CTStartup Podcast– In this episode of our series covering UConn’s Innovation Quest startup incubator, we talk to Jaclyn Paride about her innovative new employment concept, Zapployment.
Innovation Quest
UConn Innovation Quest: Podstories
CTStartup Podcast– CTStartup was invited to interview the finalists of UConn’s Innovation Quest, a startup incubator program that seeks to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life.
Appropriately enough, our first interview is with Ali Oshinskie of Podstores, who hops to turn this casting medium into an effective way for businesses to tell their story to consumers. Tune in for what could be the future of business podcasting.
CEO: Among Worthwhile Charities, UConn Tops List

“The UConn School of Business was the foundation for everything I did in my career. It set me on a great course,” said Eugene F. Martin III, ’87, ’89 MBA, president and CEO of Gordon Brothers Finance Co. “If a career is a pyramid, you need a strong foundation. That came from my education at UConn.” Continue Reading
An Exceptional Business Education
The School of Business is experiencing substantial and exciting growth. Our undergraduate majors are ‘red hot’ because they offer the ideal combination of intellectual challenge, career potential and financial reward. Our undergraduate enrollment is up 36 percent since 2012. Continue Reading
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.
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
2016 iQ Winners

“I Was Surprised That Someone Hadn’t Invented This Yet”
UConn senior Stephen Hawes debuted as an entrepreneur several years ago, working diligently to perfect his first invention: a wrist-mounted, propane-driven flame thrower.
His parents worried that their son, a mechanical engineering student, would burn down their home.
But Hawes persisted, and brought his prototype to an engineering conference in New York City. There, he saw a company demonstrating artificial appendages for children missing fingers.Continue Reading
Nerac to Host the Next XcellR8 Meeting April 28
Nerac – Nerac (www.nerac.com/) is pleased to announce the next XcellR8 meeting which will be held Thursday, April 28, 2016 at the Nerac headquarters in Tolland, CT. The XcellR8 meetings are high energy, interactive gatherings for entrepreneurs to pitch ideas and concepts and to brainstorm creative solutions to challenges. XcellR8 welcomes Greg Kirber and the team from PartsTech, Inc. (www.partstech.com/)
Student Ideas Become Reality at Innovation Quest Workshop
The Daily Campus – Having an idea and turning it into something real is the premise behind the world’s greatest achievements, from jets that fly around the world to electric cars. At the second Innovation Quest workshop at the University of Connecticut School of Business lounge, students began to make some of their ideas into a reality.
UConn Launches 5th Innovation Quest

Students, Teams, Ideas Soaring to New Levels, Mentors Say
Graduate nursing student Samantha Nesbeth wants to find a way to use genetics, instead of hair transplants, to help men and women regrow thinning hair.
“When you lose your hair, you see yourself as a different person,” said Nesbeth. “You don’t know who you are without hair. It can be disabling and depressing. Your hair is part of who you are,” said the Meriden native, who is planning a career as a nurse practitioner specializing in dermatology.Continue Reading
