Min Family Challenge
The winning team will receive the $50,000 grand prize to continue their project and launch their business!
The Min Family Challenge (MFC) was established by alumnus Bryan Min and his wife Julie Min to place USC Viterbi students at the epicenter of the world’s most pressing issues.
The Min Family Social Entrepreneurship Challenge was inspired by the Min family’s enduring faith and aspiration to empower future generations of engineers to use their acquired knowledge and leverage the power of technology to better the world by globally serving the least fortunate and their pressing societal needs.
Inspired by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, teams will meet with local organizations working on solutions to support vulnerable populations. Teams will develop prototypes for solutions and sustainable business models, guided with a series of entrepreneurship workshops, to support future sustainability efforts. Teams will compete at a final showcase in the spring of 2023.
Teams must have a USC Viterbi student (undergraduate or graduate) in a lead role although multi-disciplinary teams are encouraged. Admitted teams will be paired with mentors and are required to attend mandatory entrepreneurship education workshops.
For further information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.
The 2023-2024 Min Family Challenge (MFC) season has officially begun. The application deadline was October 29, 2023 and is now closed.
All USC students are invited to participate, although each team must have at least one current Viterbi student (undergrad or grad). The maximum number of team members is 5.
Each team will participate in educational sessions, workshops, and meetings with mentors throughout the academic year. This year's Min Family Challenge begin with a Kickoff on November 8, 2023 and culminate with a Finals Showcase on April 17, 2024.
2023-2024 MFC Prizes
2023-2024 MFC Key Dates
Info Session
View the recording of an information session we hosted Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
View a presentation on the Sustainable Development Goals by our partner, the Community on Voluntary Service & Action.
About the Min Family
The Mins have a longstanding legacy of philanthropy to USC and beyond. Here at USC Viterbi, Julie and Bryan have generously supported student fellowships. In 2000, the Mins established the ESSential Foundation, which funds, among other things, military support organizations, caregivers of wounded warriors, international micro-finance, religious, educational organizations as well as community programs that support troubled youth.
The Mins are passionate Trojans through and through. Bryan, a distinguished alumnus with a Bachelor’s in Industrial and Systems Engineering, is a member of the USC Viterbi Board of Councilors as well as our ISE Epstein Department Advisory Board. His wife Julie graduated from UCLA earning a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Business. Julie worked on Capitol Hill on the Senate Ethics Committee before raising their two wonderful children and currently serves on Boards of various non-profits, including the Armed Services and the YMCA. Their son, Brandon, graduated from USC with a major in Industrial and Systems Engineering and their daughter, Brittany, also graduated from USC with a double major in Cognitive Science and Music Industry.
Published on June 9th, 2021
Last updated on November 13th, 2023