University of Southern California

Viterbi Student Institute for Innovation

Location: Rapp Engineering Research Building

University of Southern California 3650 McClintock Avenue, OHE 530E

Mission: “VSi2 will serve as a crucible for innovation for Viterbi students, who will learn how to turn their ideas or research into successful business ventures. VSi2 which will offer educational programs, new venture creation support and networking opportunities to help cultivate the next gen engineering entrepreneur.

Includes the Viterbi School’s new design and fabrication lab for undergraduate students, the Fab Lab. Here, students can create hobby related projects, scale models such as experimental wingtips, and precision components for capstone assignments.

The lab is intended to provide students with the resources they need to make almost any design project a physical reality. The computer-controlled lab equipment can cut fabrication times from weeks to hours.The Fab-Lab concept of combining high- and low-tech tools for personal fabrication originates at MIT. The USC Fab Lab will hopefully evolve to support multidisciplinary student projects that uniquely engage the Los Angeles community.”

Materials:

• 3-D printer,
• a computer-controlled 4’ x 8’ router table and scanner, and
• traditional fabrication equipment including a
  • band saw, a drill press, and a belt sander.

Innovation Center:

• Website
• Educational Programs
  • In technology innovation and entrepreneurship programs including Courses and Minors
    • Potential Courses:
      • Building the High Tech Startup

        Teach students the basic technologies and processes involved in building web and mobile startups. Students will be introduced to the different aspects of building a web startup including online business models, Product management, Agile development processes, technology platforms and operations, customer development and online marketing.
      • Technologies for High Tech Marketing

        Designed to introduce students to technologies, concepts and strategies in the emerging online advertising ecosystem. Through lectures, discussions, and projects, students learn strategies and tactics to drive traffic to a website. They learn how to analyze and measure the efficacy of their plans. Lastly, they will work with a real client and with a real budget to craft and execute an online marketing plan.

      • The Art & Adventure of the Startup

        Launching a startup is a creative and adventurous journey. No two startups are alike. No two entrepreneurs are alike. Each journey is different, each context is different and each sector is different. There are some rules and there are no rules. Each startup is its own creative adventure. It’s a solo journey, but also a team effort. It’s both fraught with high risk and exhilarating at the same time. The journey is filled with uncertainty, turbulence and chaos. Less than 10% of new products succeed and only about 2% of all startups go public. Success in this journey requires resilience, perseverance, commitment, tolerance for failure, strong relationships and a capacity to think differently. This class is about teaching you how to improve your odds of success in your startup journey. It is an intense immersion in building the knowledge base and cultivating the cognitive and emotional skills needed to build a successful startup.

      • Digital Startup Launchpad

        A real world, hands-on learning experience on what it’s like to actually start a high-tech company. Students will work in teams to design, prototype and implement version 1.0 of a high tech web or mobile startup. Prerequisite: BAEP 451, BAEP 452, ITP 466 and ITP 476; corequisite: BAEP 496.

      • Startup Capstone for Computer Science MajorsThe new 2-sequence startup capstone is a deep learning immersion in ideating, planning and building a technology startup for CS seniors.

        Students will work in teams under the guidance of the teaching team on a startup idea of their choice and launch a product by the end of the spring semester. The fall class will focus on two key elements: What’s the problem you’re solving and implementing a high fidelity prototype to solve the problem. The spring semester will focus on implementing all technological aspects of the product and design, doing customer testing and launching the product.

      • Business and Intellectual Property Law for Engineers

        An examination of legal issues confronting the professional engineer. Topics include the legal system, contracts, risk management, forms of doing business, capital formation and intellectual property rights. Upper division standing.

      • Technical Entrepreneurship

        Starting and managing a technological business: developing a viable concept, market and financial planning, product development, organizing the venture, protecting intellectual property rights.

      • Dean’s Seminar in Entrepreneurship

        Overview of starting and developing a new business. Discussions with successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. Not available for students admitted to the Entrepreneur Program. Open only to seniors or graduate students in business or engineering. Graded CR/NC.

      • Engineering Team Management

        Examine team formation and team dynamics including organizational behavior, group dynamics, psychology, and business management, all in the context of engineering development; decision-making and negotiation. Open only to juniors and seniors.

      • Invention and Technology Development

        This project-oriented course elaborates on the process of engaging creative thought, tools and techniques for invention, and issues involved in bringing inventions to the production phase. Graded CR/NC.

      • Engineering Law, Economics and Politics

        An examination of the legal, financial and ethical issues regularly considered by all practicing engineers. Upper division standing.

      • Development and Regulation of Medical Products
        

        An introduction to the process of medical product development with emphasis on the regulations that govern the design, fabrication, and maintenance of medical products. Junior standing.

      • Law and Finance for Engineering Innovation

        Students will identify, formulate and resolve legal, financial and ethical issues affecting innovation in engineering organizations including legal structures, financing and intellectual property rights. Open only to graduate students.

    • Minor in Innovation: The Digital Entrepreneur

      • The minor in “Digital Innovation: The Digital Entrepreneur” is designed for students from a range of backgrounds who are interested in starting their own digital ventures, working for start-up companies, or pursuing traditional jobs with large corporations and consulting firms that may involve launching new digital business units, joint ventures, and creating strategic alliances. It provides an understanding of the all domains of launching a digital including ideation, product development, customer acquisition, technology implementation and launch. Students will be encouraged to launch their venture in the capstone class. Click here to apply
    • VSi2 Fellows Program
    • VSi2 Startup Speaker Series
• Hacker House
• Startup Garage
  • • $20K in investment capital
    • Industry Mentoring
    • Amazing space in Marina Del Rey
• Digital Imaging Studio
  • A multidisciplinary studio on building disruptive innovations
    • Design and User Research
    • Ideation and Imagination
    • Prototyping and Execution
• Fellows program for the top Engineering students
• Events blog

Contact:

• Innovation Center
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Phone: (+1) 310.448.8621
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