CCEI

Retired Army Major Wins EBV Alumni Event Pitch Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – If you ask U.S. Army Major (Ret.) Henry H. Washington III ’21 EBV about the experiences that set him up for success as a youngster, he will credit three things:

  • loving parents,
  • a never-miss-church-on-Sunday ethic,
  • participation in every sports team available, all which kept him busy, tired, and out of trouble and
  • a “village’’ of people who cared about him.

Today he is the Founder and CEO of the Henry H. Washington 3 Foundation, which serves to better the lives of children, teens and young adults in metro Atlanta. The foundation offers a wide range of services, but is particularly focused on helping youth find a career path, stay out of trouble, and serve the community.

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UConn Chemists Developing Safer, All-Natural Contrast Dye for Medical Imaging

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – In the United States alone, more than 130 million MRIs and CT scans were performed in 2023. And while those medical images are very valuable tools in identifying, or ruling out, serious health problems, they are not without risk.

While the majority of patients experience no adverse effects, the contrast dyes used in the process can cause allergic reactions, and can trigger kidney damage in those with pre-existing kidney disease. The concern is greatest among people requiring multiple scans.

Pragati Rout, a doctoral candidate, and her mentor, chemistry professor Greg Sotzing, have found a plant-based alternative that is safe, effective, and free of allergic reaction. They’ve created a company, called 404 Inc., to market the medical innovation, as well as other consumer products.

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Startup ‘SeaSol’ Seeks to Convert Seaweed into Compostable Food Packaging, Replacing Plastic

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – When you visit your favorite sandwich, donut, or pizza shop next year, UConn Ph.D. candidate Yidan Zhang hopes you’ll be leaving with more than just good food. She wants you to also get a healthier food wrapper to carry it home.

Zhang is CEO of a startup called SeaSol Technologies, Inc. (DBA SeaSol), which is converting seaweed into a functional coating that makes food packaging compostable and high performance. The SeaSol team has developed a low-cost process that pares down the seaweed conversion process from 14 steps to one.

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Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation Recognized as a Global Leader in Venture Creation

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – UConn’s Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) has received the Outstanding Contributions to Venture Creation Award at the 2025 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Conference in Calgary, Canada.

The award honors a university center that demonstrates excellence in supporting the launch and growth of startups through innovative programs such as competitions, incubators, and accelerators. Selection is based on program impact, outcomes, and community engagement.

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New Startup’s Mission: Safer Deliveries for Moms and Babies

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – For many expectant parents, the countdown to the arrival of a new family member is filled with anticipation. They need to select a name, paint a nursery, stock up on diapers, and prepare for sleepless nights ahead.

Everyone hopes for a smooth and easy delivery, and no one champions that more than Dr. Andrea Shields. Shields is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UConn Health and the program director for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the School of Medicine. She is working hard to decrease the risks that come with pregnancy and childbirth.

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Nutritional Startup Provides Healthy Meals to Keep Vulnerable People Out of the Hospital

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – Imagine the stress of just being discharged from the hospital–still feeling weak, vulnerable, and shaken by a serious diagnosis—only to be told that you now have to completely overhaul your diet.

That is a daunting task for many, but fortunately food expert Vanessa Sena and two colleagues from UConn Health have a solution.

They’ve started a business called MLC Nutrition, which provides delicious, healthy, chef-prepared meals for recently hospitalized patients, with the goal of optimizing their health and preventing rehospitalization.

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Wolff Finalist Startup ‘Orbit Crates’ Offers Subscription Toy Rentals for Kids

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – After a busy day at work, the last thing mother-of-three Kim Conti wanted to do was spend time sorting and organizing construction trucks, pretend-play toys, puzzle pieces—and those dreadful games that come with dozens of small parts. To help reduce household clutter and save toys from ending up in landfills, Conti has created Orbit Crates, a subscription toy-rental company.

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HBJ “40 Under Forty” Honors Four From School of Business

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – The Hartford Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty’’ award will be presented in September to 40 business standouts, including four who are affiliated with the UConn School of Business.

The recipients include: Haley Heslin, Director of Human Resources at LAZ Parking and a student in the UConn MBA program; Thomas “Tommy’’ Hyde ’19 MBA, Chief of Staff at AdvanceCT; David Steuber ’08, ’21 MS, and Andrew “Drew’’ DiSilvestro Jr. ’15 EBV Cert., President of AmeriTech Contracting.

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UConn Entrepreneur Aims to Revolutionize Men’s Health Care

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – When former President Joe Biden revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer, the news rattled UConn’s Reza Amin ’18 Ph.D., ’19 MS.

Amin is the CEO and Founder of Bastion Health, the first and largest virtual urology group in the country. Bastion, a UConn startup, addresses men’s health care through at-home diagnostics, specialist-led care, and elimination of impediments to medical attention.

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UConn Among First to Offer Experiential Learning in Decentralized Artificial Intelligence

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – When graduate student Dmitrii Tuzov ’26 MS heard about an opportunity to learn about decentralized AI (deAI) from experts in the field, and potentially create business-enhancing technology, he couldn’t have been more excited.

“My first reaction was, ‘Definitely! That’s what I want to do,’’’ he says. Now in the early stages of the project, he and four other UConn graduate students are learning technical skills, setting goals, and defining the scope of their work. “The deeper I dive, the more I see how big this opportunity is.’’

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