The campus-based center offers a wide variety of resources, mentors, programs and services for UCI students interested in entrepreneurship.
Startup ideas come in all shapes and sizes. And the ANTrepreneur Center is ready and waiting for those innovative ideas from great UCI minds.
Under UCI Beall Applied Innovation and UCI Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), the ANTrepreneur Center provides UCI students from all disciplines free mentorship, learning opportunities, resources to develop business ideas and connections to the greater Irvine entrepreneurial network.
Jaune Odombrown, ANTrepreneur Center manager, wants to capitalize on the ANTrepreneur Center’s potential as UCI’s on-campus and virtual innovation hub for students – a vision that began with the Center’s partnership with DUE in 2014.
“We’re looking to partner and collaborate,” said Odombrown. “DUE is going to always be there to support undergrad education and finding ways to work with our incoming student body as well.”
The ANTrepreneur Center is a resource available to any UCI student who wants to begin their entrepreneurial journey. The ANTrepreneur Center focuses on the ideation and research and production stages of a business, allowing students to brainstorm and collaborate for the best product possible.
After the ANTrepreneur Center joined forces with Applied Innovation in 2017, there has been a concerted effort for the ANTrepreneur Center to leverage DUE’s network. With this decision, the ANTrepreneur Center can utilize DUE’s better network with undergraduates, its target demographic. Along with outreach efforts, this partnership has provided better access to student interns who help run the ANTrepreneur Center.
“Working with Jaune at the ANTrepreneur Center has been instrumental to identifying more opportunities to grow my startup, StartSmart,” said Caitlyn Yang, UCI mechanical engineer major. “Through mentoring sessions, networking with other entrepreneurs and listening to their stories, and discussing potential partnerships, I find that the ANTrepreneur Center is an amazing resource to any student with an idea.”
Currently, students can take the Experiencing Entrepreneurship Program (E2) for the first five weeks of each quarter at the ANTrepreneur Center, a building formerly known as the Phineas Banning Alumni House until April 2020. For two hours a day, Odombrown offers guidance on the various aspects of entrepreneurship, such as growing ideas into a business. Odombrown will also offer Pitch Clarity: Learn to Pitch Anything, a class that educates students on effective business pitch delivery.
Outside of classes and seminars, the ANTrepreneur Center will host guest speakers who will discuss their experiences in the business sector. Odombrown is also available for scheduled meetings to discuss an idea, pitch, business plan or product.
“I’m removing barriers for students when it comes down to knowledge and access to entrepreneurship resources,” said Odombrown. “They have a partner in me and my team at the center until we find them partners.”
The ANTrepreneur Center is also available to UCI student groups. Manifest at UCI, a student club that cultivates an entrepreneurial community, uses the ANTrepreneur Center for their meetings and often introduces Odombrown to their new members. The Biomedical Engineering Society takes advantage of the small Makers’ Lab available in the building. Student startups use the space as well – all with ideas from a variety of business sectors like travel packages, bike technology and social media sites.
UCI startup Recreate Energy, a biofuel company that provides compatible renewable fuels for gas and oil companies, recently celebrated success at the ANTrepreneur Center.
“The ANTrepreneur Center has been pivotal in the success of Recreate Energy,” said Daniel Vega, UCI undergrad student and founder of Recreate Energy. “It has provided me a workspace and venue to recruit team members to begin development of our system and has also connected me to a vibrant community of entrepreneurs I can seek help from.”
As the ANTrepreneur Center continues to add new resources for curious undergraduate students, Odombrown hopes to make it the starting point for every UCI student entrepreneur.
Learn more about the ANTrepreneur Center.
*Main Illustration: Julie Kennedy, UCI Beall Applied Innovation