Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition
The winning team will receive the $100,000 grand prize to continue their project and launch their business!
The Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition (MEPC) was established through a generous gift from Fariborz Maseeh to inspire our innovators and turn their concepts and technologies into companies and solutions.
Throughout its history, MEPC participants have gone on to secure capital from government grants, raise hundreds of millions of dollars from top-tier venture capitalists, and experience successful exits (often starting another company after the acquisition). The MEPC prize is the largest non-dilutive prize available at USC.
MEPC selects concepts that are rooted in deep technology, have market viability, and have the highest potential for growth and impact. Beyond acting as a seed fund, MEPC places a strong priority on teaching entrepreneurial education and instilling the entrepreneurial spirit in our founders.
Admitted teams will be paired with mentors to provide guidance in their MEPC journey, will be required to attend a series of workshops that will explore your market, customers, the commercial readiness of your technology, and will be given funding to test and refine your business ideas. These MEPC resources are intended to empower USC innovators and to create lasting impact whether on this venture or the next
View the MEPC Info Session Slide Deck from October 1, 2021.
Listen to the Viterbi Voices podcast to hear the Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition episode. Tune in for a fantastic episode about how Viterbi Students use their passions to tackle some of the most pressing issues of the world!
For further information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.
The 2024-2025 Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition (MEPC) season is underway and the application is closed. We will open the 2025-2026 MEPC application during the 2025 Fall semester.
Though the MEPC application is closed, please sign up for the TIE newsletter below if you haven’t already as we run many programs that may be helpful for your venture.
Prizes 2024-2025 (subject to change)
Key Program Dates 2024-2025
Program Alumni
About Fariborz Maseeh
The Massiah Foundation’s founder and president, Fariborz Maseeh is at heart both a scientist and an entrepreneur. His undergraduate and graduate studies in the fields of mechanical engineering and applied mathematics inspired him to pursue the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). In 1991, he founded IntelliSense with the vision to reduce the time and expense of creating next-generation MEMS devices that had broad industrial and humanitarian applications, from airplane landing gear to pacemakers. As his company grew, so did his desire to give back to the community. Ever grateful to his inspiring teachers and educational institutions that nurtured his skills and dreams his philanthropy is inclined towards education, youth, scientific innovation, healthcare and culture.
Mr. Maseeh founded the Massiah Foundation in 2001 on the concept of venture philanthropy. This means that the Massiah Foundation targets unique opportunities to invest in entities that will have a lasting and broad impact. It also seeks to leverage its resources to attract co-investors from the community so that the goals of impact and longevity will be realized.
The Massiah Foundation mirrors Mr. Maseeh’s entrepreneurial spirit as he applies management principles to improve the value of the Foundation’s social investments. It also applies his solution-based approach toward innovation and finding unique opportunities to serve and unite people and their communities.
The Massiah Foundation
The Massiah Foundation was established to provide charitable financial support to outstanding organizations with the potential to improve the future of humanity. Since its inception, the foundation has made significant contributions to various learning institutions, universities, children’s organizations, hospitals, cultural organizations, the arts, and general welfare organizations in the United States.
The Massiah Foundation seeks opportunities to make innovative, transformational or charitable contributions in areas within its expertise that can result in broad public benefit mainly in education, health, or arts/culture.
