The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has been a prominent player in the startup and VC ecosystem. In nurturing the entrepreneurial mindset in students, the university has launched several initiatives such as the UCSD The Basement, a student-run startup accelerator that provides mentoring, resources, and funding for student-driven ideas.

Also noteworthy is Rady School of Management's StartR program, a non-profit accelerator program for Rady School of Management students to launch their startups. This notable program has spurred numerous successful startups, including CiVentiChem, founded by UCSD alumni Dr. Bhaskar Venepalli, which was sold for $20 million in 2018.

Another success story of UCSD's thriving startup ecosystem is ecoATM, a company founded by Mark Bowles, who is a UCSD alumni. EcoATM developed self-serve kiosks that buy back used electronics, providing an innovative solution to electronic waste. This startup raised more than $40 million in funding before being acquired by Outerwall for $350 million.

UCSD is not just about startups, it also involves in the VC ecosystem. For instance, Triton Funds, the biggest student-run venture capitalist fund in America, is founded by UCSD students Yash Thukral, Sam Yaffa, and Nathan Yee. Triton Funds provides undergraduate students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in finance and investment.

UCSD's innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives are backed by Connect, a regional program supporting local entrepreneurship, and it was founded at UCSD. Moreover, the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD regularly collaborates with local industries and startups for research and projects. UCSD's active approach in fostering a ripe startup and VC ecosystem is evident in the success stories resulting from these programs and initiatives. The university is deeply integrated into the entrepreneurship culture of San Diego, and itself is making a direct and significant impact unto it.