Ten Years of Student Innovation
For the past ten years, The Basement at UC San Diego has been a thriving hub of innovation, empowering students to turn bold ideas into groundbreaking ventures. As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on a decade of fostering creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurship—helping Tritons launch startups, build networks, and shape the future. From providing mentorship and resources to cultivating a dynamic startup ecosystem, The Basement has been instrumental in guiding the next generation of innovators on their entrepreneurial journeys. Here’s to a decade of impact—and the many more to come!
A Look Back
Check out the following video:
What Basement Team Members Have to Say
"The first $5K we got from The Basement was critical to Occuspace getting off the ground. It made us believe in ourselves that this was an idea worth pursuing. Now Occuspace has raised $14M in VC funding and is on track to employ 50+ people this year. Thank you to The Basement and all of UC San Diego for being a big part in our journey."
-- Nic Halverson, Occuspace (Time at The Basement 2017 - 2018)
"I was a part of the Latinx Leadership Program and the Summer Converge Incubator, where I was able to network, conduct research, and learn how to work as a team. The skills I learned during my time with The Basement are what helped me be a strong and intelligent person today. I am also thankful for Christine Liou and Jacques Chirazi, as I know that even though I am an alumni they are always willing to support me and help me with my career goals."
-- Persephone Rodriguez (Time at The Basement 2020 - 2021)
"We loved the community we had at The Basement — and yes, we were there when it was still in a basement! It was special to have a dedicated space on campus for student entrepreneurs, and it was inspiring to walk in every day and see our peers progress in their ventures (shout out to Monal Parmar at EVT!). Going through the accelerator program gave us the skills to build a startup—how to test assumptions, what a value proposition is—and the experience reinforced our own values as people when it comes to social impact. We are still in touch with mentors from The Basement, who encouraged us as a team of three young women to pursue what we believed in."
-- Niranjanaa J., Ella S., Julie Y., Hapty Hearts (Time at The Basement 2016 - 2018)
"Surabhi and I joined The Basement our junior and senior year at UC San Diego. It was such a fun and exciting time. We had never been exposed to the business or entrepreneurship space prior to this, so The Basement was our launching pad. It provided us with resources and mentorship to transform our idea into a start-up reality."
-- Kristine Khieu (Time at The Basement 2018 - 2020)
Upcoming Events
Founder Fireside – Basement Alumni
April 16 | Room 151, Design & Innovation Building
In celebration of The Basement’s 10 year anniversary, hear from Basement alumni who started as student entrepreneurs and have since pivoted and built thriving careers across diverse industries. Free Basement tote bags provided to the first 10 attendees!
The Basement Demo Day 2025
May 22 | Room 151, Design & Innovation Building
Join us for The Basement’s annual Demo Day, showcasing a fresh lineup of diverse student startups from the Blackstone LaunchPad program and groundbreaking projects from Innovating for X (i4x). This year marks The Basement’s 10th anniversary so we will be celebrating in a big way. Don’t miss out!