Expert panel May 1: How Can We Safely Reopen the Economy?
BERKELEY — The University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business this week opened the new Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship Hub, a historic space where students will turn entrepreneurial visions into new ventures.
The donor-funded “eHub at Berkeley,” open to all Haas undergrad and graduate students and to students across campus, strengthens Berkeley Haas’ position as one of the nation’s most innovative and entrepreneurial business schools.
Haas and Berkeley have long produced successful entrepreneurs. PitchBook in 2024 ranked UC Berkeley the world’s top university for the number of undergraduate alumni founders and the number of venture-backed companies founded by undergraduate alumni over the past decade.
“With our Bay Area location, academic excellence, public university standing, and values-based culture, Berkeley Haas develops a distinctive kind of entrepreneur dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing challenges,” said Haas Interim Dean Jennifer Chatman. “We are so thankful for the generosity of the many donors who made this project a reality, creating this beautiful space for students to question the status quo by championing bold ideas.”
Located just steps from the Haas campus, the eHub is a renovated home designed in 1909 by renowned architect Julia Morgan. The building, which combines modern technology with much of the artfully restored paneling, includes meeting areas and work spaces to host a wide range of programming.
Saikat Chaudhuri, faculty director of the eHub, said he expects the next 10 years will be among the most exciting for entrepreneurship at Berkeley Haas.
“How do we produce even more incredible startups that disrupt the world and create positive change? We do it by helping the entire ecosystem become more productive and by building the pipeline,” Chaudhuri said.
Programming includes three semester-long practice tracks—SEARCH, TEST, and BUILD—to engage students more deeply. Dawn McGee, the eHub’s executive director, noted that the SEARCH track is designed for students who don’t yet have startup ideas; the TEST track is for students who already have ideas but require a body of evidence to test those ideas; and the BUILD track is for students who have already gathered evidence to support building their business models.
Many donors made the eHub a reality, including those who made gifts of $250,000 or more: Elena C. Gomez, BS 91 & Juan L. Gomez; Janelle J. Grimes, BA 86 (political science) & Michael D. Grimes, BS 87 (electrical engineering and computer science); Mikiko & Haruki Satomi, MBA 12; Ellen D. Chan, BA 73 (computer science) & Anthony Y. Chan, BS 74; Maxwell A. Graham & Gail J. Maderis, BS 78; Melody H. & Jerald M. Weintraub, BS 80, MBA 88; Carol K. Meyer, BS 69, MBA 71; Lori G. Edelstone, BS 84 and Mark L. Edelstone, BA 83 (political economy; Matthew S. Levin, BS 88; Marisa M. & Brett J. Wilson, MBA 07.
Posted in:
Topics:
