kaylie meiqi li 
Diora Juraboeva
Vishnu Ramachandran
Rui He
Simran Jadhav
Kyler Caldwell
Saborni Kundu
Jacqueline Guo
Aidan van DijkSee what Spark is up to for Fall ‘24!
Paolo Velasco
Editor's note
Every semester, we take a look at the initiatives we've recently run, evaluate campus culture and student needs, and determine Spark's goals for the next few months. This fall is an exciting one. Spark has formed a record 8 committees–6 external and 2 internal–alongside 2 task force initiatives (ones spearheaded by groups of Spark board members)! Our leads have thought deeply about how their initiative addresses Spark's mission, what the work will look like, and what it'll be like to join the committee.
Introduction to our Fall 2024 Initiatives
Several of our initiatives, such as Project Launch and Startup Career Fair, have been running for years because they are central to our mission and values. While we may choose to continue, pause, or temporarily retire an initiative, any project can be revived if a lead feels strongly about its cause. In addition, at the start of each semester, we often launch new initiatives to reflect our evolving commitment to our mission with Activist Incubator, VC Academy, and 10x-Kitchen being our three newest committees. We have exciting plans ahead, and we can’t wait for you to see what’s in store. We hope you'll discover something that sparks your interest!
Click to Jump to an Initiative:
- Editor's note
- Introduction to our Fall 2024 Initiatives
- Click to Jump to an Initiative:
- External Committees
- Activist Incubator
- Project Launch
- Spark XM
- Startup Career Fair
- Trojan Marketplace
- VC Academy
- Internal Committees
- Bay Trip
- SparkLabs
- Task Forces
- Google Labs x USC Creative Makeathon
- 10x-Kitchen
- Spark 10 Year Anniversary Weekend
External Committees
Activist Incubator
Committee Lead:
Parth Joshi, Sophomore majoring in American Studies and Ethnicity
What is Activist Incubator? Activist Incubator is a 6-week curriculum that will teach students the ins-and-outs of advocacy based on historical movements and practical skills. Students will also host an advocacy event at the end of the semester, with the goal of fostering more political engagement at USC.
What does Activist Incubator have to do with Spark’s Mission? Spark's mission since its inception has centered around entrepreneurship in a broad sense: from business to technology, from the sciences to the studio. The Activist Incubator aims to finally realize this dream of what Spark can and should be by becoming the club's first-ever political committee. This Incubator will be empowering Trojans to advocate for the issues they care about the most and find the leader within.
What will the work look like?
- Working one-on-one with Activists to craft their capstone event.
- Supporting the curriculum finalization and adjudication process.
- Managing the Instagram and making graphics for it.
- Coordinating with local activist organizations to obtain donations, mentors, and speakers.
Before you worry, you don't need to know ANYTHING about activism to join this committee. If you have any interest at all in event planning, education, media, and/or outreach, this committee is for you. While doing work that develops transferable skills and is engaging to you, all I hope is that you learn a thing or two about activism and which issues excite you the most!
Project Launch
Committee Leads:
Vishnu Ramachandran, Sophomore majoring in Economics and Data Science
Rui He, Sophomore majoring in Environmental Studies and Business Administration
What is Project Launch? Project Launch is an entrepreneurial fellowship for Hybrid High School sophomores, held at USC. We guide each student through a personalized curriculum with three emphases: Mentorship, Project-based Learning, and Community.
What does Project Launch have to do with Spark’s Mission? Project Launch's core mission is to nurture entrepreneurial mindsets and ventures amongst high school students in LA. We focus on the community of young, budding entrepreneurs and high school students in our neighborhood, and intend to directly foster entrepreneurial perspectives amongst this community through various ways ranging from one-on-one mentoring to design skill workshops.
What will the work look like?
- Outreaching to donors
- Maintaining and supervising PL’s Reddit community
- Marketing: Running PL’s instagram page. Writing Blogs for PL's substack
- Interviewing mentors and mentees for potential revision on curriculum
- Logistics: Planning and executing PL demo day
- Become our mentors and teach the curriculum to high school students!
Joining Project Launch means becoming part of a welcoming and supportive team that places a strong emphasis on community. You'll cultivate a smooth learning experience for high school students in LA through a personalized, project-based learning curriculum, all while receiving care, having fun, and making meaningful connections. Our community fosters a creative environment where students, mentors, and PL members grow together. By the end, you'll be proud to see mentees showcasing their progress and accomplishments during our PL Demo Day.
