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Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

  • Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

    Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

    The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies is USC’s hub for entrepreneurship programming, education and thought leadership. Open to students of all majors and at any stage in their entrepreneurial journeys, the Greif Center’s focus is on serving as catalysts for founders and innovators.

    In addition to its WORLD-CLASS COURSES AND DEGREES (see: Marshall Departments for more info), bringing the real world into the classroom in innovative and life-changing ways, the Greif Center provides student, faculty, and staff founders with dynamic pipeline programs to help them take the next step in creating a thriving business. Our core programs include Marshall Catalyst , which provides microgrants of up to $5,000 to support startup activities; the New Venture Seed Competition, which provides founders with mentorship and a total of more than $150,000 in cash prizes; the Blackstone Launchpad, which provides student founders with workspace, networking and mentorship; and the Greif Center Incubator, which supports USC-affiliated startups from traction to growth and investment.

    The Greif Center also provides mentorship and career pipeline programs for the USC community, emphasizing partnership with entrepreneurship initiatives across USC schools and disciplines, as well as with Los Angeles-based business leaders and companies. We believe in dynamic, interactive, transformative, supportive, and collaborative activities that foster creativity, risk-taking, and resilience-building so that our founders can confidently build their dream businesses.


    Alumni have launched hundreds of successful companies including Salesforce, Box, FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s), Hype & Vice, and more. In addition to the many programs it runs outside of the classroom, the Greif Center builds powerful, resonant experiences through its Through teaching and role-modeling ethical innovation, the Greif Center prepares students with the knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial mindset to support their effectiveness as forward-thinking innovators and leaders in an ever-changing global economy.

    The Greif Center is the oldest entrepreneurship program in the United States and the largest entrepreneurship hub on USC’s campus We welcome anyone with an entrepreneurial interest – from the student who has already founded a venture to the student interested in learning more. No prior entrepreneurship experience is required.

PIPELINE PROGRAMS

The Greif Center supports hundreds of student and alumni ventures to grow and scale at every stage of development. Our pipeline programs focus on catalyzing entrepreneurial mindset to take innovative ideas and transform them into thriving companies. No matter the stage of our student, alumni and faculty entrepreneurs’ ventures, we offer comprehensive guidance and support including: grants, financial prizes, venture capital investment, mentorship, networking building, access to legal resources, workspace, and more.

Read more about our pipeline programs below.

  • Three smiling students hold jumbo check

    Blackstone LaunchPad

    The BLP at the Greif Center is a dedicated co-working space for students to work on startup efforts, including early-stage concepts.

    Open to all USC students, the BLP offers students access to advisory resources including the early connections that can help build an idea, motivate a team, and create momentum.

    Learn more about BLP HERE

    To speak with Amiah Shephard, Senior Students Program Advisor, please EMAIL 

  • Marshall Catalyst Micro

    Marshall Catalyst Micro

    Catalyst Micro is a grant program designed to identify and propel entrepreneurially-inclined students throughout USC campus, providing them with progressive microgrant awards to support extra education and off-campus training, conference attendance, and early startup efforts. The goal is to help students gain independent momentum and initial results.

    MORE Marshall Catalyst Micro
  • USC Marshall Greif Incubator

    USC Marshall Greif Incubator

    The Greif Incubator provides high potential startups with office space, mentoring, grant funding opportunities, business/legal support services and more to take founders from feasibility and MVP development to product-market fit, customer acquisition, and investment preparation. This cohort-driven program accepts applications 2-3 times per year.

    MORE USC Marshall Greif Incubator
  • Three students in front of white board

    USC Marshall Venture Fund

    The USC Marshall Venture Fund provides funding for early stage/seed ventures with USC alumni, faculty, or staff as founders, co-founders, or senior management team members. The fund’s primary goals are to educate students on how to evaluate potential investments and advise investment decisions, while engaging alumni, advisors, experts, and other stakeholders to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem at USC and beyond. 

    Please email venturefund@marshall.usc.edu if you are interested in getting involved as an advisor or donor.

  • Experts-In-Residence

    Experts-In-Residence

    Every year, the Greif Center invites accomplished entrepreneurial leaders to provide expert mentorship and perspectives for founders through lectures, office hours, and more.

    Meet our experts HERE

INITIATIVES & SIGNATURE EVENTS

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    ATHENA & Affinity

    The ATHENA Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit is an annual, signature event that brings together female founders, investors, executives and thought leaders around conversations and issues that matter to all entrepreneurs at every stage. The event includes keynote speakers, panels, and vital networking and fundraising opportunities.

    The summit is part of a larger ATHENA Initiative that includes a year-long series of L{a}unch & Learn sessions, plus a Female Founders Pitch Competition.

    More information for Athena 2025 coming soon!

    MORE ATHENA & Affinity
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    New Venture Seed Competition

    The NVSC is the largest entrepreneurship competition on USC campus, offering a prize pool of over $150K along with a six-week series of deep dive, focused training sessions through which advanced competitors develop their business models and businesses.

    The competition is open to any member of the USC community with a great business idea – students, recent graduates (within the past five years), faculty, or staff.

    MORE New Venture Seed Competition
  • Marcia Israel Celebration

    Marcia Israel Celebration

    The Marcia Israel Celebration honors student founders’ academic achievements and startups, recognizing the partners and advisors who have supported them along the way. The Celebration is held at the end of each academic year and includes a seated dinner, a celebratory distribution of graduation sashes for those in our program, and the distribution of student awards.

  • Fireside Chats, Bootcamps, and more

    Fireside Chats, Bootcamps, and more

    In addition to its signature events, the Greif Center maintains a regular calendar of events that includes fireside chats with notable entrepreneurs, panels, workshops, bootcamps, mixers, and more.

    To access our calendar of events for current students visit GREIF CENTER'S INTRANET.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

The Greif Center provides vital funding and mentorship to support student-led programming and activities across USC campus.

  • e-Council

    e-Council

    The “entrepreneurship council” is an assembly of recognized student clubs (RSOs) across USC to share best practices, discuss programming, and ignite collaboration. RSOs can apply to access grant monies to support student-led programming and activities.

  • Spark SC

    Spark SC

    Spark is a student organization working on cultivating an entrepreneurial community at USC & empowering others to turn their ideas into reality. We host events like the Startup Career Fair, 1000 Pitches, Break to Make, Hack Nights, and more!

    MORE Spark SC

CASE STUDIES

Recognized as leaders in their field, Greif faculty regularly publish entrepreneurship-related research in journals across disciplines and present at all major conferences. To date, Greif’s cases have been used in 48 states, 68 countries, and more than 265 institutions worldwide.

Available At:

NEWS + EVENTS

ALL GREIF NEWS + EVENTS

“Entrepreneurs are alchemists. They add value to existence, turning iron into gold – through strength of will, intelligence, and a determination to succeed.”

Lloyd Greif, President & CEO, Grief & Co.

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  • Contact

    Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
    USC Marshall School of Business
    610 Child's Way
    JFF 5th Floor, MC 3365
    Los Angeles, CA 90089-3365

    If you can't find the information you need on these pages, don't hesitate to get in touch by calling us at 213.740.0641 or sending an EMAIL.

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