Name: Customer Discovery
Start: 2025-01-22T16:00:00-08:00
End: 2025-01-22T17:30:00-08:00
Location: UC San Diego - The Basement (Design & Innovation Building, 1st Floor)

Discover why mastering customer discovery is essential to your success and gain the skills to excel at it.
About this Event

Series Description:

Whether you are a student startup with a brand new idea, a small business owner with a side project, or a seasoned business mogul, the Entrepreneur Workshops focus on a variety of topics pertinent to your journey. Sponsored by Perkins and Coie and hosted by the Office of Innovation and Commercialization’s The Basement, these workshops are open to everyone. We invite you to register for as many sessions as you are interested in! Light refreshments will be provided.

Event Description:

You have a great idea, but what problem are you solving and who exactly needs it? Understanding your customers' most acute pains and aspirations is the key to turning your idea into a success.

Join us for an engaging workshop on Customer Discovery, where you'll learn how to uncover the insights that matter most. Through interactive exercises, you'll practice customer interviewing techniques and receive personalized feedback and coaching in a supportive environment.

Discover why mastering customer discovery is essential to your success and gain the skills to excel at it. Whether you're an entrepreneur, innovator, or curious professional, this workshop will empower you to better understand your audience and refine your vision.

About the Speaker:

Rachel Costello | Director, Innovating for National Security Program, Naval Innovation, Science, Engineering Center (NISEC) |

Rachel leads Innovating for National Security (i4NS) at University of California, San Diego. I4NS is a for-credit Academic Internship Program powered by Hacking for Defense Course that connects multidisciplinary students and National Security agencies to develop innovative solutions to the nation’s emerging problems.

A seasoned Silicon Valley veteran with a deep understanding and experience in technology, defense and academia, Rachel advises early-stage founders and CEOs to build sustainable and scalable businesses by leveraging 30+ years of organizational leadership and operations expertise.

Previously, Rachel led large-scale projects worldwide at Tesla, Inc., including the company’s first Gigafactory and dual-launch of a $1.2B state compliance program and $37.5M workforce development initiative.

Her 30-year Navy career included Principal Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations and Command Master Chief of a Forward Deployed Naval Forces destroyer. Advisor to UC San Diego’s National Security Entrepreneur in Residence Program and mentor to campus innovation programs, Rachel remains a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship and veteran/military spouse-focused business programs.

Directions to The Basement

This event is located on the first floor of the . The entrances are located across from the or next to the bus and trolley stop.

------------------------

MTS Trolley

The easiest way to get to the DIB is by taking the MTS trolley UC San Diego Blue Line and getting off at the UC San Diego Central Campus stop. The trolley stop is a short 1 minute walk to the DIB.

Parking

Public transportation is highly recommended as parking is limited on campus. If you plan to drive to campus, please give yourself plenty of time. You can download the ParkMobile app to pay for your space digitally once you find a spot.