Spark XM
Committee Leads:
John Breitfelder, Junior majoring in Business Administration
Meiqi Li, Junior Majoring in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation
What is Spark XM? Spark XM is Spark’s very own podcast (go stream on Spotify)! We host people from all walks of life, including founders, artists, and more.
What does Spark XM have to do with Spark’s Mission? Spark XM serves as a hub for mavericks, disruptors, and creators to share stories and find common ground. XM advances Spark's wider mission of encouraging entrepreneurship at and beyond USC by creating content that both entertains and inspires viewers to take the leap and pursue whatever they might be passionate about.
What will the work look like?
- Having full creative freedom to interview people of their choice on the podcast
- Behind-the-scenes work like editing and production
- Social media marketing
- A really fun community with fellowship events
Joining (what we think is) Spark's BEST committee will be a really fun creative experience for anyone. Our goal is to think of XM as if it is its own media company. We hope to interview fascinating people from all walks of life. We will create game-changing content and have a great time doing it!
Startup Career Fair
Committee Lead:
Shloka Ashok, Sophomore majoring in Economics
What is Startup Career Fair? A fully student-organized career fair that brings up & coming startups to USC’s campus for ambitious students to network, discuss career opportunities, and create new ones.
What does Startup Career Fair have to do with Spark’s Mission? SCF serves as a platform for students to kickstart their entrepreneurial journeys in an innovative, fast-paced environment while helping startups connect with driven young talent. In the months leading up to the fair, we will also organize start-up founder panels and workshops.
What will the work look like?
- Scoping and recruiting startups, VCs, fast-growing businesses, and other connections
- Coordinating and communicating with emerging companies
- Designing and launching a multimedia advertising campaign
- Working with USC to raise funding and managing our budget
- Coordinating logistics for the fair and our Speaker sessions
SCF is a committee for people wanting to explore and create lasting connections across the USC and LA entrepreneurial world. The work is fast-paced, rewarding, engaging, and is fundamentally about working with and talking to people. Join this committee if you want to strengthen your network with amazing entrepreneurs at top companies. SCF will develop your problem-solving, networking, and organizational skills, and work with a fun, social group of students. With members from previous semesters being hired by these startups, you could find yourself with a summer internship or a job!
Trojan Marketplace
Committee Leads:
Melis Kolat, Senior majoring in Business Administration
Simran Jadhav, Junior majoring in Business Administration
What is Trojan Marketplace? Trojan Marketplace is a student-run market event featuring exclusively Trojan-owned small businesses. Our goal is to uplift the entrepreneurship ecosystem at USC by empowering student entrepreneurs and by bringing the USC entrepreneurial community together.
What does Trojan Marketplace have to do with Spark’s Mission? We create a safe experimentation zone where entrepreneurs from our own community are able to gain the confidence to proceed with their endeavors. We establish an environment that not only allows fellow entrepreneurs to meet each other/build a sense of community but also for non-entrepreneur Trojans to interact with and support small businesses. Through the combination of professional support, our mixer/social event, and the flea market event, we craft a memorable experience for entrepreneurs which contributes to an enhanced entrepreneurship ecosystem at USC.
What will the work look like?
- Marketing to Trojan entrepreneurs to secure our vendors
- Interacting with various USC institutions regarding sponsorship and the logistics of the event
- Creating social media content that features the perspectives of entrepreneurs
- Organizing a vendor mixer
The work in our committee will be guided by our values. These include always being in-service to the entrepreneurs, being inclusive, open-minded, and practical. We also are going to create a very uplifting environment for our Sparklets, where the work that is assigned will be based on interest and enthusiasm. We believe our positive working environment will rub on our entrepreneurs, making the experience more memorable for them!
VC Academy
Committee Lead:
Diora Juraboeva, Junior majoring in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation
What is VC Academy? VC Academy aims to teach students the ins and outs of early stage investing for angel groups and venture capital. We are partnering with industry professionals to offer an 8 week curriculum and mentorship opportunities for the USC community.
What does VC Academy have to do with Spark’s Mission? This initiative directly aligns with Spark's mission to foster entrepreneurial thought and action across diverse communities. USC currently lacks resources in VC. By introducing a VC education and mentorship program, we aim to empower students from all backgrounds and interests to explore opportunities in startup investment and contribute to the USC and LA entrepreneurial ecosystem.
What will the work look like?
