Entrepreneurship | Resources at CSUN

New venture competitions are a great way to learn more about entrepreneurship while accessing mentorship, coaching, and of course - startup capital!

CSUN's Nazarian College hosts two annual new venture competitions - the "Fast Pitch" New Venture Competition in the Fall semester and the Jeff Marine Bull Ring New Venture Competition in the Spring.

Students are also encouraged to participate in the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition which showcases the top two startup teams from each of eighteen CSU campuses, pitching in competition for a total prize pool of $200,000!

Our on-campus incubator is designed to help startups from CSUN and the San Fernando Valley discover new opportunities, create outstanding enterprises and connect with a global network of businesses and investors. More info

The CSUN Summer Accelerator provides competitive applications to create momentum around your start-up venture with an intensive 10 week summer experience.  Two company representatives will be awarded full time paid internships to work on their company, and make progress toward achieving a sustainable, profitable venture with product-market fit. Learn more

Grants from the Leadership Funds in Entrepreneurship are awarded to CSUN students who can demonstrate a viable entrepreneurial business idea that is in need of seed funds to achieve the next level of development.

Available Awards:
Emily Serebryany Leadership Fund in Entreprenurship
Bill Imada Leadership Fund in Entrepreneurship

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recently awarded CSUN with a grant as part of its Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program to support commercialization of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) innovations and entrepreneurship activities at CSUN. More info

CSUN Entrepreneurs' mission is to connect like-minded students, provide networking opportunities, and share valuable information related to starting businesses. More info

Blockchain@CSUN is a community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni focused on advancing discussion and development of blockchain and digital assets. Our mission is to provide education while also learning together about this profoundly transformative technology. More Info

The Wells Fargo Center for Small Business and Entrepreneurship serves as a link between our CSUN business students seeking experience solving the real world challenges facing small businesses, and our business "clients" seeking to utilize the College resources. More info

Below, please find a few of the top resources for student entrepreneurial activity within the College of Engineering & Computer Science:

The Ernie Schaeffer Center for STEM Education lies within the College of Engineering and Computer Science and its mission is to promote and foster activities in advanced, interdisciplinary, and experiential education and applied research, and in alliance with professional communities that facilitate success of students and faculty in Computer Science, Technology, and Engineering.

The Senior Design Project Showcase, started in 2010, features the culminating design projects and oral presentations of graduating seniors in the College of Engineering and Computer Science's five departments—civil engineering and construction management, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, manufacturing systems engineering and management, and mechanical engineering.

Below, please find a few of the top resources for student entrepreneurial activity within the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication:

IntersectLA is CSUN’s on-campus, student-run creative agency, providing design for brands, experiences, and time-based media for a wide range of regional, national, and global clients. Intersect LA combines teaching and research when our students, faculty, and industry professionals work together on real-world projects to support education and career preparation.

DesignHub (AKA Art 458) is a class where students form teams and work with selected non-profit organizations on graphic design, marketing, and branding campaigns. Simply put, DesignHub is a central location where student designers work with community members to solve design problems through design thinking.

The Sundial is an award-winning, and financially independent, student newspaper and website. Student journalists take whole ownership of gathering, writing, editing and publishing or disseminating news for our students and community. The Sundial gives aspiring student journalists a chance to learn hands-on both print and digital media as well as working in a deadline-driven, team-oriented environment. Also, the Sundial recently started employing "Student Entrepreneurs" to take on projects relating to either growing the audience base or increasing revenues in new, innovative ways.

Five of Five Music Entertainment (VVME) is a student-run, faculty-advised music and entertainment label based out of the Music Industry Studies program at CSUN. Since 1997, VVME has worked with a wide array of developing artists and helped them make their mark in the music industry. Positioning itself as an all-purpose music entertainment company and staffed by this generation’s most aspiring young music industry professionals, VVME provides the production and business expertise necessary for success in today’s music industry.

It's been said that experience is the best teacher, and there's no better way to learn how to build your own company than by working with one first-hand! Visit our Career Education & Professional Development Center to learn more about current and future opportunities as well as ensuring that your skills align with what modern employers expect. The center is staffed by professionals who assist students and alumni with their experiential learning, career exploration, and career networking needs.

In 2005, Harriet and Harvey Bookstein (’70) took a bold and visionary step in creating the Bookstein Institute for Higher Education in Taxation at CSUN. The Bookstein Institute, which is part of the Department of Accounting & Information Systems, strives to be the hub for education, scholarship, and community service in taxation in Los Angeles. The Bookstein Institute promotes and supports activities that encourage a greater understanding of the dynamic field of taxation.

One of the entrepreneurial initiatives within the Bookstein Institute is the VITA Clinic, a program whereby current CSUN students provide cost-free income tax assistance service to low-income residents of the San Fernando Valley.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Projects is effectively the gateway for faculty, students, and staff to become involved in commercializing products, programs, and/or services. CSUN is dedicated to assisting faculty and staff in obtaining research and creative activity support from federal, state, corporate, and foundation sponsored programs. Learn more

Social entrepreneurs are ambitious, persistent, and dedicated to solving the world's most pressing social problems. Below are some resources to help YOU develop the next new idea for wide-scale change:

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
CSUN Sustainability Central