Changes

There are many variations of pitch competitions that the university may hold.  UC Merced will push forward by offering as many oppurtunies to students to advance their pitch and showcase thier idea to the student body.  The Leadership Circle is working to increase the outreach and attandance attendance of current pitch competitions. New pitch competitons and advancing current ones, could be implemented by next Fall.

<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px;">3 Day Startup and other programs focus on learning by doing. Students are divided into interdisciplinary teams, and are given real-world experience on how to run a startup. This program allows students to collaborate and run their own compaines companies and test their product. Giving them an entrepreneurial crash course, which could lead to tangible success. Initial planning will begin in the upcoming Fall semester, with intentions of holding the event in the Spring.</span></span>

The [http://www.gallomdp.com/ E&J Gallo Management Development Program ] is currently proposing the founding of a an Entrepreneurship Research Institute. In the future, this would encompass a physical building on campus where faculty researchers can study the development of innovation within the Central Valley and analyze the economic impact of UC Merced on the surrounding community. However, this Institute is still in proposal form and will likely require a strong industry partner in order to secure funding from the UC system. Thus, this will probably be a long -term goal for the Leadership Circle and not something that can be accomplished with within 1-2 years.&nbsp;

Essential to ensuring the longevity of UC Merced's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem is an incubator program. &nbsp;Incubators have been proven in the past to be invaluable to new companies in providing funding, work space, and access to industry professionals. A venture fund derived from alumni and community donations could be created. Several alumni have already expressed an interest in giving back to UC Merced. Shared work space could also be provided, rent-free, to small startups as an alternative to paying rent for office space. An incubator at UC Merced would provide access to professionals with experience in the essential business fields, for example: intellectual property advice, financing concerns, and product development and management. This would be most useful to students who want to start their own businesses but would be hestitant hesitant because they don't have experience. In line with UC Merced's goals of encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, an incubator would provide an outlet for students to make their lofty ideas into a tangible reality.&nbsp;