- VC outreach - Identifying and inviting venture capitalists and angel investors to be part of our speaker series
- Event Planning - Organizing guest speaker sessions, networking events, and workshops to engage students and professionals in the venture capital space
- Marketing & Recruitment - Promoting the program to students across campus and recruiting participants for mentorship
Whether you are a founder, a scout, or have never heard of VC before, get ready to learn fast and play hard! You will be able to engage in curated educational content and interactions with industry experts, alongside gaining valuable experience in event planning. By the end of this committee, you will all be ready to scout the next billion dollar startup.
Internal Committees
Bay Trip
Committee Leads:
Aidan Van Dijk, Junior Majoring in Business Administration
Jacqueline Guo, Junior majoring in Computer Science (Games)
What is Bay Trip? On Bay Trip, Spark members visit companies throughout the Bay Area to better understand the current state of tech and entrepreneurship and bring their learnings back to USC! We’ve visited companies of all sizes and industries, from startups and VCs such as Persona, Primer, and YCombinator to large companies like Reddit and Nvidia.
What does Bay Trip have to do with Spark’s Mission? Spark was created by student leaders returning to USC inspired by the culture of innovation they encountered in the Bay Area during summer internships, and Bay Trip is an homage to that history. Every so often, we bring members up to the Bay to give them a better understanding of a core part of our mission: sharing the scrappy entrepreneurial mindset and expanding the spaces it can be applied in. In doing so, we hope to improve upon the initiatives we run for the USC community and beyond.
What will the work look like?
- Company outreach
- Help plan alumni mixer/dinner and fellowship events
- Plan logistics (travel itineraries, organizing car/housing groups, planning food options
- Prep for company visits and giving attending Spark members a briefing on who we are visiting
- During the trip, keep the people in your car/house group on track with itinerary and help facilitate during company visits
While many of our other initiatives are outward facing, Bay Trip is a unique opportunity to craft a multi-day internal trip for Spark members and alumni to connect and grow professionally. Whether it’s reaching out to the companies we want to visit to schedule potential times to waking everyone up during the trip so we can get to said companies on time, you’ll be able to directly see the impact of your work/effort in making the experience that much better and learn a variety of skills (event/logistics planning, outreach/company relations, creating presentations, designing experiences, etc.!)
SparkLabs
Committee Leads:
Kyler Caldwell, Junior majoring in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation
Saborni Kundu, Junior majoring in Computer Science
What is SparkLabs? SparkLabs is an internal curriculum and fellowship experience geared towards new members to build skills and take initiative
What does SparkLabs have to do with Spark’s Mission? SparkLabs is an opportunity for sparklets to foster fellowship and nurture skills an entrepreneur holds. Spark’s mission is to view entrepreneurship in a multifaceted perspective, and Sparklabs will instill such values within Sparklets by teaching this message through deliverables and events!
Sparklets will:
- bond with fellow sparklets!
- learn skills from older spark members relating to both technical and personal development
- coordinate on executing engaging activities and prepare for their respective committees
Although this isn’t something a sparklet chooses to be in but is rather placed in, this allows for you to come together with all your fellow sparklets at once. Being a part of Sparklabs will give you the chance to both get isolated time to have fun with your fellow sparklets but also learn more about how to continue Spark’s core values.
Task Forces
Google Labs x USC Creative Makeathon
Leads:
Cristina Colina, Senior majoring in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation
Shailee Sankhala, Junior majoring in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation
Kyler Caldwell, Junior majoring in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation
What is the Google Labs Makeathon? The Creative Makeathon is a 48-hour event that brings together students from diverse creative disciplines to explore the intersection of AI and the arts, engage in workshops with industry experts, and create various expressive pieces.
10x-Kitchen
Leads:
Alex Wan, Senior majoring in Computer Science/Business Administration
Allie Merchant, Senior majoring in Cinema and Media Studies
What is 10x-Kitchen? 10x Kitchen is an internal task force focusing on improving Spark’s internal operations, pushing innovation and growth within the organization. In aiming to ‘10x’ Spark, we strive to make continual progress on our internal processes.
Spark 10 Year Anniversary Weekend
To end on a celebratory note, Spark will be celebrating its 10th birthday this year! With over 200 alumni across the globe, this weekend get together serves as a chance for members new and old to meet and reconnect. Spark has shaped us, our attitudes, our work, and our relationships in ways ranging from the invisible to the overt. This weekend gives us the perfect opportunity to celebrate that!