US West

 

University of California, Berkeley

Walter A. Haas School of Business

Lester Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

 

 

 

The Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is an internationally recognized program and the primary locus at Berkeley for the study and promotion of entrepreneurship and new enterprise development. The Lester Center is supported and advised by a distinguished faculty and advisory board.

 

 

The Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation was founded in 1991 through a gift from W. Howard Lester, Chairman of Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

 

The Lester Center:

• fosters teaching of successful entrepreneurship and innovation,
• encourages Berkeley students in the creation of new businesses,
• creates and disseminates knowledge on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance to the business and university communities,
• facilitates interaction between the entrepreneurial community and the university,
• seeks collaborations and partnerships in support of its goals.

 

 

The center's constituency beyond the university consists of the founders, owners, and managers of innovative and high-growth companies, their investors and advisers, and young entrepreneurs. Within the university, it is an interdisciplinary, campus-wide research center with public programs designed to be a resource to the campus and beyond. Over the years, students and faculty, especially those in business, engineering, computer science, law, and the biosciences, have led in developing the center's programs.

 

 

Courses for MBAs:

The Lester Center offers a Certificate in Entrepreneurship for MBAs.  Approximately 25-30 students complete the certificate each year.  Course requirements are:

A)   Entrepreneurship and Innovation

B)   Venture Capital and Private Equity or New Venture Finance

C)   One of the the following entrepreneurship courses:

 

a.    Customer Development for High Tech Enterprise  

b.    Opportunity Recognition in High Technology

c.    Investing in Entrepreneurial Opportunities: Building an Investment Screen, Methodology and Process

d.    Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology

e.    Business Model Innovation in New Ventures

f.     Top Down Law

g.    Entrepreneurship Workshop for Start-ups

h.    Case Studies in Entrepreneurship

i.      Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

j.     Family Business Management

k.    Life as an Entrepreneur

l.      Microfinance

m.  Any other entrepreneurial related course per approval of program director

D)   Completion of a summer internship in an entrepreneurial venture or satisfactory work on a new venture development. 

 

 

Courses for Undergraduates:

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship to Address Global Poverty

Introduction to Entrepreneurship for non-business majors

 

 

Key Programs and Events:

Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum

Entrepreneurs Association

UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition

Global Social Venture Competition

Berkeley Entrepreneurship Laboratory

 

 

Intel Sponsored Programs:

Technology Entrepreneurship Education: Theory to Practice

Intel+UC Berkeley Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge

 

 

Executive Education Programs:

Venture Capital Executive Program

Open Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship

 

 

Lester Center Staff:

Jerome S. Engel, Executive Director and Adjunct Professor

David Charron, Associate Director and Lecturer

John Danner, Senior Fellow and Lecturer

Jill Erbland, Senior Program Manager for Academic and Student Affairs

Kirsten Berzon, Program Manager for Student Programs and Marketing

Victoria Fowler, Administrative and Program Assistant

 

 

For More Information

The Lester Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

University of California, Berkeley

Haas School of Business #1930

Berkeley CA 94720-1930

Phone: (510) 642-4255

Fax: (510) 643-4110

e-mail: lester@haas.berkeley.edu

Web:http://entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu

 

 

 

 

GO BEARS!