CCEI

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

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – hen 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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Veterans’ Entrepreneurship Program: ‘Just Come and We Will Change Your Life’

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – As a communications expert who handles emergency medical calls, Michael Brown guides people through some of life’s most frightening and stressful moments.

And while Brown is versed in handling a crisis, he also recognizes the importance of relaxing, enjoying entertainment, and the value of connecting with friends both old and new.

He and his wife, Sydney Brown, are the owners of ThirdSpace Arcade Lounge on Blake Street in New Haven, a gathering place and community hub for adults, particularly gamers, artists, crafters, musicians and poets.

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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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Their Final Class Project? A Beer-Tasting Showdown

Posted on by Tom Breen

UConn Today – A friendly competition between two teams of UConn student brewers ended with one victor – but with everyone who got a chance to sample both beers a winner.

The UConn Brewing Innovation initiative – a multidisciplinary hub that partners the College of Engineering, School of Business, and College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources – has been showing students how the beer brewing process works from the ground up since 2023, in collaboration with Connecticut breweries.

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