Student teams compete to find solutions to civic challenges
Los Angeles, CA – Cal State LA is a finalist in the L.A. Mayor's Cup, a competition in which university students create innovative solutions to vexing civic problems.
The Cal State LA team is a resident of LA BioSpace, an incubator on campus that offers bioscience startup companies the springboard they need to succeed.
“The work being done by our students and others at LA BioSpace is an important step in creating a bioscience ecosystem that will support a promising industry and create great-paying jobs for our community,” said Cal State LA Vice President Jose A. Gomez, who chairs the LA BioSpace Advisory Board.
Nearly 100 teams from universities and colleges in Los Angeles County competed for a spot in the finals of the inaugural L.A. Mayor’s Cup. Mayor Eric Garcetti called the competition “an exciting opportunity for young entrepreneurs to help us solve the city’s toughest challenges.”
“We want to put your ideas to work,” Garcetti said in a video promoting the competition.
The Cal State LA team has proposed a traveling resource center that will connect small business owners with city resources. Using zero-emission vehicles, Small Business Strong will travel to businesses located in underserved neighborhoods. It will link small business owners with established resource centers, lending organizations and non-profits.
The team will pitch its project to Mayor Eric Garcetti, deputy mayors, and local business leaders in a live competition on Dec. 8. The grand prize winner will receive $25,000 and the opportunity to work with City Hall for eight weeks to develop their idea.
Cal State LA students Oscar Aguayo, Alex Lam, Elianne Rodriguez, and Martin Tejeda make up the Cal State LA team. The team members are part of the Entrepreneurial Collegiate Consulting Organization.
The L.A. Mayor’s Cup is a project of the MetroLab Network, a group of public-private partnerships focused on addressing urban challenges with new technology and policy approaches. Cal State LA and the City of Los Angeles are partners in the network.
The MetroLab Network was launched in 2015 as part of the Obama Administration’s Smart Cities Initiative.