USC Iovine and Young Academy

Celebrating our incredible class of 2026!!!! 🥹🎉❤️🎓

We were proud to see Academy co-founder take the stage alongside .president Beong-Soo Kim at this year’s World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C. Oh – and word on the street is that fellow co-founder may have made a surprise appearance… 👀
 
Moderated by CEO , President Kim and Jimmy’s conversation focused on a defining principle of the Academy: collaborative innovation. Since our founding over a decade ago, we’ve understood that siloed learning isn’t just outdated—it’s a barrier to how today’s students need to think and work.
 
The future won’t belong to a single discipline. It will favor those who can move between ideas, translate across industries, and understand perspectives beyond their own. 
 
We were the first to do it, and we’re ready for what’s next. Are you?

That’s a wrap on our 2026 Venture Showcase!

We were blown away by the caliber of these student-led ventures. It was no easy feat for our judges whose deliberation went overtime to hone in on winners. And although we couldn’t make every group a winner, these students definitely came out on top. Huge thank you to our judges, to our industry partners who filled the room, to the USC Office of Research & Innovation who underwrote the GenAI prizes, and to our students who showcased true innovation, right here at the Academy.

To see the 2026 list of participating companies, head to the link in bio!

We’re thrilled that we were able to host fellow Trojan, John Terzian ‘02, last night at the Ginsburg Auditorium for another conversation in the Company Creation Series. The conversation between Academy Alumni Ben Taft (Cohort 1) and John proved to be an insightful, off-the-cuff discussion about John’s journey from football to friendships to becoming one of the biggest players in hospitality in Los Angeles.

What a special night! Academy alumni Ben Taft and Matt Stern from Cohort 1 hosted our very own Jimmy Iovine on stage at Bovard Auditorium for a fireside chat.

Academy students can look forward to more iconic company builders who've shaped entire industries with this Company Creation Series. This new speaker series is launched by Genius Ventures, a company founded by Ben Taft. We can't wait for the next one!

Iovine and Young Academy student team placed first at the Origin Weekend: IMPACT launch sprint.

Read more about their win: https://iovine-young.usc.edu/the-pulse/maseeh-center-win-2026

Preparing students for an AI-enabled workplace is top priority at USC Iovine and Young Academy, and its new B.S. in Human Technology Interaction (HTI) is the latest evolution of that mission. Interim Dean Josh Kun sat down with Inc. Magazine to share what students can expect from the pioneering program, including the full-stack technical training, liberal arts education, and entrepreneurship skills students will receive: https://www.inc.com/ava-levinson/usc-human-technology-interaction-degree-program/91286362

With a curriculum spanning courses across five USC undergraduate schools, the HTI gives students the essential computing skills, applied product thinking, and human-centered design knowledge they need to succeed in today’s unpredictable workforce.

Industry partners – including leaders at tech firms, entrepreneurs, and founders – will collaborate with students through the vast majority of courses, preparing graduates for entrepreneurship, roles in product and software engineering, full-stack and hardware development, and more.

Applications close TOMORROW, January 10.

🔗 Read more about the program here: https://bit.ly/USC-HTI-news

🔗 Submit your application today: https://bit.ly/IYA-HTI-apply

This Giving Tuesday, you can help support USC Iovine and Young Academy students by making a gift to the Academy’s Student Opportunity Fund. Your gift helps remove financial barriers so that Academy students can attend conferences, access materials, explore seed funding, or pursue other unexpected opportunities they might not have had the chance to participate in.⁠
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Give a gift today ✌️: https://bit.ly/IYAopportunity