CSUSM Social Enterprise Incubator

Organization Description

The Innovation Hub was founded in March 2020 by President Ellen Neufeldt, less than one year into her tenure as president. President Neufeldt’s commitment to encouraging social mobility and innovation was the catalyst for the Innovation Hub. As the nexus for innovation in the community, the Innovation Hub serves the Innovation Ecosystem at CSUSM, a diversely intuitive group of programs that further the missions of the university and community to solve complex social problems alongside faculty and industry leaders. The Innovation Hub, in addition to being a nexus for social innovation and the innovation ecosystem, provides a wide array of opportunities for the community. Students can participate in workshops, attend guest speaker series' and participate in research to solve real-world problems. The Innovation Hub is also equipped with professional prototyping equipment, such as numerous 3D printing devices.

Program Information

The Social Enterprise Program Pilot is part of CSUSM’s Innovation Hub and aims to help social founders to launch and grow their social enterprises. The program assists four social enterprises:

Amalfi Swimwear (zero waster swimwear https://amalfiswiim.com/, https://www.instagram.com/amalfiswiim/),
Craft-your-Bra (customizable bras for everyone including breast cancer survivors https://craftyourbra.com/, https://www.instagram.com/craftyourbra/),

Deep Belly Music (an independent music label and event company helping other artists to succeed, https://deepbelly.bandzoogle.com/home, https://www.instagram.com/deepbellymusic)
Sensory Crew (a subscription box with toys for children in the spectrum)

The program goal is also to disseminate and train students on social enterprises as well as provide professional experience for students in their specialized areas. Throughout the 'incubation' process, interns will help founders of startups with their operations to start and/or grow their business. For more details on this program, contact Professor Paola Ometto at pometto@csusm.edu.