Meet Sigma Eta Pi
Welcome to the USC chapter of Sigma Eta Pi! We are USC’s premier entrepreneurship society, “maximizing human potential” since 2014. 🚀
Our mission is to transform individuals into entrepreneurs who follow their passion, develop lasting relationships in the startup ecosystem, and create social impact through innovative ventures. After a rigorous recruitment process with hundreds of applicants, those accepted participate in our Founder’s Education accelerator program to grow and develop a startup from ideation to implementation. This semester-long experience culminates in our Demo Day pitch competition in front of a panel of acclaimed investors and entrepreneurs for potential seed funding. 📈
At SEP, we focus on three core aspects of growth for our members: Innovation, Professionalism and Grit. Not only do we foster the technical skills that are essential for successful entrepreneurs, but we also foster the mindset and soft skills that are essential to build rapport and overcome the inevitable roadblocks within one’s entrepreneurial journey. 💸
With the first semester of joining SEP, members will learn how to make first-class pitch decks, network with our extensive alumni, learn from exclusive guest speakers, receive advice from real investors and build lifelong friendships with incredible individuals. By gaining access to our diverse network of members and wealth of startup resources, members are set up to forge their path into entrepreneurship and all other endeavors. 💡
When we are not hustling and building our ventures, we would be lying if we said we didn’t have fun! Throughout each semester, we provide several opportunities for our members to bond and creating fulfilling memories! This includes an celebratory dinner with our new members, official beach days, a formal invite, weekend retreat and banquet celebration at the end of each semester. Because of the friendships we create, we also have lots of spontaneous excursions and gatherings! It’s not uncommon to see SEP members hiking the Hollywood Sign, going on road trips, watching movies or even having lock-in study sessions during exam times. When you have people with a common passion, it is natural for deep friendships to form. While entrepreneurship is certainly the primary focus of our organization, we truly are like a big family! 😎
Our current chapters are complemented by their surrounding startup communities, including Silicon Valley and the emerging Silicon Beach. Members of Sigma Eta Pi come from a wide variety of majors and backgrounds and go on to accomplish incredible endeavors. So far, our members at the college chapters of UCLA, UC Berkeley, and much more have already started over 20 successful ventures in industries ranging from tech to fashion. 🦄
Members from SEP have proven to be ambitious and successful, from alumni Markian Benhamou, a viral social media star, to Michael Broughton, Co-Founder and CEO of Y Combinator-backed Perch. We also have members in the fitness industry, such as Jen Cui with her business Jen Cui Health, where she helps to transform women through holistic coaching. One of our newest members, Ethan Lippman, recently launched MinerALL, a naturally occurring, glacial oceanic clay-complex that provides cost-competitive pest and fungal control while nourishing crops to maximize yield. Many of our alumni have also gone the corporate route and are currently working at companies such as Deloitte, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, Apple and more! 🎉
This is a small introduction to what we do here at Sigma Eta Pi! However, the only way to get the full scope of our amazing organization is to see it for yourself. Stay tuned for our virtual Spring 2021 recruitment. In our future blog posts, you can expect to see what we’re up to as an organization, what our members are doing and any other content related to the incredible world of entrepreneurship! 🚀
