Alumni

Inaugural Alumni Case Competition to Help Bridgeport Youth Advocates Strengthen Their Organization’s Growth

Posted on by Claire Hall
Group of volunteers and participants in Connect-Us, based in Bridgeport. UConn is hosting an alumni case competition to benefit the non-profit (Contributed Photo)
Group of volunteers and participants in Connect-Us, based in Bridgeport. UConn is hosting an alumni case competition to benefit the non-profit (Contributed Photo)

Pam Lewis and her team at Connect-Us are fierce advocates for teenagers and young adults in Bridgeport, and the programs they run have been extremely successful.

Connect-Us accepts students and young adults, regardless of academic achievements, if they have a true desire to excel.

“Our programs reach young people in Bridgeport who do not have access to the same connections, resources, and opportunities as their peers who are growing up in other, more affluent areas of Fairfield County,” said Lewis, the founder and CEO.

“Through Connect-Us, young people in Bridgeport have new experiences with each other, with business professionals, and with adult volunteers,” she said. “They take new risks and learn skills that can be applied to their future, whether that’s going to college, entering the workforce, or any number of paths.”Continue Reading

Top Financial Experts Identify Risks, Opportunities During Well-Attended SPAC Conference

Posted on by Claire Hall
group of people in a conference setting collaborating. UConn SPAC Conference logo bottom right
Istockphoto.com

With Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) exploding in growth and professional intrigue, the School of Business offered a financial conference to explore the business model, its advantages, and challenges.

Some 275 people participated in the UConn SPAC Conference, believed to be the first university-sponsored conference of its kind in the nation.Continue Reading

UConn SPAC Conference Will Address the Hottest Topic in Financial Markets

Posted on by Claire Hall
IMage of conference attendees applauding, SPAC conference logo is inset.
(istockphoto.com)

The UConn School of Business will host a half-day conference on Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs), which are seeing a dramatic spike in interest in the financial and investment communities this year.

“This is the topic of the year in the financial markets,” said Professor Yiming Qian, the Toscano Family Chair in Finance at UConn. “SPAC is not new, but was not popular until last year. Before 2020, the annual numbers of SPAC IPOs were in one or two digits. In 2020, however, the number jumped to 248 (compared to 165 traditional IPOs). The number for 2021 already exceeded 500.” Continue Reading

Retired Professor Offers $100K Matching Gift to Save Veterans’ Entrepreneurship Program

Posted on by Claire Hall

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.

Student Investors Endorse Their First Startup: A Gaming Company that Teaches Kids Social/Emotional Skills

Posted on by Claire Hall
Young girl playing video games
(istockphoto.com)

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

Lobster, Innovation, and A Dream Job Are All on the Menu for This Recent Grad

Posted on by Claire Hall
(Contributed Photo)

Fresh out of college and struggling to pay his sky-high New York City rent, Joshua Allen applied for a job as a restaurant busboy to supplement his full-time income.

He not only landed the job, but also earned some powerful insight into the restaurant industry and developed new ideas for improving it.Continue Reading

Former WWE Exec: You Can Bend the World To You, If You Do the Right Things

Posted on by Claire Hall
Geroge Barrios, right, at the 2019 School of Business Hall of Fame ceremony. Barrios spoke to EMBA students in Hartford, Conn. (Tom Hurlburt / UConn School of Business)
Geroge Barrios, right, at the 2019 School of Business Hall of Fame ceremony. Barrios spoke to EMBA students in Hartford, Conn. (Tom Hurlburt / UConn School of Business)

Entertainment titan and UConn alumnus George Barrios is frequently asked for career advice, and he tells his proteges is to be optimistic, passionate, and maintain a good attitude.Continue Reading