LinkedIn.com – On Friday, October 10th, the University of Connecticut (Uconn) Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans made history during their annual business pitch competition. Over 20 startup companies led by military veteran leaders pitched their businesses LIVE on air in 4 separate classrooms to determine which startup would win the cash prize!
The School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities was recognized as one of the nation’s best and most innovative programs for improving the quality of life for U.S. military personnel.
General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided remarks at the 15th Annual Newman’s Own Award Ceremony at the Pentagon on Sept. 24. In addition to the honor, the UConn program will receive a $37,500 award.
“I was really surprised and extremely flattered,” said Program Director Michael Zacchea, a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient. “There are 400,000 organizations in this country that work with veterans. To be one of five selected for this incredibly prestigious award was truly an honor.”
The UConn Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) is offered at no cost to participants, who typically come from across the Northeast. The program taps the talent of the UConn School of Business faculty to provide veterans, disabled due to their service, with cutting-edge training in entrepreneurship and small business management.
Zacchea hopes the award will bring greater recognition to the EBV program and further develop the network of services available to returning veterans. Despite its U.S. Navy sub base and the Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut isn’t known for embracing the military culture in the way that other states have, he noted.
“Historically the veteran population hasn’t had the attention here that it has in other states like Florida, Texas, California and the South,” he said. “We feel some of our award was due to our unsung work in an underserved area.”
Yet Connecticut offers many advantages to returning veterans, including educational and business opportunities, he said.
Unlike other entrepreneurship programs, the EBV addresses reintegration issues beyond just business. For instance, the veterans are offered a free business suit, courtesy of Brooks Brothers, to help ensure their business success. In addition, the program graduates have access to intense mentorship services for a year, so whether they want to start an IT business or a company that specializes in personal training, they have assistance identifying and overcoming business barriers.
UConn alumni Mitchell Strauss ’79 MBA, Ray Gustini ’65, ’65 JD, General Joseph Went ’53, Barbara Went and John Welch ’80 MBA, also attended the ceremony.
Newman’s Own, Fisher House Foundation, and Military Times sponsor the competition, which seeks to reward ingenuity for programs that benefit service men and women and their families.
“Improving lives for the military is the cornerstone of this program. Newman’s Own is proud to be part of an initiative that helps serve a crucial segment of Americans, those who serve our country,” according to Tom Indoe, president and chief operating officer of Newman’s Own.
Over 250 entries were submitted for the 2014 program. Seven judges evaluated each entry based on the organization’s impact to the respective communities, creativity and innovation.
View photos from the 2014 Newman’s Own Awards here.
Pictured: General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Michael Zacchea, Lt. Col. U.S.M.C. Ret, Program Director, Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities; Tom Indoe, President & Chief Operating Officer, Newman’s Own, Inc.; Suzie Schwartz, Trustee, Fisher House Foundation; Peter Lundquist, Vice President & General Manager, Military Times. Photos by Ashley Estill.
Brookfield, Wis. and Hartford, Conn. – Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, and the University of Connecticut School of Business, one of the top public business schools in the nation, today announced that Fiserv is participating in the university’s Financial Accelerator Program to help educate students and foster innovation. Continue Reading
Stamford, Conn. – The Connecticut Office of Higher Education / State Approving Agency has approved project management certification training for veterans and other eligible U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries at UConn’s Stamford campus, effective immediately.
University of Connecticut’s School of Business and their component for non-credit programs, Connecticut Information Technology Institute (CITI), have been authorized to provide project management certification training under the provisions of Title 38 Section 3675, United States Code of Federal Regulation for Veterans program.
The Project Management Institute (PMI)® has designated CITI as a “Global Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.)” This signifies that CITI has met PMI’s rigorous standards of quality curriculum and instruction for project management training.
CITI’s project management curriculum includes certification training programs for project practitioners of all education and skill levels. The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® is a good entry-level certification for those who are new to project management. The Project Management Professional (PMP)® is the most important globally-recognized and independently validated credential for experienced project managers.
Course offerings related to these and other credentials are offered at CITI on a monthly basis. Research studies have proven that project management certifications can positively impact project manager salaries, and help them stand out to prospective employers in the marketplace.
All of CITI’s Project Management Courses are approved for Professional Development Units, as well Education Development Units.
For more information, go to www.citi.uconn.edu or call (203) 251-9516.
