Venture Lab NEXT Accelerator

Venture Lab NEXT text

Our new UC Venture Lab NEXT accelerator will work with select student ventures to find product-market fit over a 12-week cohort modeled program through curated mentorship, peer-to-peer learning and awesome guest speakers and will provide each team $10K in non dilutive funding to work with.

Venture Lab NEXT participants working at table

UC Venture Lab NEXT

Dates: Cohort meetings begin Monday May 6th and run through July (May 6, 13, 20, 27; June 3, 10,17, 24; July 1,8,15, 22, 29)

Time: 3:00pm-6:00pm

Location: 1819 Innovation Hub

Program Overview (topics, dates and guest speakers are tentative):

  • 1st session - Expectations and program framework; crafting your milestones & timeline for the program

    • Week 1 staff check in: Establish your milestones 

  • 2nd session -Mentor Speed Dating 

  • 3rd session - Customer Discovery 

  • 4th session - Ecosystem Mapping and Market Research 

    • Week 4 staff check in: Milestone progress

  • 5th session - Building an MVP; Product Development 

  • 6th session - Go-to-Market  

  • 7th session -Sales Strategies for B2B and B2C

  • 8th session - Revenue Models

    • Week 8 staff check in: Milestone progress

  • 9th session - Financial Modeling 

  • 10th session --Legal/Fundraising 

  • 11th session - Company Culture setting/first employee hires  

  • 12th session - VC or angel investor critique of individual team pitches/decks

    • Week 12 staff check in: Milestone review & next steps 

Venture Lab NEXT participants working at table
Format:

  • Weekly cohort meetings with group discussion & guest speakers (Tuesday sessions)

  •  Expected weekly team updates on progress between sessions

  • Curated EIR/mentor matched conversations during at least 6 of the 12 weeks (scheduled individually between team and EIR/mentor during that assigned week, usually virtual)

  • Four individual check in meetings with Venture Lab staff to discuss progress on milestones 

Additional resources for participating teams:

  • Free co-working hot desk space in the 1819 Innovation Hub for the duration of the program

  • One-on-one meetings with center EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence)

  • Access to an assigned Venture Research Studio student staff member for market research needs

  • VL partner rate for the 1819 Makerspace (prototyping tools, 2D and 3D printers, etc)