NASA Cal Poly Pomona Business Startup Program, also known as “NASA CPP BSP,” embodies the Cal Poly slogan of “Learn by Doing.” This program, led by professor Dr. Erkan Ozkaya, is a place where ambitious and goal-driven student entrepreneurs come together to build new technologies that work to solve real-world problems and improve everyday lives. Students, coming from different fields of study, are able to work as a team to create innovative products using NASA’s cutting-edge technologies. The NASA technology commercialization program gives students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn outside of the classroom in a fast-paced startup environment.
NASA CPP Business Startup Program has led to the success of active student participants because not only are they able to gain insight about how technology commercialization functions but also they are able to gain hands-on work experience, learn outside of the classroom, and gain insight on how to collaborate as a team in an innovative startup environment. Due to the fast-pace hands-on learning environment, past and current participants have been able to successfully receive offers from the following companies: NASA, Aerospace Corp., DHL, Southern California Edison, Walt Disney Corporation, PepsiCo, Enterprise, Advanced Sterilization Products, Kaiser Permanente, Universal Music Group, Citi National Bank, and Extron Electronics.
Within the past few years of the establishment of this program, the products created by NASA CPP Business Startup Program have received the following awards: first place in the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Startup Challenge, third place in the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Startup Challenge, first place in the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Arena, VentureWell Grant winner, Federal Labs Outstanding Partnership Award and finalist for the President’s Fellowship Award.