Like the smell of flowers, fresh rain, and cut grass, ANTICIPATION is another thing that is in the air during the spring months, where everyone is anxiously awaiting announcements listing winners of various competitions held throughout the University. The CCEI Strategy Competition is one such event. We are currently calculating the scores from last night’s evening of presentations, and will have the announcement of the winners posted on our website and announced by email tomorrow, 4/23/14. Everyone did a great job, and congrats to everyone for having such great ideas, and making it to the finalist round – out of almost 60 entries, being a finalist is a victory in itself. 🙂
Monday night was a great time at the CCEI Startup Challenge Pitch Competition – in fact, we ran out of time before everyone had their turn to pitch! So, we have scheduled a second session to allow everyone who showed up last night the opportunity to pitch their idea, but also if you were unable to attend on Monday, this will provide you one last opportunity to participate in this fun event. We hope to see you there!
4/9/14, 6:00pm
UConn Storrs Campus
GENTRY 131 (School of Education Building – DIFFERENT LOCATION)
**Pizza, refreshments, and soda provided**
The CCEI Startup Challenge Pitch Competition is the first of two events that comprise the CCEI Startup Challenge initiative. At the Pitch Competition,$10,000 in prize money (ten $1000 prizes) will be awarded to individuals or teams across multiple categories. Individuals or teams can pitch more than one idea, and you could win in more than one category. This competition is open to all UConn Students (all majors, levels, campuses), and the idea can be for anything – we encourage you to get creative! Five of the prize categories are listed below; the other five will be revealed at the event. Pitches will be limited to 90 seconds and will be followed by up to two minutes of Q&A. Have an idea? Pitch it!
First Five Prize Categories Revealed:
Don’t forget the CCEI Pitch Competition is being held tonight at 6pm (instead of 7 as originally planned) in ITE C-80 so that we can make sure everyone is able to watch the Huskies WIN tonight! How awesome would it be to watch that win with a giant check in your hands …. hope to see you tonight, and can’t wait to hear your ideas!
The snow is finally melting and temperatures are slowly rising, which means we are finally entering collegiate competition season, including our annual CCEI Startup Challenge.
The CCEI Startup Challenge is a two-pronged initiative that includes a Pitch Competition (April 7th), where ten $1000 prizes are given out for different categories of elevator pitches. Then, the second element is a written Strategy Competition, where participants submit a written application containing specific elements found in a business plan (submission is max 5 pages in length), all submissions are reviewed, and the finalists are invited to do a full length presentation for a panel of judges from the University and from the Connecticut entrepreneurial community. The details of these events can be found by vising our “Business Plan Competition” page.
So, although this is a two part initiative, participants can do either/or, or both events. However, we strongly encourage people to take the ideas that they pitch at the Pitch Competition, and flesh them out and submit written Strategy Competition entries for these same ideas. The Strategy Competition also provides winners with larger monetary prizes, details found on the Business Plan Competition page.
In past years, we have had significant overlap with other competition participants, such as Innovation Quest (iQ), the Engineering Senior Design Project (ESDP), Startup Weekend Storrs, and the State Collegiate BizPlan Competition. The Pitch Competition is an event that we designed to be “for students by students”, and this years’ judges include winners from the 2013 CCEI Startup Challenge. It is fun and interactive, and last year there were over 60 ideas presented to a packed room of over 100 attendees.
Any UConn student is eligible to participate – each person (or team) has 90 seconds to present an elevator pitch for an idea of any type (app, manufactured product, service, etc.), real or hypothetical, and we present ten participants with $1000 each for 10 different prize categories, which include things like “best green idea”, “best college-focused idea”, “best overall pitch”, etc (listed on Business Plan Competition page). If you already are working on an idea, or if you are someone who wants to become involved in entrepreneurship at UConn, please come join us for the Pitch Competition! Any type of idea pitch will be heard – be as creative and innovative as you want to be. Do you have an idea? Pitch it!!!!
Selection focuses on culture and curriculum that caters to vets.
This week, the Military Times newspaper named the UConn School of Business and its MBA Program to its “Best for Vets: Business Schools 2014” list, in recognition of the School’s commitment to providing opportunities to America’s veterans.
It is the latest acknowledgement of the strength of services for veterans offered through UConn’s School of Business, which has a record of success engaging those who have served in the armed forces.Continue Reading