The University of California at Davis (UC Davis) Center for Entrepreneurship announced today that 50 students from around the world have been selected to attend the second annual Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy in Incline Village, Nevada.
The Academy will be held July 7-11, 2008, and is being taught by experts from some of the nation's top venture capital firms, law firms, and research institutions.
The idea? To help students move their research out of the lab and into the market.
This summer's academy, according to people close to the Center, will host students from 23 universities around the world, including doctoral students, post docs, and research faculty working in a wide range of science and engineering fields.
"The diverse student body at this year's Academy will bring a fresh batch of ideas to the table, and will leave armed with the tools they need to propel their ideas forward," said Associate Professor Andy Hargadon, director, UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship.
It's kind of a "boot camp" for entrepreneurship, with sessions focusing on intellectual property, elevator pitches, development strategies, market validation, business plan presentations, and the logistics of building a team, among other topics.
Students will also get to network with and vet their concepts with other students and even pitch it to faculty members.
The Academy’s faculty includes VCs from American River Ventures, CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund, DFJ Frontier, MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures, Nth Power, Physic Ventures, and Sierra Angels, as well as researchers from National Instruments, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center.
Efficiency and sustainability guru Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, will be the keynote speaker at a networking dinner on July 9.
