Accelerate UConn is UConn’s National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Site. Its mission is to catalyze the transition of new scientific discoveries and capabilities from the lab to the marketplace. Continue Reading
Entrepreneurship
2016 iQ Winners
“I Was Surprised That Someone Hadn’t Invented This Yet”
UConn senior Stephen Hawes debuted as an entrepreneur several years ago, working diligently to perfect his first invention: a wrist-mounted, propane-driven flame thrower.
His parents worried that their son, a mechanical engineering student, would burn down their home.
But Hawes persisted, and brought his prototype to an engineering conference in New York City. There, he saw a company demonstrating artificial appendages for children missing fingers.Continue Reading
Alumnus Creates Some Teariffic Ice Cream
UConn Today – Mario Leite ’98 (CLAS) never imagined he’d combine his undergraduate molecular and cell biology degree with his MBA to become an award-winning ice cream maker. But that’s exactly what the UConn grad did after he lost his banking job in August 2011.
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Florida Real Estate Investor Donates Scholarship
Alum Gives Fellow Business Students a Chance to Thrive
Like many UConn finance majors, Jeffrey R. Talbot ’00 followed his dream after graduation of working on Wall Street. He became a successful investment banker at Morgan Stanley in New York, but soon realized his passion was actually real estate investment.Continue Reading
UConn Launches 5th Innovation Quest
Students, Teams, Ideas Soaring to New Levels, Mentors Say
Graduate nursing student Samantha Nesbeth wants to find a way to use genetics, instead of hair transplants, to help men and women regrow thinning hair.
“When you lose your hair, you see yourself as a different person,” said Nesbeth. “You don’t know who you are without hair. It can be disabling and depressing. Your hair is part of who you are,” said the Meriden native, who is planning a career as a nurse practitioner specializing in dermatology.Continue Reading
‘We’re Starting to Have Our Voices Heard’
Senator Blumenthal Attends UConn Roundtable on Veteran Employment; Seeks Ideas, Concerns, Suggestions
Their livelihoods couldn’t be more diverse—from farming to aerospace to cleaning services—but their message was the same: help us and help our fellow veterans find, keep and create great jobs.
That was the message that some 70 people delivered to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) during a roundtable discussion Thursday, Jan. 7. Hosted by UConn’s School of Business, the focus of the event was how Congress can further support veteran hiring and veteran-owned businesses.Continue Reading
Professor Timothy Folta Leads Corporate Strategy Conference in France
When does it make sense for corporations to expand by adding additional products or businesses to their portfolio?
The topic was the subject of a three-day international conference last month in Strasbourg, France, titled, “Corporate Strategy and Resource Redeployment,” which was organized by UConn Management Professor Timothy B. Folta.Continue Reading
The $5 Challenge
Aspiring Entrepreneurs Use Money to Make Money
In his “Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship” course, management professor Timothy Folta gave student groups $5 and told them to use it as start-up cash for a new business. The project was designed to spur creativity around new business ideas.
Students had one week to brainstorm ideas, but once they received the cash, they had only two hours to make as much money as possible.
Interestingly, the group that made the most money did not even use the start-up funds.Continue Reading
Honoring Veterans 365 Days a Year
UConn’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans Helps Military Heroes Become Business Moguls
The UConn School of Business has a strong and proud history of serving the educational and career needs of military leaders and veterans, a tradition that dates back to its earliest days.
After WWII, the university offered business classes at Fort Trumbull in New London to serve returning GIs. The creation of a full-time MBA program on the Storrs campus in 1960, another milestone at the School of Business, occurred as a direct result of a contract to expand educational opportunities for members of the Air Force.Continue Reading
MasterCard Worldwide Champions Women at Work
MasterCard Worldwide, the recent platinum sponsor of UConn’s third annual Women Entrepreneurs Empowerment Forum, has been a long-time champion of women in the workplace.
In addition to offering a powerful mentoring program to help women advance up the career ladder within its own company, MasterCard also monitors gender issues around the globe.Continue Reading