Fall 2025 Demo Day: Celebrating Innovation Across VCU and Beyond!
“We’re so proud of everyone who presented at Demo Day! Pitching an idea in front of a live audience takes courage, clarity, and heart, and every student, alum, and community innovator who stepped up brought their best. Thank you to everyone who filled the room with encouragement, curiosity, and support. The energy was high, the […]
Celebrating Innovation and Creativity at VCU Demo Day and Holiday Market on November 14th!
The stage is set for one of the most inspiring moments of the semester—VCU Demo Day, a bi-annual pitch competition where student innovators take center stage. Hosted by Shift Retail Lab, this event brings together bright minds from across the university to share their ideas for new products, services and ventures. Finalists will deliver investor-style […]
The future of higher ed starts outside the classroom
Universities need to look at different models of who educates, who gets educated—and how. Former da Vinci Center Executive Director, Garret Westlake, shares insights in Fast Company about the impact of Shift Retail Lab—co-founded with our new Executive Director, Lloyd Young.Shift Retail Lab is a powerful example of how cross-disciplinary collaboration supports and serves all […]
SHIFT Magazine, Volume 2 Press Release
Richmond, VA—-The SHIFT Retail Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University and the students from INNO 591 are proud to announce the launch of the SHIFT Magazine, Volume 2. To celebrate, the class is throwing a party at SHIFT Retail Lab, and you’re invited! Read SHIFT Magazine Issue No. 2 >> Friday, December 1st 5pm to 7pm1235 […]
da Vinci Center for Innovation worked with Henrico County Public Schools to give students the opportunity to explore career paths in business and STEM
Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) is providing new educational centers in two middle schools for students to explore careers in business, as well as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). On Nov. 13, HCPS announced it will be implementing a new program called the Centers for Innovation at John Rolfe Middle School and Quioccasin Middle […]
“A Successful SHIFT.” Shift Retail Lab featured in Richmond Magazine.
From School to SKU, “Making its debut in 2021, Shift Retail Lab operates as an incubator for students and entrepreneurial community members to test ideas. A playground for product potential, it provides a physical space for thinkers to immerse themselves in the commercial journey.” Read the full feature here >>
PROTOTYPING THE FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: SHIFT RETAIL LAB ACCEPTS FAST COMPANY INNOVATION BY DESIGN AWARD
“’We’re prototyping the future of higher education.’ That is how Lloyd Young, director of innovation and design at VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation, describes what she and her colleagues do every day at the Shift Retail Lab. Their work is turning heads, not just in Richmond, but nationwide. Shift was named the winner of the Learning […]
More than 50 universities are partnering with Podium Education to create a ‘Global Tech Experience’—a way for students across disciplines to uniquely gain tech skills
da Vinci Center is proud to say that we are among the 50 plus universities pioneering the future of the classroom with Podium. “This summer, Podium piloted the program for over a thousand students. At Virginia Commonwealth University, the school planned to include a dozen students. But, according to Garret Westlake, associate vice provost for innovation […]
VCUarts undergrad brings her eye to a unique canvas: the university’s research hub
“Trinity Rucker is serving as innovator-in-residence in OVPRI, where she wants art to spur collaboration.” Learn more>>
The Next Generation of Entrepreneurs Won’t Be Stuck In The Classroom
Virginia Commonwealth University reimagines entrepreneurship training with its Shift Retail Lab, a winner of 2023’s Innovation By Design Awards. “The Shift Retail Lab—winner of the Learning category in Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation By Design Awards—is a real-world space for students to peddle their wares and collect feedback from would-be customers and is Westlake’s answer to that. Since […]
