“You’re here to manifest the change we all want to see in the world. The only thing you need to bring is curiosity. The rest you’re going to build.”

That pearl of motivational insight, conveyed by USC Iovine and Young Academy lecturer in business innovation Tina Sharkey, opened up a full day of impactful sagacity directed at budding founders and creators on October 20, 2023. The inaugural IYA Founders Bootcamp commenced, setting into motion a year-long IYA Innovation Quest – a series of dynamic experiences that strive to cultivate and support qualified student-led ventures at the intersection of business, technology, and creative practice.

“We believe in taking an intersectional path in how to build your innovators and your founder toolkit. With this experience, if you’re not launching a startup right now, you’re building muscles and you’re building capacity. And that capacity is something you’re going to use now and you’re going to use for the rest of your lives. Whether you embed yourself in large organizations or you join a founding team or you lead a startup yourself,” founder, advisor, and brand builder Sharkey told the crowd of over 75 in-person attendees (and dozens of remote guests). 

The inaugural IYA Founders Bootcamp commenced, setting into motion a year-long IYA Innovation Quest – a series of dynamic experiences that strive to cultivate and support qualified student-led ventures at the intersection of business, technology, and creative practice.

IYA Founders Bootcamp

Jason Mayden, distinguished visiting lecturer in product innovation at IYA and CEO and co-founder of Trillicon Valley, enlightened the room with a talk that focused on self-care to balance the entrepreneurial. His talk wasn’t just about the importance of rest and personal well-being (although he reinforced their importance), he emphasized the value of leading with empathy. 

“When we talk about words like empathy, introspection, emotional intelligence, it will be the most critical skill-set that every leader will be required to understand. In the new workforce, in the new job market, and the new economy, people will choose where they spend their time. And they will walk away from high-paying jobs because they want mental peace,” he urged. 

Of course, he also underscored the vitality of thinking big, and thinking extensively. 

“If someone can steal your idea, then it’s not big enough. That’s just the truth. And I’m in the business of building ideas. I can tell you, if they stole your idea and that’s the only one you have, then you need to get more ideas,” Mayden noted. 

Kim Scott, CEO coach and bestselling author of Radical Candor, offered up her management philosophy on caring personally while challenging directly. She wanted to get involved in the event because she knows first-hand the importance of a collective you can count on. 

“I think that being a manager-slash-leader-slash-boss is a very lonely job, and I think it's really important to have a group of people who have done that job who you can talk to and who are struggling with the same things that you are struggling with. I think it can help people be more open about what they're struggling with and define solutions faster, which is important not only for them, but for the people who work for them,” she says. 

Doug Mandell, experienced counsel to founders, executives, and startups, also imparted his knowledge. sharing, “What My Founder Clients Wish They Knew: An Overview of Personal Legal Issues Faced by Founders and CEOs.”

Harry Valner, IYA Alumnus and Founder and Managing Partner of Seaside Ventures, moderated a panel of Trojan founders who articulated their entrepreneurial journeys and diverse perspectives on the startup process. The group included Ellie Konsker, CEO and Co-Founder of ZERO, Drake Rehfeld, Principal at Day One Ventures, and Sahar Rohani, CEO and Co-Founder of SOSHE Beauty. An animated question-and-answer session ensued, centering on the significance of networking, having faith in your idea, and doing valuable research. 

“When I was a student at IYA, I was always most affected by outside speakers who are active in the startup space. To me, it provided a real sense of connection to what we were learning in school to what was actually happening in the startup world. Bringing this panel of Founders Bootcamp to me opened up the doors so students could garner a real-life picture of what founders were up to, how they navigate the space, and how they could achieve the same,” Valner says of the event. 

“Look at the number of startups that have come out of IYA ... All started while being students and in IYA. My hope for the panel and day was for students to realize that they too can start a company,” he adds. 

The day concluded with a critical message from Jean-Michel Arnoult: 10 Mistakes That Will Crash Your Startup. We won’t get into all ten here, but we will emphasize his very apt message about how gaining insight from those who have already traversed the same path is so crucial – one of the reasons why the Founders Bootcamp was planned in the first place. 

He encouraged,” As a founder you need to learn from those who have walked the journey before you. Especially learn from their failures.” 

That’s what the day sought to reach – forging connections and offering real-world inspiration from those who have “walked the journey” (and engaging with those just finding their footing). By aiding students in sharpening their arsenal of founder know-how, Founders Bootcamp – and the Innovation Quest as a whole - is an active example of IYA’s intersectional challenge-based learning framework. Student and Bootcamp attendee Tina Habibi expressed the highlight of the event was “exposure to different founder perspectives, mindset development, and founder encouragement and motivation.” 

When it comes to supporting student-led ventures, the Founders Bootcamp is just the beginning. The 2023 Innovation Quest continues with the 2023 Ignite Grants, awarding grants of $1,500 each to up to 10 teams that align with specific team application guidelines, fueling the development of their Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). In addition to the grant, winners will be assigned an industry mentor who will supervise spending, while providing beneficial insight and direction. You can read more about the details here.

As Harry Valner puts it: “Startups are all about community  – it is the core of any startup.” IYA Innovation Quest is all about enhancing your founder village and providing the tools and resources needed not only to get off the ground, but to thrive."

Founders Bootcamp Kicks Off 2023 IYA Innovation Quest