Author Archives: Kaitlin Aquino

Landon Williams, a fourth-year aerospace engineering student at UC Irvine (UCI), couldn’t have started his own company, Quinta, without the help of three things: the UCI Beall Applied Innovation Student Startup Fund, guidance from a colleague, and some tough love from a former supervisor. Last summer, Williams realized his limited experience wasn’t going to land himContinue reading “Student Startup Fund Recipient Landon Williams Doesn’t Go After Low-Hanging Fruit”

For many, it’s hard to imagine how the seemingly separate spheres of the humanities and entrepreneurship could collide. But for UC Irvine (UCI) Visual Studies doctoral student Ella Turenne, the connection between these two unlikely fields is obvious. As the Humanities and Entrepreneurship Dialogue Intern for the Wayfinder program at UCI Beall Applied Innovation, Turenne spent theContinue reading “Wayfinder Program Intern Ella Turenne Connects the Humanities to Entrepreneurship”

Billie Eilish is finally back to being the badass many of us first knew her to be. Months after the release of “my future” — her synthy, soulful, dreamy indie ballad — the five-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter dropped her newest single,  “Therefore I Am” last Thursday morning. The new standalone single is a welcome but familiarContinue reading “Billie the Badass is Back: A Student Review of “Therefore I Am””

CEO of UCI startup Waterborne Skateboards thanks the Wayfinder program for its success. Like many young, first-time entrepreneurs, UC Irvine (UCI) alum Patrick Dumas did not expect his company, Waterborne Skateboards, to become the internationally recognized brand it is today. “In the beginning, I made a financial projection and … it was something stupid – aContinue reading “UCI Startup Waterborne Skateboards: Where Are They Now”

OC Talk Radio founder draws on his radio and public relations past to help tell local business leaders’ stories. In spite of the increasingly fast-paced nature of today’s media, the art of long-form storytelling still thrives in the form of books, movies, TV and, more recently, podcasts. Paul Roberts, founder and station manager of OC TalkContinue reading “Paul Roberts Amplifies the Voices of Orange County’s Business Ecosystem”

Editor’s Note: This review contains spoilers for Netflix Original “American Murder: The Family Next Door.” Jenny Popplewell’s recently released true-crime Netflix original, “American Murder: The Family Next Door,” is a unique and ambitious undertaking that recounts the gruesome murders of Shanann Watts, daughters Bella and Cece, and unborn son Nico by husband and father ChrisContinue reading “‘American Murder: The Family Next Door’ Challenges Chris Watts’s Defenders”

United Auto Workers (UAW) 2865, the union representing tutors, readers, graduate student instructors and teaching assistants at the University of California, filed a grievance to UCI in May concerning the school’s Summer Session teaching assistants receiving half-pay. UCI Comparative Literature Ph.D. candidate Ashley Call was one of many teaching assistants (TAs) that earned a littleContinue reading “UCI Summer Session Teaching Assistants File Union Grievance for Receiving Half-Pay”

Wayfinder startup AG Tools recently added a third award to its winning streak, receiving Innovator of the Year at the 6th annual Orange County Business Journal Innovator Awards. Out of 52 nominees, Martha Montoya, AG Tools CEO and founder, emerged as one of the five winners recognized for creating game-changing products and services and championing innovation. AGContinue reading “AG Tools Receives Orange County Business Journal’s Innovator of the Year Award”

When crises like COVID-19 create problems, companies – be they established businesses or emerging startups – must find innovative solutions. To the 19 speakers and panelists of the Executive Next Practices (ENP) Institute recent virtual summit, “Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship: Two Sides of the Innovation Coin,” innovation never stops – even during a pandemic. “Although these are difficultContinue reading “Executive Next Practices’ Virtual Summit Talks Innovation in a Time of Crisis”

For Jerry Kornblau, what started as a research project for a class at UC Berkeley eventually became a decades-long career as a market researcher and strategist spanning 30 industries. During his career, Kornblau has advised a variety of businesses, from larger corporations like Epson America and Procter & Gamble to smaller companies like Lantronix. AsContinue reading “Q&A: Innovation Advisor Jerry Kornblau Shares Market Research Tips for Startups”