Ashley Trejos, senior management major, was first hired at the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation as a junior ambassador before it officially opened in 2021.
“They hired me, I loved it, and it was totally amazing,” Trejos said. “It’s so amazing seeing entrepreneurs grow.”
On Oct. 12, Trejos gave Mako Media Network a tour of the Levan Center, which opened in April 2022.
At the Levan Center, entrepreneurs can pitch and develop their businesses, hold meetings, utilize artificial intelligence technology
PHOTO BY BRIELLE AGUAYO Pepper, a robot in the Levan Center, performs a dance. and more.
Trejos remembers Aurelia Edwards, an entrepreneur who used the Levan Center to create Nailstry, an app that scans people’s fingernails to find the perfect fitting press on nails.
“You are able to choose from different artists, and then they will create your nails from scratch and send it to you,” Trejos said. “I admire her so much.”
Located on the fifth floor of the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center, students have free access to multiple events, workshops and seminars hosted there.
Jaap Donath, assistant executive director for programs at the Levan Center, talked about the upcoming South Florida Innovation Day on Nov. 15.
“Innovation Day is a full day of panels, keynotes, networking, exhibitions. We have a pitch session,” Donath said. “The theme is healthcare, emerging technology and entrepreneurship.”
A past event was South Florida Space Day, in which NASA donated a tire to the center that was shot into space.
“We use it as a way to showcase the importance of space as an opportunity for entrepreneurship,” Donath said.
Students are welcome to attend events hosted in the Levan Center, but must be either a member or in one of the programs to use its facilities.
PHOTO BY BRIELLE AGUAYO Danna Bertel, feature writer for The Current, and Pablo Carrillo, reporter for Mako TV, test out virtual reality headsets at the Levan Center.
Students can complete the application process for the $99/month student membership, which is discounted from the standard $300/month membership.
“Once they are a member, they will have the same benefits as other members, which means they will have the opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs,” Donath said.
Another way students can use the facilities is by becoming part of a free program. Depending on where they are in their business startup, they can apply for the Ideate, Incubate, Accelerate or Post-Accelerate programs.
“The next round of applications will probably open in the next couple weeks,” Donath said.
Trejos showed several spaces that members can use. One that stood out is the Volumetric Capture Studio, where people can create 3D digital twins of themselves. It is a fully immersive space with augmented environments, perfect for imagining yourself anywhere in the world.
The Levan Center has the Media Production Studio, a room where members can film videos, podcasts and more, with a worker in a control room to assist. Members can export whatever they create, and the Levan Center cannot replicate it, meaning their content is secure. It is available to anyone in the NSU community, not just members of the Levan Center, for $70 an hour.
“We have green screen and blue screen capabilities,” Trejos said. “All information will not leave here.”
Trejos presented the Tech Maker Space, a room with different types of technological devices, ranging from virtual reality headsets to drones and 3D printers, which we were allowed to use.
Mako Media staff were happy to see Pepper, a robot in the center who performed a dance for them. Also in the Tech Maker Space is the developing AI Digital Cities Lab, which will allow entrepreneurs to develop an entire city. Both the Volumetric Capture Studio and AI Digital Cities Lab should be open within the next several weeks.
“We’re really trying to get the Innovation Center to be the hub for everything technology here in Fort Lauderdale,” Trejos said.
Afterward, Trejos showed them the North Star Pitch Room, a space where entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to potential investors. The room is designed so that no matter where audience members sit, they will still be able to hear the speaker at the front.
“The Business Innovation Academy, they pitch up here,” Trejos said. “I pitched for Mako Milkshakes, and that’s how I got my funding.”
The Levan Center wants to give students interested in entrepreneurship fruitful opportunities, like attending networking events to network with other entrepreneurs. The center also wants to create a safe environment for both students and companies like Disney, TD Bank and Amazon to feel comfortable bringing high value technology.
“We do want students to be able to use this in a safe way for everybody. We have very large companies that we also want them to feel safe when they are here. Because we do run on trust, offices are not locked,” Trejos said.
Thank you Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation for the visit. The center is a great addition to the NSU community, and we’re excited to have such a groundbreaking space so close to us.
– Mako Media Network
For more information:
Learn about the resources and events at the Levan Center.
Visit http://www.nova.edu/innovation.
Scan the QR code to reserve a free ticket for Innovation Day
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