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.
UConn Today – A UConn-affiliated medical startup team is working to create a faster, safer technique that will aid plastic surgeons in reconstruction while minimizing the risk of complications.
UConn Today – Since he was identified as one of the most promising entrepreneurs at UConn this summer, Elijah Taitel ’22 (BUS) hasn’t rested on his achievements.
His company, Extra Base Sports, is preparing to launch a new youth-sized version of its popular baseball/softball training device called the ProVelocity Bat next month, targeting players between 8 and 13.
UConn Today – In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and other calls for social change, there’s a tremendous appetite for knowledge and guidance among business professionals, students, and alumni in a vast variety of industries.
“In the midst of this social revolution I thought, ‘How can we at the School of Business make a difference and bring these issues to a wide audience?’’ says business law professor Robert Bird, who has organized a four-part speaker series on diversity and equity topics.
UConn Today – Like so many other aspects of life, the COVID pandemic has upended the process of searching for internships and full-time jobs for many current and graduating UConn students.
But there’s good news on the horizon: For the first time in two years, UConn is able to return to in-person career fairs – albeit with many health and safety precautions – while continuing to offer the popular virtual fairs, on-demand resources, and other online programming it expanded during the pandemic.
UConn Today – As a former special education teacher, and a mother of two, Shaleighne “Shay’’ Cantner is well acquainted with the deluge of paperwork required to get supportive, special-education services for children.
“I recognized how difficult it was for parents to move forward and get their children the help that they need,’’ said Cantner, the CEO of a startup called Engagement Solutions and an alumna who earned her Sixth-Year Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the Neag School in 2013.
The recently created, student-run Hillside Venture Capital investment team has selected its first company to support–an educational-technology startup that strives to enhance social and emotional learning in children through a video-game app.Continue Reading
UConn Today – When grocery giant Whole Foods allowed Raina Jain ’24 (BUS) the chance to sell her Queen Bee health-support supplement at the grand opening of its new store in Avon, she couldn’t say no—even though it was the first week of classes.
New faculty members include (left to right): Rachel Chambers, Xiang Zheng, Sami Ghaddar, Mary Vernon, and James Warren (Contributed photos)
The incoming cohort of new business faculty includes a consultant on human rights for the United Nations, an award-winning researcher focused on fintech, two enthusiastic accounting experts, and a management professor who researches corporate governance, innovation and performance.Continue Reading
Jennifer Mathieu (above), director of the CCEI at UConn School of Business, is being honored this year as one of HBJ’s 40 under Forty. (Photo courtesy of Hartford Business Journal)
A mentor once told Jennifer Mathieu that you can do the greatest work by inspiring others, and the impact will translate into much more than what you can accomplish on your own.
Those companies have ranged from consumer products to mobile apps to medical technologies. CCEI supports entrepreneurs and coaches them through everything from ideation to pitching their business idea to preparing to launch their ventures.
“We would not have a startup ecosystem without Jen consistently going above and beyond to meet all of the entrepreneurs’ business-development needs,” said Professor David Noble, director of UConn’s Werth Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. “Her attention to their individual growth is essential to the success of the programs.”
“There is no magic wand that suddenly makes a startup investable or finds product market fit. Through hard work and perseverance, Jen supports the entrepreneurs she works with at each inflection point with a genuine concern for their success,” he added.
Mathieu, a 2009 UConn alumna, was just named as a recipient of the Hartford Business Journal’s ’40 Under Forty’ Award, recognizing outstanding young professionals in Greater Hartford who excel in their industries. Mathieu said she had to re-read the congratulatory email several times to make sure it was real, and was honored to be selected among a group of outstanding leaders.
“One of the elements of my role that I enjoy the most is being able to work with so many incredible individuals that are striving to be their very best every day. I love creating and bringing new things to fruition. So, naturally, I enjoy supporting entrepreneurs that are doing the same,” she said. “It fuels my fire.”
Entrepreneurship is really just warming up, particularly over the last year and half when people were forced to make the most out of their own personal and professional situations, Mathieu said. Younger adults are particularly enthusiastic about starting their own businesses and choosing a career trajectory that affords them more control.
“We’re just at the tip of the iceberg and there is so much still to come. Innovation breeds innovation. And people are striving to start businesses to change the world, have a social impact, and create a more positive future,” she said.
Mathieu said people often underestimate the knowledge and the assistance that entrepreneurs can tap into in Connecticut. There really isn’t a better place to grow a business, she said.
“I never once understood the negativity around Connecticut. We’re in a perfect location. We are a small state and so connected, and a place where people really care about each other,” she said. “From UConn, we have caring alumni everywhere who are passionate about our students, our university, and our state’s potential. Being in a small state with such a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem is tremendously advantageous.”
Mathieu, who majored in psychology as an undergrad, worked in the MBA/EMBA office as a student employee during her four years at UConn, and helped graduate students navigate their applications. That’s when she realized she enjoyed helping others and wanted to work in higher education. “To me there’s nothing better than supporting people who are making their dreams a reality,” she said.
An entrepreneur herself, Mathieu owns Jennifer Elizabeth Design Studio, an inspirational, carded jewelry company.
“What started as a creative outlet for me has now turned into a business. My designs being available in more than 130 retail locations, included in subscription box services, featured in magazines, customized for brands, and selling to customers worldwide,” she said. In her free time, Mathieu loves to run road races, go for hikes, and enjoys cooking using new recipes.
“I love adventure and trying new things. I’m a lifelong learner. I’m bored with doing the same things over and over,” she said. “During the pandemic, I read 100 books on business and leadership as well as fiction set in different parts of the world and reflecting various times in history. I couldn’t travel, so I found another way to explore.”
The best advice she offers future entrepreneurs is to be curious.
“Ask questions, do research, connect with people,” she said. “There’s so much to learn and so many insights to be gained. Learn about the problem you are trying to solve and do whatever you can to understand your customers. Let go of trying to be perfect. Don’t let fear of the unknown ever hold you back.”
