Director's Message Welcome to Our Winter 2026 Issue!
This quarter, we are exploring empathy as a core element of the entrepreneurial mindset. I’ve been thinking about that a lot in my role chairing the search committee for our next Dean of the Leavey School of Business. What has struck me most is how Jesuit the process feels — rooted in listening and discernment. Faculty, students, alumni, staff, and industry partners all carry different hopes for what Leavey should become. My job has not been to advocate for my own view of the future, but to create space for those perspectives to surface clearly and honestly. That kind of listening — setting aside ego long enough to truly hear others — is the foundation of empathetic design.
Entrepreneurship operates the same way. Founders who fall in love with their own ideas too early often build impressive solutions to problems that don’t quite exist. The real work begins with humility: understanding the potential customers' lived experiences before defining the solution. Whether we are shaping the profile of a dean or launching a new venture, the principle is the same — listen first, discern carefully, and let service shape the design. That is the entrepreneurial mindset we strive to cultivate at the Ciocca Center.
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We hope you enjoy this issue!
Keep reading,
Chris Norris, Executive Director
Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship |
 | ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½'s Undergraduate Team joined the Silicon Valley Regionals for , the world’s largest venture capital competition with over 120 university, where students get to be VCs for the day! Team members were selected from our Venture Virtuoso program. Congratulations , , , , , and ! |
 | Check out our Monthly Entrepreneurs' Meetup! Join The BVA Cafe, a Networking Mixer - Hosted by Bronco Ventures. This is where entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors and entrepreneurship curious gather. Click to register! |
Perspectives  | Senior Instructional Technologist, Colin Justin reflects on his second year teaching in the Innovation Fellows program and the power of authentic, problem-based learning. Learn how design thinking, iteration, and even failure become essential tools for growth. At its core, the program encourages students to approach innovation as a deeply human-centered process. |
 | In this reflective perspective, explores how empathy—shaped by personal hardship and resilience—has become a guiding principle in her leadership at ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½. Stephanie shares how lived experience informs the way she supports students, strengthens systems, and fosters meaningful connection across campus. |
 | In fast-paced engineering environments, execution often takes priority—but people power the results. Hear from as he explores how simple acts of empathy, acknowledgment, and context can transform frustration into trust and strengthen team performance. Because while products may come first on paper, it’s people who make them possible. |
Ciocca Center Presents...  | In collaboration with the Career Center, Ciocca Center held the Start-Ups Meetup, a networking-focused recruitment event! For those interested in working at a startup, this gathering offered an opportunity for students to have 1:1 conversations with up and coming companies. |
 | We had 489 participants and 79 teams at this year's 2026, powered by the Ciocca Center! 57 teams competed for Ciocca Center sponsored, "Future Unicorn Award", which was given to . all the submitted projects! |
Broncos, Actually  | From shaping business decisions at Toyota Ventures to serving as Board Director of Garden to Table Silicon Valley, reflects a deep commitment to community, leadership, and impact. from Kalyn how behind every metric, milestone, and margin is a human being navigating real challenges. In both community work and venture investing, empathy—paired with grace and understanding—has become the throughline that transforms how we lead, collaborate, and build. |
Student Stories  | Applications for our next Innovation Fellows Cohort are opening this month! Innovation Fellows focus on finding a pain point on our ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ campus and using design thinking methods and empathy to identify and implement solutions. |
 | Join us from every major to learn from two actual VCs on the art and science of assessing real start ups! In MGMT167:Venture Capitalist Essentials, identify and convey key differentiating characteristics to know what it takes for a startup to succeed. Applications open at the end of the month! |
 | Are you ready to take your innovative ideas to the next level? We invitee all aspiring entrepreneurs, problem solvers, and visionaries to participate in this year’s Ciocca Center's Business Pitch Competition! Win cash prizes and pitch your idea to industry experts and potential investors while gaining valuable feedback to refine and develop your venture. Don’t miss this chance! |
 | 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 Fall 2026 Cohort ! |
 | ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ students dove into Idea Lab, an interdisciplinary program that introduces the core concepts of design thinking! We focused on the ideation module, providing tools and techniques to empathize with customers, deeply understand pain points, and generate human-centered solutions. Join us for the Spring quarter! |
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. |
 | 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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BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., Lucas Hall, 738 Franklin Street Welcome to BVA Cafe, Bronco Ventures Accelerator’s Monthly Meetup where you can 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.
Lucas Hall, 738 Franklin Street
Terrace on the Third Floor if the weather is sunny
Lobby if rainy and cold |
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May BVA Café + Prep School Graduation Celebration
4 - 7 p.m., Lucas Hall 126, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½
We are excited to share that our May BVA Café will be combined with a special celebration - the graduation of the 2026 Bronco Ventures Accelerator Prep School cohort!
Join us for an evening of networking, community, and inspiration as we recognize the founders who have spent the past months refining their ventures and building traction. Meet the graduating teams, connect with fellow founders, investors, mentors, alumni, faculty, staff, and students, and celebrate the next wave of innovation emerging from ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½.
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Business Pitch Competition
All Day
Ciocca Center’s Business Pitch Competition takes place each spring. We use a virtual portal called Pitchtape, an asynchronous online platform where companies can record their pitches.
ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ students of all majors are encouraged to apply for a spot in the competition!
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CANCELED: BVA Cafe
6:30 p.m., Lucas Hall, 738 Franklin Street
Welcome to BVA Cafe, Bronco Ventures Accelerator’s Monthly Meetup where you can 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.
Lucas Hall, 738 Franklin Street
Terrace on the Third Floor if the weather is sunny
Lobby if rainy and cold
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