SpartUp Innovation Fund

You can help SJSU innovators and entrepreneurs make real-world impact

The SJSU SpartUp Innovation Fund supports entrepreneurship and the real world application of research inventions and ideas from students, faculty, staff and alumni of SJSU. Your contribution to this fund will help bring key mentorship resources to emerging SJSU entrepreneurs, contributing significantly to their success. The fund directly supports SpartUp - a focal point for SJSU startup and entrepreneurship activity that leverages resources in Silicon Valley and beyond to create a unique entrepreneurial experience for our students, faculty, staff, and alumni and become an engine for economic growth for our community. SpartUp seeks to bridge the gap between SJSU-affiliated companies and the resources they need to start and build successful ventures.  The SJSU SpartUp Innovation Fund supports the training, networking, technology protection and licensing, and all other related needs of SJSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni - all Spartaneurs.

SJSU innovators represent a unique, talented and driven community

SpartUp uniquely reaches across the diverse demographic of Silicon Valley to support ALL SJSU entrepreneurs, SJSU Spartaneurs. Because many of our startups are conceptualized and created by first-generation founders coming from underserved groups, your gift will help them realize their full potential as well as fund their critical business mentoring and support needs that could be life-changing on many levels.

The SpartUp Innovation Fund impacts different aspects of SJSU’s dynamic talent

Your gift will help fund:

• SpartUp Pitch Competition Support Fund – will assist SJSU students, faculty, and recent alumni entrepreneurs from any academic discipline with resources to participate in local, national, and global pitch competitions in order to strengthen the marketability and viability of their startups. This fund will help cover their travel, meals, accommodations, registration costs, etc.
• Social Entrepreneurship – Students from different academic disciplines and socioeconomic backgrounds to form and test innovative solutions that address social issues including, but not limited to, housing shortages, fossil fuel emissions, poverty and sustainable development. The goal is to support diverse innovations from students whose insights are varied as a result of their different upbringing and life experiences.
• Specialized Entrepreneurial Training – will provide funding to enroll qualified student entrepreneurs in specialized accelerated entrepreneurial training.
• SpartUp Proof of Concept Fund – will allow students and faculty entrepreneurs to confirm the technical and commercial viability of their products through prototypes, test methods, and customer validation to help secure financial support for their ventures.

Please make your gift today by selecting one of the giving levels to the right or clicking "Give Now" and entering an amount of your choice. Also, note that all donations are tax-deductible and you will receive an official gift receipt from the university.