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International Women’s Day: Q&A With Nikki Lin
By Nicole Wilkins
Nikki Lin is CNSI’s Director of Entrepreneurship & Commercialization where she manages the Magnify Incubator.
With over 20 years of experience in research facilitation for innovation within higher education, Nikki coordinates CNSI’s entrepreneurship activities and integrates partnerships to foster innovation and startup development within the Magnify ecosystem.
For Women’s History Month this March we sat down with Nikki to learn more about her extensive background and role in overseeing Magnify’s operations and business development.
Q: Tell us about yourself and what brought you to CNSI at UCLA
A: I joined CNSI at UCLA in the very early days of the Institute when our facility was still being constructed and was a bit of a mystery. There were certainly entrepreneurs at UCLA back then, but a dedicated resource had not been seen before. There was this huge pit in the middle of campus as half of the building was to be subterranean, and reportedly it would be an amazing place. At the time, I worked at UCLA’s Department of Bioengineering where entrepreneurship was part of the daily conversation. My boss at the time was an amazing scientist and had managed to invent an invisibility cloak (yes, really) and I saw many other things in the labs that were incredible in terms of healthcare advances. I met the team at CNSI and understood that the goal was a combination of social impact and innovation and I just knew I had to try to be a part of it.
Q: How did you get interested in incubators and startup companies in particular?
A: My interest really begins with the founders. The majority of university incubator startup companies are led by recent graduates who are traversing ideas out of the academic lab and making them tangible. If my goal is to have a positive impact on healthcare and the environment (because of course, we can’t just have one goal) then I should invest my time in supporting the young people dedicated to finding those solutions in order to achieve the quickest ROI. Working with incubators, supporting our ecosystem for innovation, and the student founder community allows me to do that.
Then you have the more experienced founders that might have a second, third or further company. That co-mingling of young and experienced founders creates an amazing environment to work in. Exciting things happen quickly in those types of spaces. You can’t really pay for that kind of experience.
Q: What have you learned from your experiences at Magnify so far?
A: In the last five years I’ve had the opportunity to support several Magnify companies and what I’ve learned is that scientific founders, and founders in general, are extremely dedicated to helping others. Yes, there is an obvious and necessary aspect of capital gain but for the Magnify companies I’ve worked with there’s a deep passion for helping their fellow humans. Whether it be through developing therapeutics for rare childhood diseases or bringing consumable water to under-resourced parts of the world, the risk our founders take by pursuing a career in startup and working tirelessly is a labor of love. Economic gain is somewhat of a secondary priority, but due to their passion and commitment they can achieve their goals and create great abundance. It’s quite a beautiful evolution to watch, as there are ancillary gains such as the lessons learned and then shared, and the influence on the surrounding community of students watching nearby. I think this is why the founders with the largest exits usually end up trying to come back into the lab with either a new company, or by supporting the next, new founder.
Q: What advice (or words of encouragement) would you give women interested in a career in entrepreneurship or pursuing their own startup company?
A: My advice to aspiring female founders is to absolutely take the chance if you have an idea that you love. If you can’t stop thinking about it, if you know your concept works from front to back, and if others are excited when you share this idea then you’re probably onto something big. Women and people of certain backgrounds are influenced at an early age to be risk averse. Whether it’s because of gender, race, or other definitions of being some of us think we have to play it safe and obviously there are reasons for that. But sometimes the more you stand out, the more social capital and support you can actually gain without knowing it. Just start talking about it, actively seek mentors who will give you real feedback, and get yourself out there and see what happens.
Q: Is there a woman who has personally inspired you the most or significantly impacted your life, and why?
A: My mother is my inspiration. From a young age I’ve seen her evolve and reinvent herself as well as her career. She was an entrepreneur as well; she played it safe in her early career and then founded her own company and I watched her blossom right in front of my eyes. In many ways that left a big impact on me. She’s fiercely independent and in many ways too much. As in too charming, too inappropriate, too funny, too smart, and far too opinionated – which ends up being just right and always working out for her. She has even encouraged me to misbehave a little more to get more out of life (don’t tell anyone). My mother does not believe in going with the grain but rather relying on your heart and your head to get through life’s biggest challenges, no matter who is comfortable with that or not. I think she’s amazing.
Q: Which female leaders do you admire most today, and what qualities do you appreciate about them?
A: I find my deepest admiration goes to the young women (and in general, young people) that I get to support and resource. The ones who are taking the risks in order to help others. The ones who can imagine the impossible and achieve it. Those are my heroes. The contributions I can make through my work are truly dedicated to them.