Bridges to Business (B2B) is a leadership and skill development program that helps students connect their Soka Education to meaningful business, entrepreneurship, and value-creation opportunities through multiple campus initiatives. For information or application email b2b@soka.edu.

Watch this video to learn more about Bridges to Business

Programs & Events

Students are dressed formally and attending an etiquette workshop. They lift their glasses for a toast.

Formal Dining & Etiquette Training

Who hasn’t experienced fear, awkwardness, or confusion about proper etiquette during business networking and dining events? In this popular experiential workshop, participants enjoy a formal reception and five-course meal, with guidance from a seasoned etiquette expert, who teaches them to how to dine like a diplomat.

B2B leadership group photo

B2B Leadership Circle

A select group of B2B passport holders commit to meet together over the Spring semester for leadership coaching and mentorship in a team building format. Monthly programs include workshops and guest speakers on topics such as ethics, personal branding, networking, design thinking, finance, social impact, and digital/tech literacy. Members have priority access to the Spring Break Business Bootcamp. Request application at b2b@soka.edu.

Spring Break Business Bootcamp members sit around a conference table in a boardroom

Spring Break Business Bootcamp

Participants spend Spring Break networking, meeting entrepreneurs, and visiting innovative companies to expand their skills, awareness and contacts in the business community. Locations and meet-ups are selected based on the interests and ambitions of the group.

Social Impact & Business Plan Competitions

Members of an Impactathon team sit at a table and brainstorm an idea

Impactathon

Business Pitch Competition

B2B hosts Impactathon® by Innova8social, a fast-paced, social impact business pitch event open to students and alumni interested in creating market-based, impact-driven solutions that align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Impactathon serves as a strong foundation for the other competition opportunities offered through B2B.

Mary Patrick Kavanaugh and the B2B program at the UCI New Venture Competition

UCI New Venture Competition

Through a unique partnership with the University of California Irvine’s Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Soka students and alumni may attend 10-high level business workshops and participate in UCI’s New Venture Competition, where teams can win up to $20,000 in start-up funding. 

Compilation photo with the words Ideate, Develop, and Pitch promoting the Global Social Innovation Challenge

Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge

B2B supports teams to pitch at the Fowler GSIC, an international competition where students respond to an environmental or social challenge addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. From inspiration to practical application, teams meet and network with changemakers from around the world, and gain tools, mentorship, and up to $60,000+ in seed funding.

Resources

Academic Affairs Partnerships

Photo of students in Hong Kong for Learning Cluster class

Learning Cluster Support

B2B supports faculty in connecting Learning Clusters to experiential learning opportunities to meet leaders and visit organizations that operate in the social impact, entrepreneurship, and business sector.

Photo of panel speaking at the SEED Symposium

Conference Partnerships

Collaboration with faculty and students to produce conferences that highlight social enterprise, economic development, career, and business opportunities with a focus on positive social impact and the triple bottom-line: people, profit, and planet.

Contact Us

Director of Special Projects
Bridges to Business (B2B)
Critical Conversations @Soka
Headshot of Mary Patrick Kavanaugh