Hartford Business Journal – While U.S. Marine Gulaid Ismail was serving in Iraq last decade two of his friends committed suicide. Later, Ismail suffered a nervous breakdown and was honorably discharged. If it weren’t for Davina Ismail, his wife and caregiver, he said he’d be in jail or in a grave.
“She gave me purpose to live,” Gulaid Ismail said.
Experiential Learning Accelerators
Newman’s Own Grant Fortifies UConn’s Veteran Entrepreneurship Program

“They Consider Us Elite”
Newman’s Own Foundation has awarded a $135,000 grant to the School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), one of only 26 non-profits nationwide to receive financial support. Continue Reading
UConn Spinout LambdaVision Wins $500K to Advance Work on Retinal Implant
Hartford Business Journal – Connecticut Innovations has awarded $500,000 in venture funding to LambdaVision, a company spun out of UConn research, to further its work on a retinal implant to cure vision loss for millions of people worldwide.
Newman’s Own Foundation Commits $6.7M to Veterans Causes
Associated Press – Newman’s Own Foundation, founded by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, honored Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole for their commitment to public service and especially their devoted leadership and support of veterans. An announcement was made at a special reception held in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC and attended by members of Congress, veterans, and organizations supporting veterans.
Is Your Blood ‘Sticky’? Researchers Invent Simple Test to Detect Cardiac Risk

Wolff New Venture Competition Prize Winner: Eir Medical Devices
Everyone knows that smoking, elevated blood pressure, and high cholesterol are key risk factors for heart disease.
But what about “sticky” blood? Continue Reading
MBA Candidate Tackles Challenging Internship to Benefit Medical Patients

Undeterred: Enuma Ezeife ’18 MBA
Enuma Ezeife cringes when she talks about some of the older methods of harvesting bone graft for surgery.
Not only are the procedures excruciating, but they can have numerous unintended consequences, including fracture of a patient’s femur, she said. Continue Reading
Celebrating International Girls Day by Making an Impact
Darien News – Improving women’s participation in the workforce requires investing in them from a young age, entrepreneur and financial commentator Jennifer Openshaw told nearly 100 business leaders at an event observing International Girls Day on Wednesday.
It Pays to Have Women Helming Start-ups, New Report Suggests
USA Today – It pays — literally — to have women heading start-ups, a new report by researchers at the University of Connecticut and the non-profit organization Girls With Impact suggests.
Curating Startup Innovation at UConn Innovation Quest with Special Guest Rich Dino
CTStartup Podcast– The CTStartup Podcast is back for its third season with a new format, new host, and new interviews focusing on the startup ecosystem in Connecticut.
We start off Season 3 interviewing Rich Dino, an associate professor at UConn and the director of the Innovation Quest program aimed at helping young students and startups bring their business ideas to life.
Growing Hartford
The Trinity Reporter – Imagine a Hartford where people are solving big problems and inventing cutting-edge technologies; where residents, students, and visitors meet on sidewalks and in cafés to share ideas; where thriving businesses fill once-empty storefronts; and where art and music events abound.
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