The Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

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The Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s mission is to make innovation and entrepreneurship simple, accessible, and pervasive at Sac State and in the region. As programming only began in 2019, the Carlsen Center is itself a startup. As a result, they are demonstrating the cycle of continuous improvement to their aspiring entrepreneurs.

Like their colleagues on campus, one year ago, the Carlsen Center pivoted to online offerings in order to ensure our programs, resources, and community remain accessible and supportive during the pandemic.

Since joining the Carlsen Center in October 2019, Executive Director Cameron Law has developed a strategic plan to set a clear direction for the Center. Additionally, a host of new programming has been developed in support of the early-stage entrepreneurial journey. The journey encompasses their Discover, Build and Launch programs.

Launched in 2020, they have worked diligently to build and pivot their offerings to better serve their students and community entrepreneurs. This has elevated the role they play in their ecosystem and offered opportunities to expand partnerships on and off-campus. They want to continue to achieve additional collaborations both on campus and in the region, as they are vital to the success of building, launching, and scaling new ventures.

Following is a summary of the Carlsen Center’s work to date.

Their Discover programs created a multitude of on-ramps and entry points into the entrepreneurial journey, thereby making entrepreneurship accessible to all. 

The Discover phase included:
  • 16 Entrepreneurship Speaker Series Events
  • 23 Global Entrepreneurship Week Events
  • 13 Ecosystem Partner Workshops
  • 6 Pitch Competitions
  • 84 Guest Speakers, 58% were people of color
  • 2,379 Attendees and Participants
  • Over 25 startup projects and concepts are in the Discover phase
Their Build programs began in person as the Lean Startup Bootcamp, a two-day crash course on the Lean Canvas and testing business ideas. They quickly pivoted this program online and developed a 5-part series called the Virtual Entrepreneurship Toolkit Series. They also developed a pre-accelerator program called the Mastermind Cohort Program. 

The Build phase included:
  • 24 Workshops
  • 12 Mastermind Content and Forum Sessions
  • 20 Guest Speakers
  • 36 Mentor Hours (over 6 weeks)
  • 6 Student-led Teams Supported
  • 823 Participants
  • Over 25 startup projects/concepts are in the Build phase
For the Launch phase of the entrepreneurial journey, the Carlsen Center partnered with Capital Region SBDC and FourthWave, an accelerator for women in technology. By partnering with these two organizations, the Carlsen Center was able to deepen its portfolio across the region. 

 The Launch phase included:
  • 13 Female Founders
  • 32 Business Mentors and Subject Matter Experts
  • 35 Weekly content attendees
  • 15 Cohort Members
  • 6 Leadership Coached
  • 5 Guest Speakers
  • $2.2+ Million in investment capital raised for the new business ventures since November 2020
  • Over 20 projects/concepts are in the Launch phase
The Carlsen Center is excited to build on the progress made in 2020 and wants to make 2021 the best year yet. They have established the foundation for their programs and have a growing portfolio of students and entrepreneurs throughout the Discover, Build, and Launch phases. As they continue to grow, they want to recognize all of those who have supported their efforts as collaborators, mentors, advisors, donors, and more. 

The Carlsen Center is also seeking opportunitiesies to partner with all of the Colleges. Here are some of the ways they have partnered to date:
  • Fashion Entrepreneurship Guest speakers and Workshop Presentation​
  • Ryan Fuller and COVID-19 Series​
  • Hornet Leadership Program – Guest Speakers, Workshop Presentation, Connecting Projects​
  • Real Estate Course Guest Speakers​
  • Psychology Class – Workshop on Networking and Motivation​
  • CSB/ECS Senior Design – Marketing Support (Weekly Newsletter promotion and individual connections)​
  • Pitch Competitions (4 Colleges participating)​
  • Global Entrepreneurship Week Panel Discussions​
  • Strategic Planning Session for Dept. RPTA​
  • Course Development (DisneyU, Social Innovation Management)​
  • Faculty engaging in programs for their own ventures/ideas​
Here are some of the ways they can further partner with Faculty and Department Staff:
  • Guest speakers ​
  • Projects with nonprofits, small businesses, etc.​
  • Workshop providers​
  • New initiative support​
  • Collaborative speaker series events​
  • Explore your own business concept

From everyone at the Carlsen Center, we want to thank you for your support and look forward to you being a part of the Carlsen Center community.