Announcing: Donut Labs

The mission of Donut Labs is to help Caltech alumni start great companies.

Not enough Caltech undergrads are becoming founders.  There are a mix of causes contributing to this, but also a misunderstanding of the risks and steps involved.  Maybe not everybody would make a great founder and some will do so after getting a PhD, but I believe dramatically more should consider it either right out of Caltech or shortly after.[1]

First, I want to provide mentorship, community, and a network of founders to undergrads considering starting companies.  I will also be spending time reaching out to undergrads, talking to them in groups, and one-on-one, to encourage them to consider the possibility.  Some of these projects projects may also receive a very modest amount of non-dilutive funding to work with.  There's no equity involved or repayment involved with this funding.  The goal is primarily to help future founders learn about customer discovery and also to dispel some of the myths around "who" can start something and "when" they will be ready.

If you’re a Caltech student and you want to:

• Learn about startups as an a career path

• Learn about the differences between startups and big companies

• Meet people working on interesting problems

• Learn about Donut Labs fellowship

• Are just curious

You should:
Sign up to find out more about Donut Labs.

[1] Personally, I had no idea what that would've meant for me when I graduated in 2006 and it seems to be a shared sentiment among a healthy majority, but not all, of the alumni I've talked to.