Director's Message
Welcome to Ciocca Center at Santa Clara University! Ciocca Center is an interdisciplinary center with a mission to encourage and teach an entrepreneurial mindset.
This inaugural issue of The Mindset highlights the importance of empathy, one of the basic tenets of an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer faculty and student viewpoints on the role of empathy in our Perspectives section. In our alumni section, entitled Broncos, Actually, we showcase two alumni who have achieved a level of self-actualization to which we should all aspire! Student Stories brings forward some of the great work being done by our students and introduces our student advisors. Finally, we close with A Well Lighted Place, where we introduce the faculty who direct our efforts and unveil some recent research projects.
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We are excited to bring you these stories and we welcome your feedback.
Keep reading,
Chris Norris, Executive Director
Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship |
 | As an engineer, Mariah Manzano '20 Web Design & Computer Engineering is accustomed to creating solutions. She has realized that to ideate, design, and implement a solution effectively, each step must be linked to real needs and not assumptions. Read the article here. |
Broncos, Actually  | While attending Santa Clara University and living on campus, double Bronco Aleisha Nelson '17 CS, '19 MSE loved to decorate her dorm room with her own artwork. Her friends began asking her to create customized pieces for them, and Art by Aleisha became an official business. Watch the interview here. |
 | After winning the Crossfit Games in 2008, Jason Khalipa '08 Management saw an opportunity to improve his community through fitness. Jason turned his passion into NCFIT, a global fitness business. Watch the interview here. |
Student Stories  | Ciocca Center recently launched Club Navigator, a platform that helps students find a club or RSO on campus. The platform came out of Ciocca Center's "You Are Here" initiative, where students collaborate on creating meaningful resources for SCU students. Graduate student, and Ciocca Center intern Elita Liu '21 M.S. Engineering Management, manages this project. |
 | Ciocca Center relies on the perspectives of students to ensure our programs and initiatives reflect interdisciplinary interests. Our Student Advisory Board consists of over 20 students from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. This year's board is co-chaired by Sameehah Hussain '21 MIS and Steven Bucher '21 COEN. Learn more here. |
A Well Lighted Place  | Ciocca Center is guided by a diverse faculty advisory board, chaired by our Faculty Director Professor Christopher Kitts, Associate Dean in the School of Engineering. Members of the board come from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Education & Counseling Psychology, and Leavey School of Business. Learn more here. |
Upcoming Events
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Open for Business
5 p.m., Lucas Hall Santa Clara University
Ciocca Center is holding our annual Open for Business! event on Thursday, October 24th from 5-6:30 pm for all of the students in the Fall BUSN 70 (Contemporary Business Issues)!
Register Here!
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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., 3230 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95053
WHAT: We call it “BVA Cafe” where CAFE stands for: Calling All Founders & Entrepreneurs
Meet and mingle with fellow BVA entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship-curious. Enjoy small bites while hearing updates from BVA Alumni and meeting new startup founders.
WHEN: The third Thursday of each month (except November and December when it is on the second Thursday), at 6:30 PM
WHERE: BVA House, 3230 The Alameda (2 doors North of the Hut, across from 7-11). We frequently adjourn to the Hut for adult beverages afterward.
BVA CAFE is open to all and free of charge; but, Registration is required.
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BEACH Kick-off
5 p.m. BEACH provides an Advisory Service for startups and small businesses to benefit from no cost legal and business information and resources. This experiential program is an opportunity for SCU students to work in cross-functional teams while gaining real-world hands-on experience navigating, researching and advising clients on legal or business concerns. Clients receive free information and resources from BEACH backed by research, review of findings complete with valuable recommendations and additional resources. |
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Idea Lab - Design Thinking
All Day
Be Empowered through Design Thinking @ Idea Lab - the SCU Community of graduate and undergraduate students, alumni, faculty and staff are ALL Invited to attend Bronco Ventures Idea Lab, an experiential no-cost program focused on the core concepts of design thinking, customer-centered problem analysis to Ideation and the Pitch!
Idea Lab is offering its Ideation module as a Saturday Workshop. The workshop will provide the attendees with the tools and techniques to empathize with the customers, deeply understand their pain points, generate human-centered solutions, and test the feasibility of potential solutions. The content presented in these modules leverages the core concepts of design thinking to empower students with the skills to define, approach, and solve problems in a creative manner, and complements technical content presented in a wide variety of courses.
Our goal is to help You create a team and a viable, feasible, and desirable business idea to continue beyond Idea Lab!
Upon completion, attendees will receive a digital certificate and badge.
Idea Lab is free and lunch will be provided.
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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., 3230 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95053
WHAT: We call it “BVA Cafe” where CAFE stands for: Calling All Founders & Entrepreneurs
Meet and mingle with fellow BVA entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship-curious. Enjoy small bites while hearing updates from BVA Alumni and meeting new startup founders.
WHEN: The third Thursday of each month (except November and December when it is on the second Thursday), at 6:30 PM
WHERE: BVA House, 3230 The Alameda (2 doors North of the Hut, across from 7-11). We frequently adjourn to the Hut for adult beverages afterward.
BVA CAFE is open to all and free of charge; but, Registration is required.
