Entrepreneurship Opportunities in
The College of Letters and Science

In a joint venture with the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UC Berkeley, the College of Letters and Science has launched a new initiative to promote entrepreneurial activity among its students as a means of offering them key tools they need to turn ideas into practical enterprise. One of the first new undertakings of this project was the development of the new course L&S 5  to address the needs of the College’s students and faculty. The initiative will also provide graduate students and faculty in L&S with convenient access to Lester Center’s programs and resources. 

L&S has decided to embark in this new direction in light of a significant shift in the research, cultural and technological environment in which knowledge is now being acquired, both here on campus and around the world. Three major factors contribute to this shift: L&S is making research opportunities a reality for an exceptionally large number of undergraduates; the boundaries between academic disciplines are rapidly disappearing; and students have access to enormous amounts of information and are highly connected with one another — factors that are bound to encourage the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Letters and Science 5

The first course to be offered through this project is “Letters & Science 5: An Introduction to Entrepreneurship" designed for freshmen and sophomores in the College. It is targeted to non-business majors who wish to know about entrepreneurship, its importance to our society, and its role in bringing new ideas to market. This class explores the structure and framework of entrepreneurial endeavors — both inside and outside the business world. Students learn about the entrepreneurial business process and how they might become involved in those processes in their future careers.

Special Invitation to L&S Students from the Lester Center

The Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is offering a special invitation to L&S students to participate in their programs, which include special forums, competitions, mentoring opportunities and more.

The Lester Center is the focal point at UC Berkeley for the study and promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation in management and new enterprise development. It serves everyone in the campus community with entrepreneurial interests. The Center’s location at the Haas School of Business allows undergraduate and graduate students from all departments on campus to connect with business leaders and to network and collaborate with each other.

Programs of special interest to L&S students include:

• Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series: free evening short courses that cover the range of tasks required for creating a well-crafted business plan, including opportunity recognition, intellectual property protection, and raising capital.
• Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum: a stimulating and informative setting for students and the public to meet with and hear from seasoned professional entrepreneurs and network with them and with each other.
• Mentoring Opportunities: the Lester Center invites students to meet with Lester Fellows (experienced entrepreneurs) for mentoring and networking.
• Business Plan Competitions: the Lester Center supports a number of business plan competitions, including competitions with special interests in social ventures, technology, or venture capital.

Please visit the Lester Center’s website for more information.