Director's Message
Welcome to Our Fall 2023 Issue!
Solving problems can get a big boost when we mix ideas from different areas. Imagine putting together pieces from different puzzles to create a new picture. This is what happens when experts from various fields join forces. They share their unique tricks and tools, creating smart solutions that are impossible otherwise.
In higher education and entrepreneurship, we call this interdisciplinary thinking. At Ciocca Center, we work tirelessly to develop and fund programs that help students learn to work in interdisciplinary teams and solve problems using the power of the knowledge and skills that come together at the subject-matter intersections.
For example, in the past year, our Bronco Entrepreneur Advisory Clinic (BEACH) has engaged over 140 students in interdisciplinary teams from Law, Business, and more recently the Social Sciences and STEM to provide consulting services to over 100 local businesses and startups.
This Quarter, Malarie Howard (‘14), screenwriter, producer, and artist worked with Ciocca Center to create and deliver a workshop that teaches students with broadly interdisciplinary backgrounds how to work together to create an imagined world. The students learn to build on their collective knowledge, skills and journeys to develop a shared outcome.
Solving the big problems of our day, including climate change, clean energy, resource sustainability, adequate housing and closing the wealth gap, require us all to bring our different skills and knowledge to the table to work together and create new solutions.
Read on to find more of the stories of our work to help the SCU community develop those skills.
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We hope you enjoy this issue!
Keep reading,
Chris Norris, Executive Director
Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship |
 | Congratulations to our 5th Bronco Venture Accelerator Cohort! Our founders have been working hard all summer culminating in Demo Day and pitching live in front of 400 guests. Also, a special thanks to President Julie Sullivan and Congressman Ro Khanna for joining the celebration. Click here for a recap of the amazing event! You can also find out more about how you can join our next cohort. |
Perspectives  | Professor Ian Carter-O'Connell shares about the Scientific Mindset Summer program and how meals and conversations can bring a new perspective in the research laboratory. Read here to learn how a Failure Mindset is fundamental to developing a Growth Mindset. |
 | As a Public Defender, Adjunct Professor Nas Yasin '20 meets people at some of the hardest moments of their lives. Learn more about how Nas reframes her circumstances to bring the best outcomes for herself and her clients amidst the challenges. |
 | Adan Gonzalez '21 shares about feeling unsure and lost in his first position as a new graduate. Read more about the tools and skills he learned when he chose to jump into his new role despite his doubts. |
Ciocca Center Presents...  | Ciocca Center is putting on a pizza night for BUSN 70 students TODAY, Oct. 25th, from 5 - 6:30 pm! Make the most of SCU’s opportunities as a new Business student and discover on-campus opportunities to launch your business journey!
Register here to let us know how much pizza to order! |
 | In collaboration with the English and Communication Departments, Ciocca Center is hosting StoryWorlds and IP, an immersive Workshop featuring Netflix and Marvel screenwriter and producer, Malarie Howard ’14! Through lectures and collaborative activities, students will not only ignite their creative spark but also develop practical techniques, applicable across various creative industries. |
Broncos, Actually  | Frankie Bastone graduated SCU with a B.S. in Psychology in 2015 and later continued his Bronco Journey through his MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing in 2022. Watch here to learn how Frankie leveraged his various experiences to pivot into more customer facing roles and currently heads the Events and Community Relations team at Eataly. |
Student Stories  | Looking for a club or RSO on campus? Use our Club Navigator, a great way to make connections and life-long friends! The platform came out of Ciocca Center's "You Are Here" initiative, where students collaborate on creating meaningful resources for SCU students. |
 | Bronco Ventures Idea Lab is an interdisciplinary program that introduces the core concepts of design thinking, including ideation and pitching. The ideation module will be on Saturday, November 4th from 10 am - 3 pm. It will provide tools and techniques to empathize with customers, deeply understand pain points, and generate human-centered solutions. Click here to register! |
 | Ciocca Center relies on the perspectives of students to ensure our programs and initiatives reflect interdisciplinary interests. Our Student Advisory Board consists of over 20 students from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. This year's board is co-chaired by Jodi Chui '24 and Mubashir Hussain '24. Learn more here! |
