On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI), in partnership with the UConn Foundation, hosted the third annual Get Seeded Demo Day! The virtual occasion featured five student startup teams with unique ideas, with three UConn “Husky” panel judges to ask follow-up questions and ultimately choose the top three winners. 

The five startup teams included: 

Project Clean Surf
An eco-friendly alternative to standard polystyrene & expanded polystyrene surfboard cores.
Amelia Martin, Undergraduate Student, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Sciences 

Toribio
A tech-fashion brand seeking to evolve the utility of clothing & grant people greater insight into their own personal health.
John Toribio, PhD Candidate, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Kyle Mahoney, PhD Candidate, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Sciences
Joshua Ross, Undergraduate Student, School of Business
Josué Martinez-Martinez, Graduate Student, School of Engineering

Clothing Optional
A women's intimate apparel brand made of organic & non-toxic materials that promote feminine wellness.
Christina Phillips, MBA Candidate, School of Business

GeoMate
A technology application aiming to help students feel safe walking alone at night.
Audrey Larson, Undergraduate Student, School of Engineering
Angel Velasquez, Undergraduate Student, School of Engineering
Charlotte Chen, Undergraduate Student, School of Engineering 

Milieu
An app made to reduce anxiety & isolation among students with ADHD and Autism by connecting them via special interests.
Sabrina Uva, PhD Candidate, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

With over 445 viewers during the livestream from all realms of UConn and beyond, the teams had 8 minutes to pitch their idea, with time following for the judges to ask questions and make comments. The teams were also able to answer any questions the audience might have had via a virtual chat. 

The three “Husky” judges included Shannon Allen (Creator of grown), Daniel Faiman ‘03 (CLAS) (Founder/CEO of Revyrie), and The Honorable Antoniette “Toni” Boucher MBA ‘02. To learn more about each judge, please click here. 

Following the five pitches, the audience heard from 2022’s Demo Day winner, StarMind, led by Allie Davenport, undergraduate student at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences & School of Business. 

Once both the audience and judges had time to vote, the winners were announced. In first place was Clothing Optional, winning $5,000 in seed funding. Runner up was Milieu, earning $2,500. Finally, Toribio won third place and $1,000. 

We’d like to thank our program sponsors, including: Santander, The Werth Institute, The School of Business, and the McChesney Family. And thank you to all who were able to attend!