Michelle Cote



A Leap Toward Entrepreneurship

Members of 10 Summer Fellowship teams, with CCEI Staff, mentors, and Greg Wolff (Jennifer Murphy, UConn School of Business)
Members of 10 Summer Fellowship teams, with CCEI Staff, mentors, and Greg Wolff (Jennifer Murphy, UConn School of Business)

After Completing CCEI’s Summer Fellowship Program, Students Prepare for Wolff Competition and $15,000 Grand Prize

Ten aspiring UConn entrepreneurs delivered final business model presentations on Aug. 3, marking their completion of the 2017 Summer Fellowship program, sponsored by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). Continue Reading


Hartford and East Hartford Selected as an Innovation Place

MetroHartford Alliance – The communities of Hartford and East Hartford, led by The Hartford/East Hartford Innovation Places Planning Team, have been selected as an Innovation Place, announced yesterday afternoon by the CTNext Board of Directors. The Hartford/East Hartford Initiative will receive up to $2 million in Implementation Grant funds in fiscal year 2018 to begin implementing the team’s vision for making Hartford and East Hartford a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and business growth.


‘Innovation Places’ Contest Draws Millions in Private Investment

Hartford Business Journal – Two teams made up of well-known Greater Hartford companies, colleges, nonprofits and other institutions last week aired plans to invest millions of dollars in new economic development initiatives with the hopes of winning matching funds from the state’s Innovation Places competition.


Hartford Kicks Open Its Doors to Innovators

The New York Times– After Lelaneia Dubay developed an intolerance for the gluten and chemical additives in many alcoholic beverages, she went looking for a way to salvage her cocktail hour. Already skilled at making cranberry liqueur, which she bottled and gave as gifts at Christmas, she came up with a formula for a lavender liqueur, using sprigs from her garden. When she shared it with friends at a holiday party, their response was emphatic: Get this to market.


A First-Place Tie

The creators of LambdaVision with two undergraduate student interns who helped represent the company during the CCEI fellowship and again at the Wolff competition. From left, Dr. Jordan Greco '10 (CLAS), '15 Ph.D., Molly Zgoda '17 (CLAS), Audrey Gallo '17 (CLAS), and Dr. Nicole Wagner '07 (CLAS), '13 Ph.D. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
The creators of LambdaVision with two undergraduate student interns who helped represent the company during the CCEI fellowship and again at the Wolff competition. From left, Dr. Jordan Greco ’10 (CLAS), ’15 Ph.D., Molly Zgoda ’17 (CLAS), Audrey Gallo ’17 (CLAS), and Dr. Nicole Wagner ’07 (CLAS), ’13 Ph.D. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Revamped Wolff New Venture Competition Surprises Audience with Two Medical-Device Champs

The late Thomas John Wolff ’56 was an entrepreneur, and UConn School of Business alumnus, who ran five businesses simultaneously. He exemplified values like enthusiasm, mentorship and appreciation. Continue Reading


‘You are an Entrepreneur!’

Kathryn Friedrich, Head of Global Monetization, YouTube (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Kathryn Friedrich, Head of Global Monetization, YouTube (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

UConn’s New Xcite Conference Draws 200+ Women; Strives to Increase Connecticut’s Women Business Leaders

It was a simple assignment that YouTube executive Kathryn Friedrich gave to the audience of 200 business women: take a minute and think of an entrepreneur.

“If you’re not thinking of yourself, think again, because you are an entrepreneur,” she said. “Entrepreneurship is a mindset. You don’t have to start your own company to be an entrepreneur. You can start working on it right away!” Continue Reading


Colleges Boost Entrepreneurship Classes, Seminars

Hartford Business JournalMichelle Cote, managing director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) at the UConn School of Business, said it’s a great time to be an aspiring entrepreneur at UConn and statewide based on the resources available to help them.


‘The World Is …Brimming with Opportunities’

Sumit Kumar '17 MBA, one of 5 UConn graduate students who participated in a new summer program called The Verge Consulting Group. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Sumit Kumar ’17 MBA, one of five UConn graduate students who participated in a new summer program called The Verge Consulting Group. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Graduate Students Find Fulfillment in Assisting Startups; Business Owners Grateful for Helping Hand

Sumit Kumar, a second-year MBA student, couldn’t believe his good fortune.

This summer he was able to devise a market strategy for a growing beverage company and conduct market analysis and funding research for a biomedical-device manufacturer, both in Connecticut.Continue Reading


Shaping an Emerging Global Agenda

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Professor Park, Colleagues Awarded UConn Academic-Plan Grant to Help Further the Study, Practice of Human Rights in Business

Business law professor Stephen Park and UConn colleagues have been awarded a $265,000 research grant under UConn’s Academic Plan to investigate ways to protect and promote human rights in the business world.Continue Reading