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Prep School Application Deadline
All Day The Bronco Venture Accelerator’s Prep School offers the opportunity to experience a supportive, dynamic, hands-on environment that will spark innovation and prepare you to push your venture forward. You will learn how to take your business idea and expand it through roadmapping, problem solving, and pitch development. Accelerator Prep School will help you get ready to apply to the full Bronco Venture Accelerator or other great Silicon Valley accelerators like Y Combinator, Alchemist, or 500 Startups. |
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Prep School Kick-Off!
All Day
The Bronco Venture Accelerator’s Prep School offers the opportunity to experience a supportive, dynamic, hands-on environment that will spark innovation and prepare you to push your venture forward. You will learn how to take your business idea and expand it through roadmapping, problem solving, and pitch development. Accelerator Prep School will help you get ready to apply to the full Bronco Venture Accelerator or other great Silicon Valley accelerators like Y Combinator, Alchemist, or 500 Startups.
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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., 3230 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95053
WHAT: We call it “BVA Cafe” where CAFE stands for: Calling All Founders & Entrepreneurs
Meet and mingle with fellow BVA entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship-curious. Enjoy small bites while hearing updates from BVA Alumni and meeting new startup founders.
WHEN: The third Thursday of each month (except November and December when it is on the second Thursday), at 6:30 PM
WHERE: BVA House, 3230 The Alameda (2 doors North of the Hut, across from 7-11). We frequently adjourn to the Hut for adult beverages afterward.
BVA CAFE is open to all and free of charge; but, Registration is required.
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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., 3230 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95053
WHAT: We call it “BVA Cafe” where CAFE stands for: Calling All Founders & Entrepreneurs
Meet and mingle with fellow BVA entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship-curious. Enjoy small bites while hearing updates from BVA Alumni and meeting new startup founders.
WHEN: The third Thursday of each month (except November and December when it is on the second Thursday), at 6:30 PM
WHERE: BVA House, 3230 The Alameda (2 doors North of the Hut, across from 7-11). We frequently adjourn to the Hut for adult beverages afterward.
BVA CAFE is open to all and free of charge; but, Registration is required.
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Storytelling Workshop
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
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Idea Lab - Design Thinking
All Day
Be Empowered through Design Thinking @ Idea Lab - the SCU Community of graduate and undergraduate students, alumni, faculty and staff are ALL Invited to attend Bronco Ventures Idea Lab, an experiential no-cost program focused on the core concepts of design thinking, customer-centered problem analysis to Ideation and the Pitch!
Idea Lab is offering its Ideation module as a Saturday Workshop. The workshop will provide the attendees with the tools and techniques to empathize with the customers, deeply understand their pain points, generate human-centered solutions, and test the feasibility of potential solutions. The content presented in these modules leverages the core concepts of design thinking to empower students with the skills to define, approach, and solve problems in a creative manner, and complements technical content presented in a wide variety of courses.
Our goal is to help You create a team and a viable, feasible, and desirable business idea to continue beyond Idea Lab!
Upon completion, attendees will receive a digital certificate and badge.
Idea Lab is free and lunch will be provided.
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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., 3230 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95053
WHAT: We call it “BVA Cafe” where CAFE stands for: Calling All Founders & Entrepreneurs
Meet and mingle with fellow BVA entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship-curious. Enjoy small bites while hearing updates from BVA Alumni and meeting new startup founders.
WHEN: The third Thursday of each month (except November and December when it is on the second Thursday), at 6:30 PM
WHERE: BVA House, 3230 The Alameda (2 doors North of the Hut, across from 7-11). We frequently adjourn to the Hut for adult beverages afterward.
BVA CAFE is open to all and free of charge; but, Registration is required.
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Business Pitch Competition
3 - 9 p.m.
Ciocca Center’s Business Pitch Competition takes place each spring. We use a virtual portal called Pitchtape, an asynchronous online platform where companies can record their pitches.
SCU students of all majors are encouraged to apply for a spot in the competition!
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Bronco Ventures Accelerator Early Application Deadline
All Day
The Bronco Ventures Accelerator (BVA) empowers Santa Clara University entrepreneurs with the tools, accountability, and community to develop and grow for-profit businesses with competence, conscience, and compassion. The accelerator is industry- and stage-agnostic. The cohort system used by the BVA provides a terrific platform for a small set of teams to attend high-energy, interactive classes and workshops, led by industry leaders. Participants truly have the opportunity to hone their entrepreneurial skills.
BVA concludes with Demo Day - an exciting shark-tank-like event at which BVA teams pitch to investors - each October.
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Ugrad and Grad Commencement Weekend
All Day
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Ugrad and Grad Commencement Weekend
Midnight
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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., 3230 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95053
WHAT: We call it “BVA Cafe” where CAFE stands for: Calling All Founders & Entrepreneurs
Meet and mingle with fellow BVA entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship-curious. Enjoy small bites while hearing updates from BVA Alumni and meeting new startup founders.
WHEN: The third Thursday of each month (except November and December when it is on the second Thursday), at 6:30 PM
WHERE: BVA House, 3230 The Alameda (2 doors North of the Hut, across from 7-11). We frequently adjourn to the Hut for adult beverages afterward.
BVA CAFE is open to all and free of charge; but, Registration is required.
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Follow us on social media!
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Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Santa Clara University
Lucas Hall Suite 109
cioccacenter@scu.edu |
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