University Partnerships

Ideas Empowered Program has partnered with different centers across USC to provide comprehensive and specialized support to the participating teams.

	USC Marshall Center for Technology Commercialization Ideas Empowered Program has partnered with the USC Marshall Center for Technology Commercialization and with its Director, Professor Dr. Kathleen Allen, to engage MBA candidates that work closely with the Ideas Empowered Class to provide support on primary and secondary market research and commercial feasibility analysis. Each Ideas Empowered team gets the support of an MBA student.
	The Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the USC Keck School of Medicine of USC CTSI promotes the translation of medical knowledge developed in the laboratory to clinical research, and in the application of that knowledge to the treatment of human patients, working with the community at large.
	Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the USC Marshall School of Business The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies is among the nation's leaders in entrepreneurship education and research. The Center offers undergraduate and graduate programs designed to help students acquire the tools, develop the skills, and cultivate the mindset central to organizing, launching, and managing successful new ventures.
	Regulatory Science Center The Regulatory Science program at the USC School of Pharmacy is a global leader in producing professional graduates with the knowledge and skills to manage regulated biomedical products worldwide. The program enjoys a high profile among industry employers, who help to ensure that students move easily into jobs in business and government.

In 2006, The University of Southern California partnered with leading academic, clinical and community organizations in central Los Angeles to establish the Los Angeles Basin Clinical and Translational Science Institute (LAB-CTSI), using the NIH CTSA model. With this robust partnership, the LAB-CTSI strives to become a pre-eminent clinical and translational science institute that will improve health in the diverse urban environment of Los Angeles and, in doing so, gain knowledge that we can share with others to improve health in urban settings and megacities across the globe. Ideas Empowered Program and CTSI share resources and collaborate to identify promising translational research projects and leverage funding resources.

Ideas Empowered includes idea pitch and feasibility analysis workshops lead by faculty from the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Marshall School of Business.
	Steven Mednick is an expert in entrepreneurial start-ups, complex sales, and the funding process. He has over 25 years experience working with early stage businesses to large, complex global enterprises in the areas of corporate ventures, business development, sales leadership and corporate law. He currently teaches in the undergraduate, MBA and EMBA programs at the USC Marshall School of Business.
	Scott Lenet is a founder and Managing Director of DFJ Frontier, a Draper Fisher Jurvetson Network partner fund and early stage technology venture capital firm. He is part of the advisory board of the Entrepreneurship Center at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, where he was an adjunct professor from 2003 to 2010 and currently teaches at the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the USC Marshall School of Business.