UC Riverside opens student entrepreneurship center backed by $6.2 million Lewis family gift
The center, on the Orbach Science Library's first floor, held its ribbon cutting Nov. 9. The university said it will house student startup programs built up by its Office of Technology Partnerships.
UC Riverside opened a center for student entrepreneurship Nov. 9, made possible by a $6.2 million gift from Randall Lewis, an Inland Empire developer and philanthropist, and his family, the university said in an article published Nov. 12.
The UC Riverside Randall Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is on the first floor of the Orbach Science Library, according to the university.
UCR said the center is meant to support student founders, speed up the creation of startups and help grow the economy of Inland Southern California.
Programs
The center sits within UCR's Office of Research and Economic Development. It combines and expands programs that the university's Office of Technology Partnerships developed over the past decade, the article said.
Student programs expected to use the space include the INNOVAR student venture accelerator and a commercialization workshop run through the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps, known as I-Corps, according to the university.
UCR said placing the center in the library gives students in any major a way in and widens hands-on training in starting ventures and commercializing technology.
Lewis noted that the center will also work alongside established UCR programs, including the Randall Lewis Policy Fellowship in the School of Public Policy, the article said.
Regional network
Lewis, who is senior executive vice president at Lewis Management Corp., said the center will cover both commercial and nonprofit entrepreneurship and that a main goal is keeping top graduates in the region, according to the article.
The university said the gift ties UCR to other entrepreneurship centers Lewis has funded, including at Chaffey College, Cal State San Bernardino, Claremont McKenna College and the University of La Verne. The aim is a connected regional network with shared summits and pitch contests, the article said.
"I think of this not simply as a gift, but as an investment in people, ideas, and the future of our region," Lewis said, according to the university.
UCR Chancellor S. Jack Hu said the center "will empower students to turn innovative ideas into successful ventures, improve their financial well-being and social mobility, and drive economic growth throughout Inland Southern California and beyond."
The article also quoted Rodolfo H. Torres, UCR's vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development, and Rosibel Ochoa, its associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship.
The university directed readers to innovation.ucr.edu/randall-lewis for more information.
