As the creative space for students to innovate and iterate, The Basement hosts several in-depth programs throughout the year. These programs aim to inspire and guide students as they look to build companies, grow social innovation ventures, or gain practical skills needed in the workforce.
The Basement Blackstone LaunchPad Incubator
UC San Diego students (both undergraduate and graduate) with entrepreneurial or social impact interests are encouraged to apply to the Blackstone LaunchPad incubator program. Participants in the program gain 24/7 access to The Basement co-working space, have access to prototyping funds, are connected to mentors, and receive many other benefits.
i4X
i4X, or Innovating for X, is an OIC-led program series designed to bring multidisciplinary student teams to collaborate on disruptive solutions to real-world challenges across different sectors. Currently, The Basement offers the following tracks: Innovating for Industry (i4I), Innovating for Society (i4S), and Innovating for Government (i4G). Some past partnerships include: City of San Diego, SANDAG, San Diego Zoo, San Diego International Airport, Radical Science, RunBuggy, Cleantech San Diego and JLabs.
Located on the first floor of the Design & Innovation Building, The Basement is the dedicated space for students from all academic disciplines to test innovative ideas and apply theory to real-world experiences. With support from an extensive mentor network, as well as expert guidance from The Basement team, students can build companies and social innovation ventures to create more jobs and go on to inspire a vibrant culture of ingenuity and impact. The Basement, having launched in 2015, is a proud part of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization.