Charge Up! Series
RSI Entrepreneurship Program 2025
ZAP Program
NSF I-CorpsTM ZAP Program Lean Startup Workshop Series - Have an idea you might want to turn into a business? Learn how to take the first steps toward discovering customers and the potential market for your innovation. When: three, three hour sessions/month, via ZOOM. Information and Apply: Here
Learn more about the Lean Launchpad approach to starting a tech business, pioneered by Stanford, and one of the sessions of E/SEC 102: Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Practical Steps Towards Forming a Venture and Case Histories. Offered in fall 2025 for undergraduates, graduates and post docs this course given by outside experts features practical instruction and case histories on how to start a business. For more information check the Caltech course catalogue or contact RSI [email protected].
Lunch & Learns: These lunchtime sessions hosted by Caltech offer in depth information about the program, and its benefits for researchers exploring the entrepreneurial pathway that will help you decide whether the program is right for you. Check back for 2025/26 program details.
Fireside Chats: Hear Real Life Founder Experiences
The Future of the Electric Grid: Meet Jason Huang, CEO of TS Conductor
As CEO of TS Conductor(Los Angeles) Jason Huang has pioneered a new approach to delivering power without expensive infrastructure upgrades called re-conductoring for electricity transmission. Re-conductoring involves replacing existing transmission lines with more advanced, higher-capacity conductors a concept that is gaining traction. Huang is an experienced entrepreneur whose company has attracted investment and will talk about the twists and turns to creating his business. To learn more about Jason's story check out:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-huang-6425b7/
When: June 6, 2025, 12 - 1 pm PT Where: the new Resnick Sustainability Center, Conference Room 110 on the main floor. To register: contact RSI [email protected].
E/SEC 102: Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Practical Steps Towards Forming a Venture and Case Histories Fall 2025
This course is intended for undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers interested in exploring entrepreneurship as a career option. E/SEC 102 will be suited for those with early blue-sky concepts as well as students and researchers with their own innovations emerging from the wide Caltech range of software and hard discoveries. This is meant to be a "how to" guide to help academics understand what it takes to commercialize technologies. The course will also provide resources for those who want to get started. Special attention will be paid to "ideation" – the process of identifying a technology with commercial potential, and creating a business concept and model, guided by a group of VCs that will focus on customers and the potential market. Some topics include:
Legal Best Practices - Forming and Funding Your Company: Learn the basics of forming a company, when and how to incorporate and navigate the complications of equity splitting, and above all, what to avoid.
Patenting your Innovation: Hear how to build your own company IP beyond your core innovations licensed from Caltech.
Identifying customers and markets: Learn how to apply the Lean Launchpad approach to assessing the value proposition of your technology to customers and how to find the best market.
Fund raising from government grants and investors: Experts in securing government SBIR commercialization grants and in attracting investors will guide you on best practices for winning these elusive awards.
Pitching to Investors: Learn how to create the "wow" factor that makes your pitch to investors memorable.
For more information and to register check the Caltech 2025 fall catalogue listing.
Funding Opportunities
ROCKET FUND: rocketfund.caltech.edu/ This program provides non-equity grants of $25k - $100k for designing and building commercial prototypes for demonstrating with customers and attracting investment. Since its founding in 2015, the program has awarded over $2m to 61 entities that have gone on to secure more than $1b in follow on grants, investment and sales and services. Caltech recipients Aralez Bio, Brimstone, Powerflex EDF Renewables North America and Captura are among the Caltech ventures that used the awards to help secure their technology foundation.
The program opens in November 2025 - check the Rocket Fund page for details and how to apply.
Contact: Stephanie Yanchinski, Director of Entrepreneurial Programs, [email protected].
IDEATION GRANTS: The Ideation grant program is funded by partners passionate about impacting the emerging climate crisis and excited about working with Caltech's best and brightest young innovators. dedicated to finding solutions. The goal is to accelerate the translation of sustainability research projects across campus that have potential for real world impact while giving Caltech students a broader exposure to opportunities where they can make a difference in their professional lives.
The ideation grants are intended to fund scientists and engineers interested in translating their technologies for wider world impact, and potentially creating new ventures. These grants specifically help faculty, students, and post-doctoral researchers with a technology idea explore how to move it forward to a translational outcome. These small grants also aim to kick-start business ideas and validate initial concepts.
Ideation Grants provide useful funding for expenses that don't qualify for existing sources of research money. Grants also provide additional benefits such as covering time spent away from research. Allowed expenditures include (see the application form for a more complete list):
- Technoeconomic support for evaluating technology
- Shared workspace & tech incubator facility fees
- Attending industry conferences, boot camps & pitch events
- Small equipment, materials & supplies
- Purchasing informational resources e.g., subscriptions
Eligibility
To see if you qualify for an Ideation Grant, please consider the following:
- Project aligns with RSI's general mission of addressing climate change with impactful science and technologies
- Grants range from $5,000 - $20,000, level as per negotiation
- Grants support projects and potential spin-out companies
- The requested award must fall under the Ideation-approved categories (See the budget and application forms)
- Intend completing the project within twelve months after receiving the grant
- Special consideration: recipients who have already or intend to participate in Caltech's NSF I-Corps ZAP program
Applications are considered on a rolling basis. We suggest that you submit your interest early, as funds are limited.
Please check for eligibility in the application form and complete it, along with the budget form and return to Stephanie Yanchinski.
Applications are currently closed.