At San Diego State University, busy schedules are not stopping student entrepreneurs from launching businesses. From food and beverage pop-ups and sustainability-focused products, campus commerce is being reimagined with creations made by students, for students.
Made of Matcha, founded by SDSU finance major Daniel Ventura, started by creating matcha lattes while living in Chapultepec residence hall during his freshman year.
“I would get a large cup of ice from BCB and make my matcha in my dorm, and I would make it for my friends and roommates and they all really liked it,” Ventura said. “During the summer, I had the idea of starting an actual business, my goal at the time being to provide an experience for people.”
During his sophomore year, Ventura began experimenting with content creation within the dorms.
“I had a video or two that became really popular, and that’s how viewership spiked,” Ventura said. “A lot of people started recognizing me as ‘the matcha guy.’”
As a student and business owner, Ventura hopes to continue growing his brand and business.
“I want to rebrand and be able to do pop-ups at other facilities and farmers markets, not just on school grounds,” Ventura said. “I also want to expand my audience, not just to SDSU students, but to a wider audience of adults and people who love matcha.”
Student businesses reflect a broader, growing trend at SDSU, with more students pursuing entrepreneurship and personal growth.
Dubite, a small business started by business marketing major Emma Jiang, began when she and her friend Keli Quan started making Dubai desserts to share with the SDSU campus.
“She [Quan] loved making it, but she did not have a kitchen in [Chapultepec], so I let her make it at my dorm,” Jiang said. “We decided to sell them since they were really popular at the time.”
Rather than operating in isolation, SDSU student entrepreneurs have supported one another through pop-ups and events. Start-ups such as Our Yard, a campus marketplace focused on making college life more affordable through thrifted goods, emphasize community building through shared events and collaborative spaces.
Both Dubite and Made of Matcha highlight collaboration as a key part of the student-run business community, having participated in Our Yard’s $1 thrift celebration on March 19.
“Collaboration has always been a big thing for me since I value teamwork a lot,” Amanda Nguyen, a finance major and collaborator for Made of Matcha, said. “To see the outcome in the product that comes out of all of our hard work is rewarding.”
“For me, it’s really fun and exciting,” Jiang said. “I know that what you are making can make others happy.”
Entrepreneurship has allowed student business owners to turn personal creativity into tangible products and experiences.
“I’m a very creative person, and I really want that to shine through my business and through my work,” Ventura said. “I want to be able to create something big that’s not just matcha, but also a concept that’s artistic, that makes you feel that it’s more than just a latte.”
