Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Empowering Tomorrow’s Innovators

About Us

The Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship prepares the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. Our programs offer hands-on experience and practical education in the process and impact of entrepreneurial ventures. With a strong focus on the needs of ambitious visionaries, we provide the knowledge, tools, and resources to help you successfully launch and grow your business.

Stella Zhang New Venture Competition

Ready to turn your idea into reality? The UC Irvine Stella Zhang New Venture Competition (SZVC) gives you the chance to form a team, launch a startup, and secure funding—all in just seven months! Open to UC Irvine students, staff, researchers, and the community, teams compete for $100,000 in cash prizes and top-tier professional services. Let’s make your vision happen!

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Faculty Director

Imran Currim

Imran Currim

Distinguished Professor of Marketing

Imran Currim, faculty director of the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a distinguished professor of marketing at UC Irvine, is a world-renowned expert in product and service design and marketing. He has published over 50 articles in top journals, consulted for more than 100 companies, and was honored with UC Irvine’s Distinguished Faculty Leadership Award. Currim’s entrepreneurial roots trace back to his youth in India, where he launched startups in umbrellas and auto rentals. Under his leadership, the Beall Center has expanded curriculum offerings, including the UC system’s first Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an undergraduate minor, and certificate programs. Previously associate dean at the Merage School, he holds degrees in engineering, business, and statistics from the University of Bombay, University of Wisconsin, and Stanford University, and has taught at UCLA, NYU, and Yale.

Advisory Board

We extend our deepest gratitude to Don Beall and Ken Beall for their significant contributions to the center. We also wish to formally recognize the following individuals for their generous commitment of time and resources in support of the center and its programs.


Executive Board

Pamina Barkow

Founder & CEO
Personal Injury Navigators

Ken Beall

Founder & Chair, Board of Directors
University of California, Irvine - UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation

Jacob Kong

Chief Business Officer, Experian Consumer Services
Experian

Ken & Carla Neeld

Vp, Delphi
Toast

Mary Patrick Kavanaugh

Director of Innovation, Entrepreneurship + Special Projects
Soka University of America


Board of Directors

Matt Bailey

Adjunct Professor/Lecturer, Entrepreneurship
UC Irvine The Paul Merage School of Business

Isabelle Bart

Founder, Entrepreneurship Coach
Impact Innovator

Juiling & Shengfa Johnson

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Mary Patrick Kavanaugh

Director of Innovation, Entrepreneurship + Special Projects
Soka University of America

Howard Mirowitz

Fund Manager
Cove Fund

Fiza & Mansoor Shah

Emanuel Shaoulian, MD, F.A.C.C.

Shaoulian Cardiology

Numan Siddiqi

Partner
Baker & Hostetler LLP

Alfred Somekh

President
Gehr Development Corporation

Michael Wong

Chief Executive Officer and President
Genea

Catherine Zhou

Active LP
Accelerated Venture Partners (AVP) Fund

Ahmed Zobi

Chief Executive Officer
Syntr Health Technologies, Inc.


Board of Advisors

Rahul Abhyankar

Matthew Hanson

Director - New Ventures
UC Irvine Applied Innovation

Roz Huang

Founder and CEO
Dandelion Global, LLC

Cynthia (Fascenelli) Kirkeby

Founder - Wiz-a-Witz™
CVO - IMPRINT Adtech

Simon Loo

COO - Lyrid
West Region Sales Manager - Siemens

MK Raheja

Executive VP, Research & Development
Sight Sciences

Matthew & Lily Sand

President & CEO
Avalon Mfg

Jason Stern

Chief Ally - Delante Systems
Business Advisor and Executive Coach - GiftofTime.us


Honorary Board Members

Dan Jenkins

Executive Director
EvoNexus

David Ochi

Executive Director, Innovation Incubator
California State University-Dominguez Hills

Larry Wilk

Continuing Lecturer
UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business

A vibrant entrepreneurial educational environment combined with an engaged business ecosystem is critical to creating a region which will deliver strong job growth and an innovative corporate community.

Ken Beall
Advisory Board Chair

 

 

 

 

Student Opportunities

Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MIE) prepares students to launch startups or drive innovation within companies. Through hands-on learning and UC Irvine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, students gain practical experience in opportunity discovery, lean startup methods, and business growth. Offered in 9-month or two-year formats, MIE is unique in the UC system.

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Undergraduate Minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Undergraduate Minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship prepares you to launch startups or innovate within companies. Learn key skills like venture planning and lean startup, with hands-on experience through internships and the New Venture Competition. For course details, visit the Undergraduate Course Catalog.

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Undergraduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Eligibility
UC Irvine undergraduate in Business Administration or Business Information Management

Requirements
- Participate in the New Venture Competition
- Complete two approved Innovation/Entrepreneurship courses

We recommend contacting the Undergraduate Programs Office for information on enrollment limits and requirements.

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MBA Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Eligibility
Merage School graduate students (FTMBA, Flex MBA, EMBA, HCEMBA, MSEM and MSBTM)

Requirements
- Participate in the New Venture Competition
- Complete two approved Innovation/Entrepreneurship courses

We recommend contacting your program office for information on enrollment limits and requirements.

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Get Involved

The Beall Center offers a wide range of opportunities for successful entrepreneurs and business leaders to share their insights, experiences, and expertise with the next generation of innovators. Through speaking engagements, mentorship, workshops, and special events, industry professionals play a vital role in shaping the educational journey of aspiring entrepreneurs and helping to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Lead by Mentoring

As a mentor in the annual New Venture Competition, you guide a student team from February to May, offering structure, setting expectations, and fostering a path to success.

Share Your Voice

Business leaders and innovators like you regularly share insights at Beall Center events, including speaker series, workshops, and the New Venture Competition.

Invest in Our Future

Support the Beall Center by sponsoring events like the New Venture Competition and speaker series—helping us inspire and equip the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Collaborate with Us

Create opportunities and deliver valuable experiences to students and the entrepreneurial community.

Participating in The New Venture Competition gave my team and I the opportunity to experience all the highs and lows of bringing a startup to life. Not only were we able to gain real life skills in creating a pitch deck, conducting market research, and public speaking; we also learned how to better collaborate as a team and become leaders. NVC was the best catalyst Nutripair could have had to begin our journey into the market.

Catlin Tran '23
1st Place, Business Services Track
Stella Zhang NVC 2022

Recent News

Stay informed with the latest updates, achievements and breakthroughs from our faculty, students and alumni.

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Grad2Go Wins 2025 Stella Zhang New Venture Competition

UC Irvine’s premier startup showcase highlights innovation, sustainability, and student entrepreneurship

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Stella Zhang Gives $750K to UC Irvine New Venture Competition

The UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business is delighted to announce that alumna Stella Zhang (MBA ’05) has extended her annual gift to the New Venture Competition (NVC), increasing the total prize fund from $100,000 to $150,000 annually over the next five years.

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New Venture Competition Receives Naming Gift from Stella Zhang FEMBA ’05

The New Venture Competition, presented annually by the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Merage School, will be known as The Stella Zhang New Venture Competition for the next five years (2021-2026).

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Contact Us

Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business
4293 Pereira Drive, Suite 2300
Irvine, CA 92697-3125

beall.center@merage.uci.edu

Meet the Team

Imran Currim
Faculty Director
iscurrim@uci.edu

Jenn Huynh
Program Manager
jennh@uci.edu