Spring 2021 🌻 Week 1
BE Newsletter: Last Call for Illuminate: Designathon 2021 + Weekly Night 1!
Happy week 1! Only one quarter left until summer break is here!
There’s only two days left to apply to Illuminate: Designathon 2021! Designathon is BE’s annual design-thinking hackathon where we teach students all about design through speaker events, workshops, and projects.
Our theme this year is focused on rethinking space, which includes both the physical and abstract spaces we occupy on a daily basis. How can we think critically about the systems we operate in and address problems within them?
We welcome students of all backgrounds and experience levels, so apply here by March 31st at 11:59 pm! Make sure to RSVP at our Facebook event as well!
If you have any questions, feel free to send us a message on our Instagram or Facebook.
ICYMI (Some Current Events)
Microsoft in talks to Buy Discord for Over $10 Billion
Microsoft has been reported to be in discussions to buy popular chatting platform Discord for more than $10 billion. Read more here.
Facebook Announces Plans to Reopen Offices
Facebook confirmed its plans to reopen its office in Menlo Park, California, on May 10 at 10% capacity if COVID-19 cases continue to fall. Read more here.
Upcoming Events + Opportunities
Weekly Night 1: Product Management Fireside Chat w/ Neha Bansal
Tomorrow, on Tuesday, March 30 @ 7:30 PM PST, BE will be hosting a fireside chat with Google Analytics Product Manager Neha Bansal! Come learn everything there is to know about working in product at Google and hear general advice for aspiring product managers. Feel free to submit questions for her here (you must use your UCLA email). Here’s the link to the event: https://tinyurl.com/beweeklynight.
Founders Fireside Chat
Ever wanted to spearhead a startup or wondering how to get started? Join ACM, UPE, and Bruin Entrepreneurs on Saturday, April 3rd from 2:00 - 4:00 PM PDT for an afternoon of keynotes and Q&As featuring some of the top entrepreneurs in tech: Adam Cheyer, Ritu Narayan, and Maryam Rofougaran!
Adam Cheyer co-founded Siri Inc. in 2008 and sold the company to Apple in 2010 for more than $200 million, serving as their director of engineering for two years before founding Viv Labs, an artificial intelligence assistant acquired by Samsung in 2020 for over $215 million.
Ritu Narayan is the founder and CEO of Zūm, a leader in student transportation that currently serves over 4000 schools and districts and has completed over a million rides. Zūm has raised over $71 million in funding and generates an estimated $17.1 million in revenue annually. Previously, Ritu was a product manager at eBay, Yahoo, and Oracle and received her master’s degree in Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Maryam Rofougaran founded Movandi in 2016 with the goal of revolutionizing 5G technology. Movandi has raised over $57 million in funding and generates an estimated $4 million in revenue annually. Prior to founding Movandi, Maryam was instrumental in starting and building the wireless business at Broadcom and in growing it to annual revenues of more than $3 billion. Together with her sibling, she also holds over 1000 patents, ranking them among the top twenty patent holders in the world.
Register for the chat here with your UCLA email and RSVP at the Facebook event here!
General Members Discord
If you’re a general member, make sure to join us on Discord to get updates on BE, chat with board members, and get exclusive resources and opportunities. The link to our Discord is below!
UCLA Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Map
Bruin Entrepreneurs’ very own Startup Labs director, Paolo Shamoon, compiled a UCLA Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Map to give our general members a list of all of the entrepreneurship resources available on campus. This includes clubs, organizations, accelerator programs, and even non-UCLA affiliated programs, complete with descriptions and links. If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, click the button below to check it out and shoot Paolo an email to say thanks!
Relief Organizations
GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly is a nonprofit working to deliver cash directly to families living in poverty, particularly those heavily affected by COVID-19. They're currently on a mission to raise $200 million to respond to the financial effects of the pandemic in the U.S. If you’re willing and able, you can support their mission by using the button below to donate.
Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization providing financial relief to those in poverty - regardless of religion, politics, or ability to pay. Right now, their focus is providing PPE, essential medical items, and emergency funding for healthcare workers across the U.S. If you’re willing and able, use the button below to donate.
Americares
Americares is a health-relief organization whose primary focus is providing medicine, care, and supplies to disaster-stricken communities. They’re focusing on providing critical supplies and clinical care to healthcare workers and the most vulnerable communities. If you’re willing and able, use the button below to donate.
See you soon,
Bruin Entrepreneurs 💓