The Iovine and Young Academy (IYA) kicked off its second annual Founders Bootcamp this fall, a cornerstone of the yearlong Innovation Quest on September 20, designed to empower and accelerate qualified student-led ventures at the intersection of business, technology, and creative practice. This one-day bootcamp set the stage for aspiring entrepreneurs, offering them a packed agenda of expert-led sessions, founder stories, and hands-on mentorship to fuel their startup journeys.

With over 75 students registered for in-person and Zoom participation, the event kicked off with opening remarks from Tina Sharkey, Director of Innovation Quest, who set the tone for the day with a message of empowerment. “You’re here to accelerate your ideas from our garage to the global stage,” Sharkey told the audience. “We’re giving you the tools, the mentorship, and the community to turn bold ideas into scalable ventures.”

One IYA junior, Henry Groome, shared his thoughts on the impact of the Bootcamp: “I gained valuable insights into both entrepreneurship and important life and career skills. The bootcamp offered a great mix of technical information and founder stories, and the casual atmosphere made speakers approachable, turning the day into both a networking and learning experience. I left with more resources to support my startup journey and career exploration.”

Keynote Fireside with Hans Yang: Empowering the Next Generation of Founders

The day’s first keynote came in the form of a Fireside Chat with Hans Yang, General Manager of Microsoft for Startups. Yang spoke candidly about Microsoft’s vision for supporting early-stage founders, especially through its Founders Hub, which provides mentorship, technical resources, and access to cloud credits like the $5,000 Azure credits offered to qualified Innovation Quest startups. Yang emphasized how critical it is for founders to surround themselves with experienced mentors and a community that can help turn their visions into reality.

“We’re excited to see how the USC IYA founders will  leverage their future access to Level 2 in the Founders Hub to build scalable ventures and tackle world-changing ideas,” Yang said. He also spoke about Microsoft’s growing partnerships with academic institutions and how empowering student founders is key to their long-term strategy.

Following the fireside chat, Ben Taft, founder of Mira while still at the Academy’s inaugural cohort, shared his founder journey. He successfully sold Mira to Apple before founding Genius Ventures and is currently in stealth mode working on his next venture. Taft spoke candidly about overcoming challenges, pivoting, and scaling in a constantly changing startup environment. “Every obstacle you face is an opportunity to rethink your approach, to iterate and refine until you find the right path forward,” Taft advised, providing students with tangible takeaways from his experience.

Sarah Brand, Director of Media at Science Inc., followed with a session on branded content, where she shared stories of how Science helped build iconic brands like Dollar Shave Club and Liquid Death through viral, tight-budget storytelling. She emphasized the power of using story and narrative to break through the voices of established brands, often before a product even comes to market. Brand noted how a strong story can attract attention from distributors, capital, and early market adopters. She also discussed Science’s role as an established incubator and accelerator in Los Angeles, guiding startups through similar storytelling strategies.

USC Techstars and the Trojan Founder Ecosystem

Gabriel Schlumberger, Managing Director of the USC & Techstars Startup Accelerator, dove deep into the Trojan Founder Ecosystem, explaining the unique value of being part of the Trojan startup network and how founders can tap into the resources offered by USC Techstars.

Professor Chris Swain shared an overview of the plethora of USC resources available to registered students, many of which are often overlooked. These include access to Pitchbook, USC’s business library, and an extensive range of market research reports that can be instrumental in market analysis and strategy development for startups.

In the afternoon, the bootcamp continued with technical sessions focused on equipping founders with actionable skills:

Professor Alexander Titus delivered a session on AI tools for non-technical founders, demystifying the technology and providing an overview of how startups can leverage AI to enhance their operations, even without in-house technical expertise.

Jared Mayberry, Partner at Gunderson, shared a Legal 101 guide for founders, offering insights into the key legal challenges and considerations every founder should understand, from incorporation to IP protection and contracts.

Trojan Founders Panel and Breakout Sessions

One of the highlights of the day came in the form of the Trojan Founders Panel and break out sessions, moderated by Harry Valner, IYA Alumnus, GP at Seaside Ventures and former Co-Founder of Kyoku, a company he founded while at the Academy. The panel included early stage Founders:

Shari Steinberg, Co-founder and CPO of Allermi

Lucas McGartland, Founder and CEO of Sequence, and Co-founder and CPO of Bee Inc.

These founders shared their unique experiences navigating the startup world, discussing challenges such as building teams, securing funding, and developing their ideas into viable businesses. After the panel, all panelists stayed to facilitate small group breakout sessions where they coached student founders. In these groups, students supported each other through one-on-one conversations and Hot Seat Networking Exercises, providing real-time feedback on startup pitches.

The day concluded with a Fight On Founders Social Hour, hosted by Mei Higashi, IYA sophomore and co-founder of the Fight On Founders Club. The social hour gave student founders the opportunities to meet each other, discuss their ideas, and explore potential team and collaboration opportunities.

Higashi shared, “Fight On Founders is an incredible opportunity to engage with the entrepreneurship and investment communities at USC. As the Academy’s in-house entrepreneurship organization, we’re lucky to support ventures and build an openly strategic community. Our mission will always be to propel the founders and innovators around us. Founders are superstars!”

Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Innovation Quest

The 2024 Founders Bootcamp marked the beginning of a transformative year for participating startups. As Innovation Quest continues into 2025, select teams will be awarded Ignite Grants, which provide funding and mentorship to help develop Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and will be paired with industry mentors. These founders will present their progress at the April 2025 Annual Venture Showcase, competing across three tracks: Social Impact, Innovation, and the new Gen AI and Society.

The IYA Venture Showcase hosted by IYA, spotlights emerging ideas from the next generation of purpose-driven innovators and entrepreneurs at the Academy. Our dynamic program focuses on cultivating innovation at the potent intersection of technology, design, business, culture and community, giving student and alumni companies the opportunity to present their products, services, and technologies to industry investors and leaders for funding and a lightning round of feedback.

IYA Venture Showcase 2024

As Sharkey noted in her closing remarks: “The Innovation Quest is about more than just tools and mentorship. Being a founder is  about investing in yourself and believing in your journey. That belief starts with you, and it's key to navigating the challenges and opportunities that come with being an entrepreneur.”

The USC Iovine and Young Academy is a groundbreaking educational institution that fosters the next generation of innovators by combining art, technology, design, and business. Its interdisciplinary curriculum encourages students to solve global challenges through creative thinking and collaboration.

Fall 2024 IYA Founders Bootcamp: A Day of Bold Ideas and Transformative Mentorship