THE XX FACTOR For Ashley Van Zeeland , M . B . A . ’ 12 , UCSD ’ s business mentors helped her launch her company , Cypher Genomics , in San Diego .
ASHLEY VAN ZEELAND , M . B . A . ’ 12
CEO OF CYPHER GENOMICS
“ Female founders account for less than 20 percent of high-growth startups , so the mystartupXX mentors were a great sounding board for me in those early days .”
As an undergraduate , Martini was entrenched in the collaborative atmosphere that continues at his company today . In fact , a lasting relationship with lecturer Gary Gillespie of the Jacobs School of Engineering has shaped iboss profoundly , as Gillespie is repeatedly cited as the prime connector for several UC San Diego alumni employees at the company .
“ When we started , we started in San Diego , and as we grow , we grow our bond to this city ,” Martini says . “ We ’ re strategically positioned here , and we ’ re creating a facility not just for iboss and the people who make up iboss today , but also for the people who will make it up in the future , which will include a lot from UC San Diego .”
SETTing uP SHOP
Community partners like the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation ( EDC ) are also working hard to promote the region as an established as well as upand-coming location to successfully headquarter any number of businesses . For Rady School of Management alumna Ashley Van Zeeland , ’ 12 — whose company , Cypher Genomics , is touted as revolutionizing human health through genome interpretation — a big step in expanding her business was the EDC ’ s MetroConnect prize , an award to help companies boost international business while keeping a solid footing in San Diego . As CEO , Van Zeeland finds that footing is crucial to her company ’ s success .
“ This has been the absolutely best place to launch Cypher Genomics , and not just because we developed the initial technology here ,” Van Zeeland says , calling the region the “ epicenter of genomics ” given the proximity to other genome-focused companies like Illumina and Thermo Fisher Scientific , Inc . As with most , Van Zeeland and her team were often asked if they were going to relocate to the Bay Area . But given that their work is based on “ deep scientific understanding ” of biology and genomics , it makes sense for them to remain in San Diego where this sort of scientific innovation occurs every day .
Van Zeeland also acknowledges the power of UC San Diego , particularly with regard to her time at the Rady School and its supportive , driving culture . She refined the idea of Cypher Genomics throughout her M . B . A . experience , in courses like the school ’ s signature Lab to Market courses , a training ground where business ideas are nurtured and directed into real opportunities . Such a practical curriculum has led to over 80 student- and alumni-founded companies coming from the Rady School , and last year alone these companies contributed an estimated $ 2 billion to the regional economy .
26 TRITON | FALL 2015