“A year ago, I celebrated my 27th birthday alone in my apartment. I had started the year excited to begin my new journey as a female founder for my beverage startup, DrinkLyte Co. Having just launched the company earlier that year, I had manufactured 6,000 units of inventory that would expire by the end of the year. However, in March 2020, I was loading up my car for Vegas to pitch my product to distributors when the COVID-19 stay-at-home order was put in place. It seemed that my brand-new venture (which relied heavily on the events/hospitality industry) was taken away in an instant. Like many successful startups, I had to pivot and fast.

Today, I am finishing my first year as an Anderson Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) and participating in the exclusive Winter/Spring “Accelerate” cohort at the Anderson Venture Accelerator. As I reflect on how much has changed in the last year, I am finding immense gratitude for the Accelerator community and the opportunity, resources, and support they have provided to help me rebuild my business. The Venture Accelerator launched its formal program in 2018 as part of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and is hitting new strides every day. The extensive resources offered by leveraging the Los Angeles startup and business ecosystem are irreplaceable and perfectly augment the classroom theory with real world practicum to continue to scale my company, even during a global pandemic.

Since we began the program in February, I have gained a number of pro-bono expert advisors, and received important legal and financial advice from esteemed entrepreneurs, lawyers, and investors. These resources have provided access to the knowledge and how-to skills that I need to make sure my company both pivots and scales profitably. The Venture Accelerator team not only put together these resources, but also runs the program. I view them as an essential part of the Anderson experience as they teach me by leveraging their professional backgrounds, provide technical skills, and year-round programming for the founders that keeps us accountable and productive. Beyond the resources offered, the Accelerator management, or advisory team, have deep private sector experience and networks to continue to push DrinkLyte forward.  Most importantly, I have gained a small, yet mighty group of advocates in this team who believe in me, fight for me, and have been there to give me whatever I need to reach my goals. This advisory team creates an immeasurable amount of impact on every founder to successfully launch us into the LA startup ecosystem. To date, they are running at an 85% success rate post-graduation, an unusually high success rate for an early-stage program. I have no doubt it is due to the hands on, 24/7 program support offered by the management team.

UCLA is operating digitally due to the continued COVID-19 guidance, and even though I have never met the team in-person, I feel like I know them personally through our numerous Zoom calls throughout the program. This team has created a ‘best in class’ program that is competitive with any other University or for-profit accelerator in Los Angeles. Their dedication to me has impacted me, my team, and my business in the best way possible. I have encouraged other students to apply, knowing they will be wholeheartedly supported by these incredible people. It is clear that the Venture Accelerator is a tool that can help elevate the UCLA Anderson brand to prospective and current students, and be even more competitive with other top MBA programs. 

This year was a challenge for everyone, and I am confident that those challenges will be used as valuable lessons for future cohort members to make the program even stronger. Last year, I started my DrinkLyte endeavor alone without knowing how things would turn out. Although I still do not know what the future holds, I do know that I am no longer on this arduous journey alone and that the support of the Venture Accelerator team will continue beyond the program. Thank you, UCLA Anderson, for equipping me with the tools to succeed and the opportunity to better myself. I have no doubt that attending UCLA Anderson is one of the best investments I have made. – Tori Brodsky ’23, June 2021

To hear more about Tori’s experience, enjoy this “Voice of FEMBA” perspective from her directly.