Hartford Business Journal – Two teams made up of well-known Greater Hartford companies, colleges, nonprofits and other institutions last week aired plans to invest millions of dollars in new economic development initiatives with the hopes of winning matching funds from the state’s Innovation Places competition.
Entrepreneurship
Drug Triggers Immune System to Fight Cancer in Pets

UConn Today – Every time the veterinarian removed the cancerous tumor from the back of “BW,” a sweet-faced, well-loved, white cat, the malignancy would return two or three weeks later.
The cat’s owner opted to try a revolutionary veterinary cancer treatment, called VetiVax, which triggers the animal’s immune system to fight the disease. After the third treatment, the fibrosarcoma tumor didn’t recur, and “BW” has been healthy for 2½ years.
UConn alumna Ashley Kalinauskas is the CEO of Torigen Pharmaceuticals, the Farmington, Connecticut-based company that creates the new treatment. She is currently marketing it to veterinarians and is anticipating rapid growth for her startup.
Unique, Creative Startups Win $30,000
Innovation Quest Tops Participation Record; Winners Present Vastly Different, Creative Startup Ideas
The winners of this year’s Innovation Quest (iQ) competition had a unique set of people to credit for inspiring their success, including:
- A friend with a teddy bear tattoo, emblazoned with his ex-girlfriend’s name;
- A waitress who was trying to handle a mad-house of customers during a blizzard, when the rest of the wait staff didn’t show up;
- A little brother who leaves his EpiPen home because it is too bulky to carry;
- Americans who have very polarized beliefs about political events, depending on which news source they follow.
UConn Student Entrepreneurs
Nursing Students Tackle Real-World Healthcare Needs
UConn Today – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome can strike fear in the heart of a new parent – something Olivia Briggs ’17 (NUR) knows well. When her nephew was a newborn, her sister obsessively bounced in and out of his room to make sure he was still breathing, she recalls. Not long before, a friend of her sister’s lost her baby to SIDS, the cause of 4,000 sleeping-related deaths annually in the United States, according to the American SIDS Institute.
Student Innovators Create Solutions to Allergies
Looking Through the Glass Ceiling
Symposium Examines State of Women’s Advancement
News @ Northeastern– Kim Eddleston, professor of entrepreneurship and innovation in Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, and Gary Powell, management professor at the University of Connecticut School of Business, have studied the differences between male and female entrepreneurs. While they cautioned that their findings are broad and can’t be applied to every individual, Eddleston and Powell said that women and men define success very differently.
Over 200 Would-Be Entrepreneurs Seek Mentoring, Business Advice

“It’s Not a Passive World”
Freshman Michael Mayo has dreams of building a roller-skating business adjacent to his alma mater, New Britain High School. His goal would be to afford students some much-needed recreation while also offering them classes and hands-on knowledge about how to run a business. Continue Reading
Growing New Ventures at UConn
UConn Today – Mostafa Analoui joined UConn as executive director of venture development last October after an extensive national search, and now also serves as head of the UConn Technology Incubation Program. He has previously worked in academia, the corporate world, and investment banking, as well as launching a startup that is still in business today.
Women in Family Business: Bridging the Gaps
School of Business Co-Sponsors Program for Women in Family Businesses
“Women in Family Business: Bridging the Gaps” is the subject of a business and networking program from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at Innovate Hartford, 20 Church St. in Hartford. Continue Reading