 | Mindset Scholars is a 2 year program to develop an early entrepreneurial mindset. Scholars complete one course from each school to build an interdisciplinary entrepreneurial mindset and are supported in self-actualization, by being provided specialized advising and access to on-campus experiential opportunities, like IDEA Lab and Career Launch! Meet the new '23-'25 Cohort! |
 | Welcome to our new '23-'24 cohort of Innovation Fellows! Innovation Fellows focus on finding a pain point on our SCU campus and using design thinking methods and empathy to identify and implement solutions. We welcomed our new IF Cohort with Early-Arrival, jumping into Design Thinking Frameworks and Empathy Interviews. |
 | We officially kicked off our Fall Term in early October with swag, food, and great people! BEACH provides law and business students with an experiential opportunity to team up with industry professionals, receive clients, and advise companies on legal or business related issues. Sign up to be a part of our Winter Cohort here! |
A Well-Lighted Place  | Do you have a paper accepted for publication/presentation at a conference/symposia or publication in a journal? Is It focused on an Entrepreneurial Topic? If so, consider applying for travel or publication support! Ciocca Center's travel or publication grant includes airfare, hotel, rental car and conference registration up to $3,000/project. Apply Now! |
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The de Saisset Museum held an exhibition of 27 lithographs curated by SCU students of June Wayne (1918-2011) that were created over a 40+ year period. A catalog for this exhibition was made possible in part through project sponsorship from the Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Click here to see upcoming exhibitions!
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 | Ciocca Center accepts Curricular Development Proposals on a rolling basis. The objective of this program is to support the development of new courses, modules, and programs that address themes that broadly relate to the topics of innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset. Learn more. |
 | Learn more about our current research and curriculum development projects here! |
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Upcoming Events
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Open for Business
5 p.m., Lucas Hall Santa Clara University
Ciocca Center is holding our annual Open for Business! event on Thursday, October 24th from 5-6:30 pm for all of the students in the Fall BUSN 70 (Contemporary Business Issues)!
Register Here!
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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., 3230 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95053
WHAT: We call it “BVA Cafe” where CAFE stands for: Calling All Founders & Entrepreneurs
Meet and mingle with fellow BVA entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship-curious. Enjoy small bites while hearing updates from BVA Alumni and meeting new startup founders.
WHEN: The third Thursday of each month (except November and December when it is on the second Thursday), at 6:30 PM
WHERE: BVA House, 3230 The Alameda (2 doors North of the Hut, across from 7-11). We frequently adjourn to the Hut for adult beverages afterward.
BVA CAFE is open to all and free of charge; but, Registration is required.
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BEACH Kick-off
5 p.m. BEACH provides an Advisory Service for startups and small businesses to benefit from no cost legal and business information and resources. This experiential program is an opportunity for SCU students to work in cross-functional teams while gaining real-world hands-on experience navigating, researching and advising clients on legal or business concerns. Clients receive free information and resources from BEACH backed by research, review of findings complete with valuable recommendations and additional resources. |
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Idea Lab - Design Thinking
All Day
Be Empowered through Design Thinking @ Idea Lab - the SCU Community of graduate and undergraduate students, alumni, faculty and staff are ALL Invited to attend Bronco Ventures Idea Lab, an experiential no-cost program focused on the core concepts of design thinking, customer-centered problem analysis to Ideation and the Pitch!
Idea Lab is offering its Ideation module as a Saturday Workshop. The workshop will provide the attendees with the tools and techniques to empathize with the customers, deeply understand their pain points, generate human-centered solutions, and test the feasibility of potential solutions. The content presented in these modules leverages the core concepts of design thinking to empower students with the skills to define, approach, and solve problems in a creative manner, and complements technical content presented in a wide variety of courses.
Our goal is to help You create a team and a viable, feasible, and desirable business idea to continue beyond Idea Lab!
Upon completion, attendees will receive a digital certificate and badge.
Idea Lab is free and lunch will be provided.
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