UMass Boston

The Venture Development Center

The Venture Development Center (VDC) at UMass Boston launched in 2009 as a hub for entrepreneurial activities on campus. It continues to be a thriving resource for early-stage start-ups as well as for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Executive Director Shubhro Sen and Manager of Operations and Outreach Maria Vasilevsky oversee operations and arrange the VDC’s robust array of services and programming. “Our vibrant VDC community consists of innovators at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey. We offer support as they work towards building commercially viable products and companies,” Sen said. Sen and Vasilevsky shared five facts about the VDC and its unique role in UMass Boston’s research and innovation ecosystem.

• Early-stage innovators—even if they are not already affiliated with UMass Boston—can rent the VDC’s affordable office, wet lab, and tech lab spaces. The 24/7 co-working facility is modern, full of light, includes ample event space, and comes with stunning views of Boston Harbor.
• While the wet lab spaces attract scientific ventures, the VDC is industry-agnostic. “We are open to all innovative and scalable ideas that offer real value to our campus and region,” explained Sen. “Though we are seeing more artificial intelligence/machine learning and life sciences companies recently, we feature companies in blue tech, chip design, quantum computing, robotics, wearables, and photonics. The entrepreneurs we work with at the VDC are transforming ideas and cutting-edge translational research into breakthrough innovations and commercially viable businesses.”
• The VDC hosts the oldest and largest Global Entrepreneur in Residence (GEIR) program in the country. The program welcomes founders of new global ventures as collaborators at UMass Boston, where they can leverage faculty expertise and the research core facilities for product development. GEIRs are also eligible to receive H-1B and J-1 visas for three to five years.
• The VDC-based Rising Entrepreneurs Association is a student-run organization for aspiring undergraduate entrepreneurs. In addition to their own student-led events, participants take advantage of the VDC’s educational programming and are eligible for mentoring and one-on-one support from the VDC staff.
• Most VDC events are open to the entire university community. Essential information and inspiration abound through showcases of the GEIR ventures, expert-led panels on critical topics for entrepreneurial success, hackathons, student project showcases, prototyping workshops at the MakerSpace, and celebrations of key university and industry milestones.

Join the VDC for an upcoming event! Learn more at vdc.umb.edu.