UConn Today – Michael J. Zacchea, a decorated military hero and the founder and director of UConn’s highly successful Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV), has died at 53.
Entrepreneurship
Michelle Cote, Relentless Advocate for Innovation and Hartford, Named A Top Woman in Business

Michelle Cote, a relentless advocate for innovation in Hartford, and an instructor at the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, will be honored with a Top 25 Women in Business Award by The Hartford Business Journal.Continue Reading
Serial Entrepreneur, UConn Alum Nadav Ullman Tackling Supply Chain Nightmare
UConn Today – When UConn alumnus and serial entrepreneur Nadav Ullman ‘12 (BUS) created Project N95, a national clearinghouse vetting PPE from around the world in the thick of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, he discovered something more daunting than a shortage of surgical masks and gloves.
He realized the whole global supply chain process was broken.
Innovation Quest Organizers Expect ‘Extraordinary Turnout’ for This Year’s Competition
UConn Today – The leaders of UConn’s highly successful Innovation Quest (iQ) competition said there are millions of varied ideas that could create prosperous startups.
But one irrevocable dynamic separates those who succeed from those who fail.
“The key to being successful is that you have to continually innovate,’’ says Rich Dino, director of the iQ program, who is also a serial entrepreneur and an associate professor emeritus. “Our entrepreneurs learn to ‘hear the footsteps behind them’ and accelerate the move forward by continued innovation.’’
Business Leaders Recommend Their Favorite Business Books of 2021
With Help From UConn, Alumna Hayley Segar Dives Into Women’s Swimwear Industry
Retired Professor Offers $100K Matching Gift to Save Veterans’ Entrepreneurship Program
UConn Today – United States Marine Corps veteran Tony Audette builds custom motorcycles for celebrities, business titans, and other enthusiasts who want a bike that’s unlike any other. His exclusive motorcycles sell for upwards of $130,000.
After two years in business, Audette Motorcycles, in Canton, is thriving. Audette credits much of his business knowledge and expertise to the School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV). The startup accelerator steered him away from several costly business mistakes, he said.
UConn Senior’s Baseball-Training Device Scores a Grand Slam, Wins Wolff Prize for Entrepreneurship
Startup Strives to Simplify Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Reduce Toxic Waste
UConn Today – Did you know that the prescription you picked up at the pharmacy likely once contained a host of toxic materials that were used as a catalyst for its creation?
Don’t panic. In the development process, the toxins are stripped from the medication, and the FDA has stringent guidelines ensuring its safety.
But UConn chemistry professors Eugene Pinkhassik, Sergey Dergunov, and Ph.D. candidate Kevin Rivera have an innovation that they believe can offer a better, safer, less expensive, and more environmentally sound alternative.