Viterbi Startup Garage
USC Viterbi's Unique Incubator for early-stage technology startupsJOIN OUR GROWING LINKEDIN COMMUNITY
LIVE APPLICATION FOR SPRING 2024
Interested in becoming a resident? Apply Now! Deadline: April 7
ALL NEW SPACE COHORT
This Fall, the Viterbi Startup Garage will host its first Space Cohort in partnership with USC Viterbi's Center for Research in Space Technologies (CREST) and El Segundo-based Aerospace Corporation (TAC), the federally funded non-profit corporation providing technical assistance in all aspects of space missions to military, civil and commercial customers.
Teams focused on space technologies are invited to apply for Fall 2023 residency and specify that they request consideration for the Space Cohort. In addition to the resources and programming available to all VSG teams, Space Cohort teams will receive mentorship and technical assistance from TAC.
RESIDENT BENEFITS
ONE YEAR RESIDENCY PROGRAM
- Located in the heart of Silicon Beach in Marina Del Rey, the Viterbi Startup Garage is an incubator for early-stage technology startups.
- We focus on: Deep Technology, Machine Learning and AI-Enabled companies, and are very faculty-friendly.
- We are supported by the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering and do not take equity or charge any fees.
- Any IP developed by the teams is theirs to keep.
Place to Call Home
Enjoy 24/7 access to co-working space. Our residents view our space as their primary office and regularly engage with colleagues, mentors, and staff.The USC Network
Get dialed in to USC’s famed network of alumni, mentors, investors and potential partners, both here in Southern California and beyond.Extensive Support
With tactical assistance including Innovator-in-Residence coaching, topical workshops, and more, enjoy the resources you need to transform technology into a viable business.Amazing Community
Surround yourself by like-minded entrepreneurs, working under the same roof to bring ideas to life. Join a community where teams are supportive of one another, readily help each other, and cheer each other on as they seek to make their own dent in the universe.Strategic Guidelines
Enjoy 24/7 access to co-working space. Our residents view our space as their primary office and regularly engage with colleagues, mentors, and staff.I-Corps Hub West
I-Corps Hub West (sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation) works closely with the Viterbi Startup Garage to help startups identify commercial opportunities and accelerate their understanding of the marketplace via The National I-Corps Program.Regular Events and Activities
Founder's Circle
IIR Office Hours
Oceanside Chat Speaker Series
VC/Angel Office Hours
Summer Intern Program
Technology Innovation Exchange
Startup Boot Camp
Upcoming Open Events
Join Our Friends Of VSG Mailing List For Up-To-Date Resources
About Our Student Summer Program
What Do the Founders Think?
“One of the first presentations organized by VSG highlighted the opportunity space at CalTestBed, a grant initiative offered by the California Energy Commission. I followed up with the presenter afterwards and he encouraged me to apply. It’s a highly competitive program, but we were accepted – that’s just one of the funding sources and competitions that were made available to us through VSG, those steps along the way that put you on a path to success.”
Dr. Anita Sengupta, Founder and CEO at Hydroplane
Read about how Anita is on a mission to decarbonize aviation.
“One of the hidden gems of the LA startup ecosystem - as a company that doesn’t believe in remote work whatsoever, working out of VSG IRL every day helped us go from 0-1 and forge our early team culture.”
Keyan Kazemian, CEO and Co-Founder at 222
Read about how 222 wants to match perfect strangers for bespoke, real-life experiences.
“During our time at VSG, we were able to scale our operations a lot thanks to the help of the IIRs. Having amazing advisement so available to us, in addition to a physical space to put their advice into action, has had an incredible impact on our growth as co-founders, as a company and as entrepreneurs.”
Amanda Grennan, Co-Founder and COO at Dopage
Find the ladies of Dopage on Forbes 2024 30 Under 30!
“As a first-time founder, the mentorship from the IIRs was absolutely critical. They helped us refine our pitch and sharpen our product-market fit. As a result of their continuous feedback, we were able to win two startup pitch competitions since joining the VSG.”
Warren Su, Founder of Squid3
See SQUID3's pitch at S-Booster 2023
Is Residency Right for You?
It is in our culture to pay it forward!
Who do we accept?
- Full-time founder teams (not solo founders)
- LA-Based - one founder may be remote
- Post-Ideation - you know what your company will do
- Technology enabled products and services
- Initial technology already developed - may be in-house by founders (preferred), may be via outsourced developers
- Industry agnostic
- Early-stage - raised (or plan to) external funding (angel, pre-seed, seed)
- USC affiliation strongly preferred, not mandatory
Residents are Expected To:
- Work out of the space 3+ days/week MINIMUM
- Participate in Founders' Circle + Innovators in Residence Office Hours weekly
- Contribute to VSG programs and activities regularly
- In their words, full-time entrepreneurs working under the same roof to bring their ideas to life!
What do we do?
- Give you office space with access to conference rooms and private offices for meetings and quiet work
- Provide multiple sources of programming (presentations, legal clinics, access to VCs and angels)
- Assist you with go-to-market strategy
- Assist you with product management/development (not technology development)
- Help you develop your business model/ business plan
- Connect you with USC resources
- Connect you with our network of investors
- Bring you into a creative community of like-minded founders you can learn from (and who will learn from you!)
What don't we do?
- Take equity in your company!
- Provide technology resources, machinery or development.
Think Residency Is Right For You?
Meet Our Current Cohort
Spring 2023/Fall 2023Measurably reducing deaths related to drug use.
Multi-Purpose Electronic Coating for Satellites.
Frictionless Distribution You Control.
Revolutionizing Property Showings.
Social Fitness for Accountability and Community.
Increasing the Efficacy of the Recovery Process.
Personalized precision medicine.
Community-Centric Anime Platform
Image processing at the detector plane.
Optimizing Clinical Operations and Care.
Pioneering the future of avionic safety.
Oceanside Chat Video Library
Interested in becoming a speaker? Email vsg@usc.edu
Published on April 29th, 2021
Last updated on March 13th, 2024