Congratulations on surviving Week 1! We hope you’re all getting adjusted to your new schedules and figuring out how to get enough sleep.
Our second Weekly Night of the quarter is happening tomorrow on Tuesday, Jan 12 @ 7:30 PM PST! We’ll be doing a case study of Headspace, an online healthcare company that focuses on meditation. Headspace was founded in 2010 and has accrued millions of users and tons of critical acclaim over the past decade. Learn what makes startups like Headspace successful and how you can apply that knowledge to your own ventures tomorrow! Come hang: https://tinyurl.com/beweeklynight.
ICYMI (Some Current Events)
American Women Lost 140,000 Jobs in December
Employers fired 140,000 employees in December of 2020, and women accounted for all 140,000 job losses. Read more here.
Apple Suspends Parler from the App Store
Following the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week, Apple has suspended Parler from the App Store until it can address the proliferation of violence and threats to people’s safety on its platform. Read more here.
Upcoming Events
BE Board Coffee Chats
Bruin Entrepreneurs’ Board is doing coffee chats and professional/career chats during Week 2 (this week) and Week 3 (next week)! If you’re interested in meeting with our board members, sign up for a maximum of three time slots with the members you’re interested in meeting.
To get to know us a little more, here are our board member profiles.
Sign up for Week 2’s casual coffee chats here and for Week 3’s professional/career chats here!
Startup Labs Newsletter
Bruin Entrepreneurs’ in-house startup accelerator, Startup Labs, has its very own newsletter! Sign up to get all the info about what Startup Labs is doing, its 2020-2021 cohort, and general information on the startup scene.
Sign up below!
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!
“Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling” Podcast
UCLA’s Asian Pacific Coalition (APC) and Bruin Entrepreneurs (BE) are excited to introduce you to “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling” -- a podcast dedicated to inspiring the next generation of Asian-American business leaders.
Often called the bamboo ceiling, Asian Americans are the least likely to be promoted to executive positions in management. In order to shed light on this issue, their podcast highlights the inspiring stories of numerous Asian Americans who have encountered this problem and become leaders in their respective industries. They also discuss and unpack themes of intergenerational differences, ethnic and cultural identity conflicts, mentorship, racialized barriers + more.
Previous guests have included Bryan Pham (Asian Hustle Network) and Kathy Ohtomo (former VP of Fox). The next episode will feature Felicia Yang, current Material Engineer at Boeing, creator of the Western Ultimate Frisbee team, and Co-Owner of the Astra Ultimate Frisbee Team! Follow APC on Instagram and watch all of the episodes and teasers on the APC Facebook page.
QWER Hacks
Applications have been extended to TODAY!
Prepare for (gay) trouble, and make it double (or int or float!) 🥳 Come join UCLA's cooliest (and booliest) LGBTQ+ inclusive hackathon, happening virtually on January 23-24! Everyone is welcome :)
QWER Hacks strives to create a space that celebrates intersectionality, community, and identity, with the main mission to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in tech! Participants are encouraged to build products that benefit any marginalized group across a range of industries! This year, its tracks are healthcare, education, entertainment, and public policy.
Check out their website and apply below!
SWE’s Evening With Industry
Society of Women Engineers’ (SWE) annual Evening with Industry (EWI) will be taking place on Thursday, January 28th from 5:30-9pm PST! EWI is a three-part virtual networking event that includes casual networking with industry representatives, two virtual dinners in a small group setting with different companies of your choice, and a private career fair with over 30 companies. Everyone is invited, regardless of gender.
When you register, you need to pay $10 by Venmo to @swe-ucla. You will be fully reimbursed after attending the whole event.
The deadline to register is 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. The earlier you register, the more likely you are to be put with your top company choice!
Register here, view the full list of companies here, and check out the Facebook event here. Email student.liaison.ewi.swe.ucla@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Check out SWE EWI’s Facebook here and Instagram here.
Unicorner
Unicorner is a newsletter that sends a two-minute rundown of a hot startup to your inbox every Monday morning. It’s maintained by two UCLA students and has over three thousand subscribers from schools and tech companies across the nation. Join the community today!
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.
Hang in there,
Bruin Entrepreneurs 💓