Mintz Awards Allow Students to Grow and Invest in Their Ventures

SAN DIEGO – Mintz is a proud sponsor of San Diego State University's (SDSU) Zahn Innovation Platform (ZIP) Launchpad's annual entrepreneur awards. The Mintz Awards, named after the firm, are bestowed upon the top-performing teams at ZIP Launchpad each semester, enabling them to invest more meaningfully into their startups. ZIP is an on-campus incubator that supports SDSU students, staff, and faculty from all majors and departments in launching start-up companies.

Notably, Mintz Member Andrew Skale actively contributes as a member of the Advisory Board for SDSU's ZIP Launchpad. With his invaluable expertise, he ensures that aspiring entrepreneurs are equipped with the necessary support and resources to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

“For nearly a decade, the ZIP Launchpad has relied on Mintz as our primary legal partner,” said Cathy Pucher, Executive Director of the ZIP Launchpad. “They have supported our work in a number of ways, including sponsoring a seat on our Advisory Board and providing essential pro-bono legal guidance to our teams. Mintz's legal guidance has been a critical building block to our program.” 

She continued, “Mintz has continued to support the ZIP Launchpad by naming our Cafe and most recently creating the Mintz Awards. We greatly appreciate Mintz for the impact they continue to make on the ZIP Launchpad, our students, and our teams!”

Through thought leadership published by MintzEdge and elsewhere, and the expertise of West Coast practitioners in the firm’s Venture Capital & Emerging Companies Practice, Mintz maintains strong ties with the San Diego start-up and entrepreneurial community and is helping foster the next generation of start-ups and emerging growth entrepreneurs.

In addition to Mr. Skale, several attorneys from Mintz’s San Diego office actively contribute to the region's leading universities and research institutions by serving on boards and holding advisory roles. For instance, Jeremy Glaser, a Member and Co-chair of the firm's Venture Capital & Emerging Companies Practice, has been appointed as a board member of The Basement at the University of California San Diego. The Basement is a campus-wide innovation and entrepreneurial hub that provides support to all students, irrespective of their department affiliation.

Furthermore, Kenneth Jenkins, Ph.D., another esteemed Member, has been appointed to the Dean's Leadership Council of the globally renowned Division of Biological Sciences at the University of California San Diego.

Additionally, Member Sebastian Lucier plays a crucial role as a supervising attorney for the Entrepreneurship Clinic at the University of San Diego. In this capacity, he offers guidance to high-tech startups and other emerging growth companies while also mentoring and training students in the essential legal services required by entrepreneurs.

For more information about Mintz, please visit www.mintz.com.