LavaLab
Meet your cofounders.
USC’s premier, student-run, product incubator.
Join LavaLab's F25 Cohort, Apply Now
Meet your cofounders.
USC’s premier, student-run, product incubator.
Every semester, LavaLab takes a cohort of 28 students composed of product managers, developers, and designers to build tomorrow’s startups, today.
At LavaLab, we don’t build “projects”—we build ambitious startups for a brighter future, create innovative technology that solves real problems, and invest in forward-thinking people who dare to bet on themselves.
We walk all our cohorts through a curriculum built on the foundation of YC and Thiel’s Zero to One ideology—augmented by decades of earned experience passed down by USC’s most successful builders and founders.
Make patterns with
the tiles!
LavaLab is a community of 500+ ambitious entrepreneurs, relentless builders, and fearless change-makers driven by a shared passion for innovation and impact.
Fueled by lifelong connection, you’ll find a culture that pushes you to grow, challenge the status quo, and become the boldest version of yourself.
If any of this resonates with you, we welcome you to the LavaLab community.
Cole Gawin
President, Cohort S'24
Xinyue Ma
Vice President, Cohort S'23
Bryan Phillips
Director of Recruitment, Cohort F'23
Mohamed Ahmed
Director of Curriculum, Cohort F'24
Atticus Kim
Director of PM, Cohort F'24
Allison Huang
Director of Design, Cohort S'23
Ethan Palosh
Director of Development, Cohort S'25
Amrita Arun
Director of External Community, Cohort F'24
Naysa Bhargava
Co-Director of Internal Community, Cohort F'24
Arin Jain
Co-Director of Internal Community, Cohort S'25
Bodie Currier
Director of Publicity, Cohort F'24
Sarah Kwang
Director of Marketing, Cohort F'24
Sonya Alexis
Director of Industry Relations, Cohort S'25
