UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator

What UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator does

UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator is a non-profit educational program operated under the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at UCLA Anderson School of Management. The program provides mentorship, pitch competition funding (via the Knapp Venture Competition), showcase events, student investment fund experience, and fellowship opportunities to current MBA, FEMBA, EMBA, MFE, MSBA, and UCLA-NUS EMBA students seeking to launch ventures, as well as to UCLA Anderson alumni founders. It is not a standalone technology company: it has no proprietary software platform, no paid product offering, and no separate pricing structure — access is bundled into the tuition of UCLA Anderson degree programs, with the broader Price Center funded through university allocations and donor contributions. The program's primary outputs are human-capital and network outcomes rather than commercial transactions: 550+ alumni-founded companies over the last 10 years, a 44,000+ alumni network across 75+ countries, and 125+ formal alumni groups that serve as the long-tail distribution channel for ventures. Go-to-market is community-led, channeled through UCLA Anderson's website, social media, signature events (Palooza, Showcases 2020–2026), alumni newsletters, podcasts (Drive Time, How The World Works, Why MBA), and the Anderson Review. The entity is governed by The Regents of the University of California and operates from the Anderson campus at 110 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles.

Name

UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://anderson.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator is a non-profit educational program under UCLA Anderson's Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation that supports current MBA, MFE, MSBA, and EMBA students and alumni founders through mentorship, pitch competitions, showcase events, and access to the 44,000+ Anderson alumni network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator Program

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Mentorship & Coaching (Career, Academic, Industry-Specific) (EDAMAKAA), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Venture accelerator programs
• Startup mentorship
• Entrepreneurship education
• Pitch competitions
• Student startup funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Academic Program Funding: The Anderson Venture Accelerator operates as part of UCLA Anderson School of Management, funded through tuition revenue from degree programs (Full-Time MBA, FEMBA, EMBA, MFE, MSBA), university allocations, and donor contributions. The Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which houses the accelerator, accepts donations and support from alumni and corporate partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Anderson Venture Accelerator is a startup acceleration program operated by UCLA Anderson School of Management's Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation that supports student and alumni entrepreneurs through mentorship from industry professionals, pitch competition opportunities (including the Knapp Venture Competition), annual showcase events, fellowship programs, and a student investment fund. The program provides access to UCLA Anderson's 44,000+ alumni network across 75+ countries and connects student ventures to 550+ alumni-founded companies for mentorship, partnerships, and investor opportunities.

Product overview

UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator is a single educational accelerator program that supports entrepreneurs associated with UCLA Anderson School of Management. The program provides mentorship, educational resources, networking opportunities, and showcase events for student and alumni startups. It operates as part of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and offers programs including mentorship from industry professionals, partner support, and annual showcase events where portfolio companies present to investors and the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anderson Venture Accelerator Program A startup acceleration program operated by UCLA Anderson School of Management's Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. The program supports student and alumni entrepreneurs through mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities to launch and grow their ventures. It includes access to mentorship from industry professionals, pitch competition opportunities, annual showcase events, fellowship programs, and a student investment fund.
• Knapp Venture Competition An annual venture competition that provides funding and recognition to student-founded startups. Part of the entrepreneurial programming under the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 550+ alumni-founded companies in the last 10 years

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Price Center for Entrepreneurship & InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Anderson Venture Accelerator is a program under the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at UCLA Anderson. The Price Center houses all entrepreneurship resources including fellowships, student investment fund, undergraduate minor in entrepreneurship, and various professional programs for entrepreneurs. This is an internal organizational relationship rather than an external partnership.
• PathWaterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPathWater, an impact-driven startup founded by UCLA Anderson FEMBA student Harry Meng ('20), donated 1,000 refillable aluminum water bottles to the Palooza event. PathWater donates 5% of profits to organizations dedicated to ending plastic waste. This represents a student entrepreneurship success story and event sponsorship.
• Progress BrewingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProgress Brewing, a Los Angeles-based craft brewery founded by UCLA Anderson FEMBA student Diego Benitez ('19), donated craft beer to Palooza events for multiple years. All Progress beers are made with American, English, or German base malts supplemented with specialty malts. This represents a student entrepreneurship success story and event sponsorship.
• G. and R. Loeb FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA Anderson has been the steward of the Gerald Loeb Awards since 1973, when Gerald Loeb transferred stewardship from University of Connecticut. The Dean of UCLA Anderson chairs the award's final judging committee. The Loeb Awards are the most prestigious honor in business journalism and align with UCLA Anderson's mission for business excellence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wharton Entrepreneurship (Penn): Wharton's Entrepreneurship program supports student and alumni founders through venture competitions, accelerators, and an active alumni investor network, making it a direct institutional peer to the Anderson Venture Accelerator.
• Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab): Harvard's i-lab provides entrepreneurship programming, mentorship, and workspace to Harvard students and alumni — a near-equivalent student accelerator model anchored in a top-tier university brand.
• Babson College (Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship): Babson is the leading specialized entrepreneurship school and runs student venture programs, accelerators, and pitch competitions — a comparable model to UCLA Anderson's Venture Accelerator, though anchored more heavily in entrepreneurship rather than general management.
• UC Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship (LAUNCH Accelerator): Berkeley Haas runs entrepreneurship accelerators and venture competitions for MBA and undergraduate students, and is a direct geographic and institutional peer to UCLA Anderson's Venture Accelerator in the Bay Area / California ecosystem.
• Northwestern Kellogg Entrepreneurship (Zell Fellows): Kellogg's Zell Fellows program supports MBA students launching ventures with mentorship, funding, and community — comparable to UCLA Anderson's accelerator model as a top-tier MBA entrepreneurship program.
• NYU Stern Entrepreneurship & Innovation Association: NYU Stern runs the Entrepreneurs Challenge, Launchpad, and other student accelerator programs, providing a comparable MBA-focused entrepreneurship support structure to the Anderson Venture Accelerator.
• Columbia Business School Entrepreneurship Program: Columbia's entrepreneurship programming includes the Eugene M. Lang Center, student venture competitions, and mentorship for MBA founders — a direct top-tier peer to UCLA Anderson's Venture Accelerator.
• Stanford GSB Stanford Startup Garage: Stanford GSB's Startup Garage is a student-led accelerator for graduate students developing venture ideas, comparable to the Anderson Venture Accelerator as both serve top-tier MBA students with mentorship, pitch opportunities, and seed funding.
• MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Center (Martin Trust Center): MIT Sloan's Martin Trust Center runs student-focused startup programs, mentorship, and pitch competitions, mirroring the structure of the Anderson Venture Accelerator within a peer top-tier business/engineering university.
• Chicago Booth Entrepreneurship (Polsky Center): The Polsky Center at Chicago Booth runs accelerators, the Edward L. Kaplan, MBA '71, New Venture Challenge, and student-focused venture support — a structurally identical model to the Anderson Venture Accelerator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator