from 23 countries in 2008.
Top-ranked specialties
In 2009, US News & World Report ranked the following Haas School areas of study in the top ten nationally:
Finance
Marketing
Management
Entrepreneurship
International
Nonprofit
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