Emerson Consequential Scholars Program
A comprehensive deep-dive into the world of entrepreneurship
The Emerson Consequential Scholars program (ECS) gives Stanford PhD and Postdoctoral scholars a comprehensive deep-dive into the world of entrepreneurship, and what it means to embrace the entrepreneurial mindset. Through workshops, team projects, case studies, field experiences, reflection, mentoring, and networking activities, students will build the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to tackle entrepreneurial challenges and incorporate those lessons into their personal and professional development. Applicants will have the opportunity to engage in both a PhD Scholars’ Program and a curated Seminar Series.
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In its inaugural year, ECS will be offered to one 15-student cohort in the 2024-25 academic year. The associated course will convene the fall and the winter quarters, with additional community-building events held prior to the start of the class, and in the spring (e.g., speaker series, offsite retreat). Students will apply in the spring quarter of 2024. A prospective student’s research focus does not need to have obvious or immediate commercial applications to participate.
Year-at-a-Glance
Fall
Through workshops, team projects, case studies, field experiences, reflection, mentoring, and networking activities, students build the knowledge, skills, and attitude to tackle entrepreneurial challenges and discover opportunities to leverage their research backgrounds. To support professional development, ECS complements students’ research experiences with access to entrepreneurial leaders and innovative startups in Silicon Valley. Students are assigned coaches drawn from faculty, venture capital, corporate, and STVP alumni. These leaders will provide feedback, offer a range of perspectives, and serve as access points to Silicon Valley and the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem. Students will also create a presentation of their own research in a venture style deck.
Winter
Successful entrepreneurs come from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. The Emerson Consequential Scholars Seminar Series is here to share their stories. During this seminar, ECS will bring a curated group to campus who embody the entrepreneurial mindset. These will be founders of companies, senior employees, government officials, leaders of nonprofits, and top-tier researchers, all of whom have walked a unique path and derived value from pursuing an entrepreneurial mindset. They will share their stories with PhDs and Postdocs in a seminar format during the Winter quarter. The 2024-2025 ECS Scholars Cohort will have first priority to participate in the seminar series. The series will be open to other PhDs and Postdocs on a first come first served basis.
Teaching Team
Program Information
The Emerson Consequential Scholars (ECS) program recruits students whose research and ambitions demonstrate a motivation to make a positive impact on the world. The program recruits students whose research and ambitions demonstrate a motivation to make a positive impact on the world. ECS provides students with the opportunity to learn the skills and possibilities of technology commercialization, opportunity evaluation, an entrepreneurial mindset and inclusive leadership. Scholars will:
- Develop a network of like-minded individuals from across Stanford’s campus to form relationships that carry forward for a lifetime
- Discover new pathways to translate their research to maximize its impact
- Tap into the entrepreneurial mindset and learn how to incorporate thinking into becoming a better student, leader, friend, employee, or whatever path is chosen next
- Enhance communication via written and oral skill development
- Work with an interdisciplinary cohort to unlock diverse viewpoints and a broader worldview of the complex issues we face today
- Benefit from coaches drawn from faculty, venture capital, corporate, and STVP alumni leaders
towho will provide feedback, offer different perspectives, and serve as access points to Silicon Valley and the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem - Create a presentation of their own research, in a venture style deck
Testimonials
While the Emerson Consequential Scholars program (ECS) is in its inaugural year, STVP has had fellows programs that have served the PhD and PostDoc community over the years. Here is what they had to say about their experiences and why we are excited to offer a new program exclusively dedicated to serving this community of scholars.
Despite growing up in Silicon Valley, I had no clue what all the pieces of the entrepreneurial ecosystem were and how they fit together and didn’t think it was relevant to my research. I not only learned a tremendous amount through the program that could apply to any pursuit, in academia or otherwise, but it introduced me to a world and peer group so intriguing that it set me on an entirely new and unexpected path. Simply put, applying to this program was the most consequential decision of my career.
STVP’s fellow’s program demystified the startup process with guests who are veterans in everything from legal and IP to marketing and fundraising. It also showed a different way to success, where kindness doesn’t have to be at odds with velocity. We formed deep connections as a cohort, and many of us went on to start companies. Those connections have become invaluable. These are the people I have on speed dial whenever I need a sounding board.
The program taught me many aspects of creating and building a company, but the most important thing I took away from the program was the entrepreneurial mindset and applying it to company building and my personal life. Using the mindset has helped me be decisive in my career choices by learning to be more comfortable with ambiguity and being confident in my ability to learn.
One of the most valuable aspects of the fellow’s program for me was the human connection: to connect with like-minded individuals. Unlike an award or a big milestone, the fellowship wasn’t a one-time thing but an ongoing engagement that reinforced innovation/entrepreneurship can mean different things for each of us – it’s not a monolith. Each of us has our own path and journey. The fellowship helped me see innovation not as a single leap, but as a series of small, steady steps. Looking back, it helped me develop valuable habits, and the friendships and connections I formed continue to be incredibly rewarding.
The fellow’s program is the most impactful program I have had the opportunity to be a part of. The skills we learned and practiced are ones I continue to use regularly in my work and personal life. They are applicable to any environment — academia, industry, early-stage startups. From learning to create and be deliberate about team culture, to managing difficult conversations, to understanding fundraising and contracts, it allowed us to be better equipped to recognize, pursue, and deliver on opportunities no matter where they lie.
STVP gave me the tools, frameworks, and network to launch a company from my graduate research. When I entered the Stanford PhD program, I dreamed of leveraging my research to launch a consequential climate company – but had no idea what mattered or how to make it happen. After completing the program, I had a trusted network of advisors and the key first steps to launch Resonant Link with a solid foundation.
The STVP fellows program was one of the most formative experiences I had at Stanford, both in terms of understanding what it means to be an entrepreneur in practice and in providing me with an incredible cohort of similarly minded peers who I am lucky to still count as close friends and supporters today.
Acknowledgements
STVP, the Stanford Engineering Entrepreneurship Center, extends its deep appreciation to Emerson Collective for supporting this program for Stanford students.
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