Become a Startup Scout
in
at
University of Southern California

Join the VC startup scout program at the University of Southern California and traverse the thrilling landscape of entrepreneurship. Unearth hidden gems and pave pathways towards innovative breakthroughs, while building a strong network in the startup ecosystem.

About

The University of Southern California (USC) has a strong startup and venture capital ecosystem, supported by its dedicated Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. The University's incubators and accelerators, like the Viterbi Startup Garage and the Blackstone LaunchPad, provide mentorship, funding, and resources to aspiring entrepreneurs.

One notable USC success story is the co-founder of Box, Dylan Smith, who started his journey in entrepreneurship while attending USC. Box is now a publicly-traded cloud content management and file sharing service provider.

In the venture capital space, Mark Stevens, a USC alumnus, and former partner at Sequoia Capital is a standout example. As a philanthropist, he made a $50 million gift to endow and name the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute.

Another influential figure from USC is Chris DeWolfe, one of the co-founders of MySpace. After leaving MySpace, he founded Jam City, a prominent player in the mobile gaming industry, which has also turned into a multi-million dollar business.

Other initiatives at USC include the USC Stevens Center for Innovation, which actively supports tech transfer, licensing, and promotes innovation within the USC community. The USC Marshall Venture Fund on the other hand, is a student-run venture capital fund that invests in USC-related startups.

USC also holds the USC Marshall School of Business New Venture Seed Competition annually, promoting the entrepreneurial spirit and providing startup funds for new business ideas. All these initiatives together enable USC to foster a vibrant startup and venture capital culture.

As a Scout, You Can...

Kickstart Your Venture Capital Career

Showing your skills in picking successful startups and advising founders is the surest way to build your reputation and secure a venture capital role.

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Help Your Ecosystem Thrive

Your community, region, or group thrives when its founders are given the chance to succeed before going back and reinvesting in their comunities.

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Earn a Share in Startups Without Investing in Them

Earn a share in startups you scout without the funds to invest directly just like a VC partner.

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Monetise Your Content & Community

As a podcaster, community manager, or event organiser you have a front-row seat to interesting startups which you can monetise by helping them fundraise.

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Create a Fairer Society

By identifying under-represented founders you're level the playing field for anyone to success based on merit independent from their social or ethnic background.

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Help Friends Get Funded

Help your friends who are neck-deep in their startups get the funding they need to succeed.

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Grow Your Personal Brand

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Join as a Scout at Your University

Available Programs

Startup Investor?

Receive dealflow opportunities from the innovators at University of Southern California! Connect with individuals and startups to explore potential investments and join in the exciting growth of the University.

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Scout Programs in Other Global Startup Hubs

Podcaster

Do you interview founders & startups? Take your conversation insights to the next level by scouting your favourite podcast guests.

Scout founders you interview →

Co-Working Space Organiser

Do you help run a co-working space as an organiser or a greeter? Do you come across interesting entrepreneurs and startups?

Scout startups you sit next to→

Event Organiser

Do you organise an event, conference, or trade show? Help your founder attendees get discovered.

Scout startups at your event →

Student

Are you active in the entrepreneurship club at your college? Doing an MBA? Or are you a PHD student at a technical university? Help your fellow students get funded.

Scout startups at your university →

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