Experiential Learning Accelerators



UConn MBA Student Launching Lingerie Company That Shuns Toxic Chemicals, Appeals to Health-Conscious Consumers

UConn Today – Christina Phillips was horrified when she discovered that toxic and dangerous chemicals are used to manufacture women’s bras and underwear.

Who would suspect that formaldehyde, pesticides, petroleum, dyes, parabens and “forever chemicals’’ are found in the creation of most popular brands of lingerie?

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Tech Startup Swipestorm Addresses Quick-Service Restaurants’ Customer-Service Issues

UConn Today – As a manager at a Connecticut Chick-fil-A, Nathan Catapano ’24 (CLAS) took pride in his restaurant’s customer service, reputation, and success.

If a customer had a less-than-satisfactory experience, Catapano wanted to correct the issue quickly and do everything he could to give them a remarkable dining experience.

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Veterans-Turned-Entrepreneurs Demonstrate Initiative, Courage, Dedication

UConn Today – Keri Yonika, an occupational therapist and a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, has both the knowledge and passion to help young children get a good start in life.

She loves her work with neurodivergent pre-schoolers, but not the constant pressure to see more clients. Yonika dreams of owning her own practice and running it with a client-centered approach.

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CCEI Research Team Publishes Report on Early-Stage Entrepreneur Needs

UConn Today – Communication skill development is what entrepreneurs who participate in university accelerators most need in the early stages of their growth.

That’s the finding of a team of researchers from UConn’s Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI), led by Associate Director of Entrepreneurial Communication and Research Rory McGloin, who is also an associate professor in both the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Business.

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Innovation Quest Crowns Three New Champions

UConn Today – From the time he was a young child, Laron Burrows always knew he would be an entrepreneur.

“In the third grade I sold baseball cards and trinkets,” said Burrows, a Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering. “At age 12, I was developing a way to remove oil from seawater. I always thought science and engineering innovations provided great opportunities for entrepreneurship.”

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Brianna Regine Walston ’17, Founder of Strategic Communication Agency, Named Young Entrepreneur of the Year

UConn Today – Entering her senior year at UConn, alumna Brianna Regine Walston ’17 (CLAS), had a great career option.

She was in the midst of completing a very successful public relations internship in New York City, and the company was eager to offer Walston a permanent job after graduation.

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New UConn EBV Program Manager: ‘We’re Like a Family…Helping Accomplish Each Other’s Missions’

UConn Today – “I am excited to have the ability to help people realize their dreams.”

That’s how Nicholas Martinelli, a U.S. Army veteran who was part of a team that operated land-based defense systems against enemy rocket and mortar attacks in Iran and Afghanistan, sees his role as the new program manager of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV).

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