School of Business

Joe DeMartino, managing director of Angel Investor Forum of East Hartford, has attended the iQ finale at UConn for the last four years.

"We invest in early stage companies and are always interested in finding up-and-coming companies," adding that he is particularly interested in EyeCaptcha and Parrot MD.

"One thing that's a constant in this early stage is change. The team has to be willing to stick with it and be open to advice," he said. His advice to all inventors is to surround themselves with good advisers and really listen to what they have to say.

"These students have done their homework. I see good, solid business opportunities coming out of here," DeMartino said. "It's a very interesting program to watch develop over the years."

David Menard, a partner in the law firm Murtha Cullina of Hartford, volunteered his time to offer legal advice to the participants, this year, as he has for the previous two.

"I have a passion for entrepreneurship and a passion for young companies trying to get started," he said. "This program takes a year's worth of learning and stuffs it into six weeks. I can't help but tear up. It makes me inspired to see them."

Mahoney, the investor of the home therapeutic massage device, found his inspiration as a pitcher on the baseball team at Barnstable High School in Hyannis, Mass. He wanted to augment the professional physical therapy he received to eliminate muscle knots and maximize his performance but was unable to find something on the market, so he used a golf ball to reach small muscles in his arm. The 360 Performance Technologies massage device he and Brown developed adheres to the wall for ease of use and has no direct competition, he said. They plan to market it first to athletes and later to the general public. The investors thought the $50 market price would be well received.

Mahoney said partnering with Brown, who earned his bachelor's degree in finance in May, was one of the best decisions he made because Brown brought expertise in many different areas.

Theo Marrinan, a junior majoring in economics and Mandarin, has developed a picture-based security system, for the internet to replace the italic, often-difficult to decipher, code that people use to obtain concert tickets and make other online purchases. His EyeCaptcha invention is more secure and user friendly than the current options and offers the advantage of drawing in advertising revenue. He is working with a team of developers now and has started prototyping.

"This was an incredibly helpful program," he said of iQ. "The network alone is invaluable. In these early stages, it's really hard. You have all these crazy ideas that you're sprouting. The mentors help refine your idea and your company, and make it much stronger."

Marrinan recalls enrolling in the entrepreneurial class called "Gaining Competitive Advantage" and realizing that his dream could become a reality. The course was offered at night, the room was packed and stuffy. "When the professor started talking, you could hear a pin drop," he said. "You could see the future being built in that classroom. We were all enraptured in that moment. It was a powerful experience."

Mia Forte '16 (ENG), the student ambassador to iQ and a senior engineering student, said she enjoyed seeing ideas grow and become more sophisticated based on adviser feedback. She may enter the competition next year.

"I think iQ has to be one of the most exciting things I've been lucky enough to experience at UConn so far. The networking opportunities are incredible," she said, noting the vast number of experts—from lawyers to other entrepreneurs to faculty members—have donated their time to help the students succeed. "It has been so cool to see, because you get to watch those relationships grow, and witness the passion on both sides."