INNOVATION

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that entrepreneurial thinkers are urgently needed to help society solve its greatest challenges. Berkeley Haas teaches students how to bring game-changing ideas to life, whether as entrepreneurs via startups or as intrapreneurs in their companies.

We made great strides this year as we work to solidify Berkeley Haas’ position as a leading destination for entrepreneurial thinkers and leaders worldwide via our Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative. The initiative seeks to enhance Haas’ efforts on three fronts: creating a centralized hub for all of campus, endowing faculty thought leadership, and expanding programming. Donations helped us realize the first two of these.

Entrepreneurship Hub Will Facilitate Cross-Campus Collaborations

Renovation will start next year on our Entrepreneurship Hub (shown), located in a historic Julia Morgan building adjacent to Haas. The three-floor Hub will feature spaces to gather, work, and learn and will make Haas the entrepreneurship gateway for all of campus.

The Hub’s largest room will be recognized as the Castaneda Innovation Forum in honor of the parents of Elena Gomez, BS 91, who pledged $2 million to the building. Gomez, the CFO of Toast, wanted to celebrate their hard work as immigrants from El Salvador and their dedication leading to her being a first-generation college student and talented business executive. “My parents didn’t have a lot of money or education, but they believed you have to give your kids the best education possible,” Gomez says. “My success and my ability to give this gift are directly due to their support.”

Four New Faculty Expand Haas’ Thought Leadership

Thanks to four new endowed faculty chairs in entrepreneurship—given by Rene Kern, BS 86; Michael Grimes, BS 87 (electrical engineering and computer science); Mark Robinson, BA 88 (history and political science); and DK Kim, Parent 94, 98, and Dick Blum, BS 57, MBA 59—Berkeley Haas has added expertise in inequality in business performance; the design of online marketplaces and platforms; corporate growth/innovation and technological disruption; and the economics of health care markets, products, and organizations.