The mystartupXX Accelerator Program Wins $50,000 Award from the SBA

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For the third year in a row, the mystartupXX accelerator program, a UC San Diego-wide program started as a collaboration of the California Institute for Innovation and Development at the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego and the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering in 2012, has been chosen as one of the winners of the national Growth Accelerator Fund competition and recipient of a $50,000 award from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

“It is an incredible honor for the mystartupXX program to be chosen for a third time as one of the winners of the SBA award,” said Lada Rasochova, executive director of the California Institute for Innovation and Development at the Rady School of Management and mystartupXX program director. “This award will enable us to further expand the program to include UC San Diego Health Sciences and continue to increase the number of students and alumni we help launch viable startups and positively impact the innovation economy.”

The mystartupXX program’s mission is to nurture the next generation of female founder and female-led technology startups through mentorship, education and funding. The program is designed to encourage and aid female students from all across UC San Diego to create innovative, technology-driven companies. mystartupXX is affiliated with the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur, a new collaboration between the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and Rady School of Management.

“The mystartupXX program has been a magnet for talented students across the UC San Diego campus from undergraduates to postdoctoral scholars to alumni to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into an innovative company,” said Kimberly Davis King, Rady School lecturer and mystartupXX program co-director. “I am excited that the SBA grant will help continue the education, support and mentorship provided by the program to more female-led companies.”

Since its founding in 2012, the mystartupXX program has supported four cohorts of female entrepreneurs and 26 female-led teams. Several startup companies have been launched that have raised more than $8 million in funding and have brought several revenue-generating products to the market. Cypher Genomics, co-founded by 2012 mystartupXX participant Ashley Van Zeeland, was acquired by Human Longevity in 2015. In 2016, mystartupXX company, Clip Diagnostics, won the Life Science track in the UC San Diego E-Challenge competition.

In addition to the SBA grant, the mystartupXX program has been recognized throughout the community for its impact on female entrepreneurs. The program was recognized with a Pinnacle Award by Athena San Diego for the organization that best personifies Athena San Diego’s mission of fostering the personal and professional growth of women through mentoring, education, recognition and leadership training, thereby enhancing competitiveness and opportunity in the San Diego business community.

For more information about the mystartupXX program, go to: http://rady.ucsd.edu/ciid/mystartupxx/