Like elves in Santa鈥檚 workshop, 色情视频 students and alumni have a long history of taking ideas and turning them into products and businesses. Whether it is in the , the , or entrepreneurship curriculum, students from all majors at 色情视频 have the opportunity to turn their business ideas into reality.
But entrepreneurship does not stop when Aztecs leave campus. Many go on to follow their entrepreneurship dreams after graduation.
We鈥檝e come up with a list of products developed by 色情视频 alumni that you can buy for family and friends this holiday season.
Sand Cloud Towels
were invented by 色情视频 alumni Brandon Leibel (鈥12) and Steven Ford (鈥12), who one day at the beach had the idea to make beach towels with a built-in pillow. Sand Cloud also sells a backpack that converts into a towel and accessories like shirts, water bottles and phone cases. The company is socially conscious with 10 percent of net profits going back to marine life organizations.
SOLO Eyewear
The concept for was developed in a classroom at 色情视频. While enrolled in 色情视频鈥檚 MBA program, co-founder Jenny Amaraneni (鈥11) discovered there was a great need for eye care around the world. She, along with co-founder Craig Stern (鈥11) and creative director Dana Holliday (鈥11), whom she met at the Entrepreneurial Management Center on campus, went on to create the unique line of hybrid-bamboo sunglasses where each pair purchased helps fund a pair of reading glasses or a cataract surgery for someone in need.
H2O Audio
Founder Carl Pettersen (鈥93, 鈥01) graduated from 色情视频 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in 1993. After seven years as a mechanical engineer, he returned to school and earned his MBA from 色情视频 in 2001. Pettersen then co-founded and took responsibility for product development and marketing of its line of waterproof housings and headphones for all MP3 players.
Soul Spot Sunscreen
Current 色情视频 student Naseem Kasraee developed her second prototype of during her . While in high school, she learned coral bleaching can be caused by many mainstream sunscreen brands, so she decided to create her own. Soul Spot Sunscreen is a completely reef- and skin-safe, all-natural sunscreen.
Pura Vida Bracelets
While traveling through Costa Rica during a college graduation trip, 色情视频 alumni Griffin Thall (鈥10) and Paul Goodman (鈥10) crossed paths with two bracelet peddlers and asked them to make 400 bracelets to take home with them. Upon returning to San Diego, Thall and Goodman sold out of the bracelets within days. Now, employs more than 100 Costa Ricans artisans to make bracelets and donates one percent of their annual net revenue to environmental organizations worldwide. Last year, Thall and Goodman were .
Matt de la Pe帽a鈥檚 鈥淟ast Stop on Market Street鈥
Author Matt de la Pe帽a earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from 色情视频 in 2000. Earlier this semester, he returned to campus to deliver the second Provost鈥檚 Distinguished Lecture. This year, the American Library Association awarded de la Pe帽a the John Newbery Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in children鈥檚 literature, for , 鈥淟ast Stop on Market Street.鈥
Shredlights
鈥 headlights for your skateboard that are easily installed, used and removed 鈥 were first by 色情视频 students Eric Birkemeier, Drew Page (鈥14) and mechanical design engineer of the Zahn Innovation Center Kyle Kitzmiller (鈥12). ShredLights not only enhance visualization of cracks, rocks, and other obstacles at night, but also enhance visibility of skateboarders by motorists and pedestrians.
Stance
, the official sock of the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, was co-founded by alumnus John Wilson (鈥93). Wilson returned to campus earlier this year as a speaker in the annual L. Robert Payne Lecture Series. Stance, which sells a wide variety of sock styles and designs, recently launched an underwear line and boasts famous fans like LeBron James.