ABOUT SUMMER FELLOWSHIP

Open to: Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni

The top ten startups from across the University are selected to participate in the Summer Fellowship experience. This program takes place three days a week over eight weeks, where participants develop the skills needed to bring new products, services, and technologies to market. Each team receives one-on-one coaching and mentorship from industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs. Teams are provided with pro bono legal and accounting services to help with initial business setup and support.

Summer Fellowship is UConn’s startup accelerator program and is an immersive entrepreneurial experience open to anyone affiliated with UConn. Summer Fellowship is CCEI’s flagship program and has prepared startups to launch their company, generate revenue, raise funding (grants, investments, etc.), and be accepted into next step opportunities such as incubators and accelerator programs.

Teams pursuing high-potential ventures who have formed through participation in other UConn entrepreneurship programs are encouraged to apply.

calendar

8 Week Program

An 8-week long, intensive program designed to support emerging entrepreneurs as they plan to launch their business.

support

Support Services

Pro-bono legal, accounting, and marketing/branding services are provided to assist in the proper establishment of your business and deciding how you want to structure your venture.

mentors

Mentors

One-on-one mentoring and guidance provided by seasoned industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs to foster venture growth. 

funding

Funding

$15,000 (non-equity, non-diluting) in funding for business development; up to $5,000 (per student) can be used to pay a member of the team (current UConn student or recent UConn graduate).

workshops

Workshops + Masterclasses

Expert led sessions covering all scaling fundamentals – go to market strategy, pitch compilation, sales and fundraising, to name a few.

finale

Next Step Opportunities 

At the conclusion of the program, a selection committee will choose 5 teams to advance to the Wolff New Venture Competition to compete for over $50,000, including a $25,000 grand prize.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

Info Session

  • February 1, 2024 @ 12-1pm, virtual
    Learn about the application process and the program from the instructors and past participants.
  • February 6, 2024 @ 5-6pm, virtual
    Learn about the application process and the program from the instructors and past participants.

Application Deadline

  • February 25, 2024 @ 11:59pm
    Online application is due.

Pitch Selection Notification

  • February 27, 2024
    Applications are assessed for suitable startups.

Summer Fellowship Pitch Days

  • March 4, 2024 @ 1-4pm, and March 5, 2024 @ 9-12pm
    20 startups are chosen to pitch to our selection committee made up of instructors, mentors and industry experts.

Interview Selection Notification

  • March 5, 2024
    A selection of startups are chosen to interview with our selection committee.

Interviews

  • March 18, 19 and 20, 2024
    A selection of startups are chosen to interview with our selection committee.

Acceptance Notification

  • March 21, 2024
    10 startups are selected into the program.

Orientation

  • April 16, 2024 @ 4-6pm
    The accepted startups meet with the Summer Fellowship instructional team and get started on their pre-program assignments.

Summer Fellowship

  • June 3, 2024 - August 1, 2024 @ 9am-3pm
    Startups participate in the 8-week long accelerator on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays of each week, with a mid-program break the week of the 4th of July.

Summer Fellowship Finale

  • August 1, 2024 @ TBA
    Startups present their final pitches to a crowd of mentors, investors and industry experts. 5 startups are chosen for the Wolff New Venture Competition

PROGRAM DETAILS

APPLY

Applications are to be submitted during the initial months of the year.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to apply, your team must:

  • have at least one team member affiliated with UConn (undergraduate or graduate student, faculty, staff or alumni)
  • have at least one founding member available to participate in ALL scheduled program dates, including commuting to our Hartford center one to two days per week.
  • be a legally registered business (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp etc.) by May 15, 2024

TIMING + COMMITMENT

Participants spend three days per week over eight weeks in the summer developing skills needed to bring new products and technologies to market and receiving one-on-one coaching from industry experts. Sessions are held from 9am-3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and some early-evening networking events or other activities may be scheduled. The Summer 2024 cohort will be hybrid, with one to two of the three days per week located at our center in Hartford. Teams should expect to spend additional time outside of the program hours working on their business.

SUMMER 2024 SCHEDULE

Week 1: 6/3 - 6/7, 9am-3pm
Week 2: 6/10 - 6/14, 9am-3pm
Week 3: 6/17 - 6/21, 9am-3pm
Week 4: 6/24 - 6/28, 9am-3pm
4th of July Break
Week 5:
7/8 - 7/12, 9am-3pm
Week 6: 7/15 - 7/19, 9am-3pm
Week 7: 7/22 - 7/26, 9am-3pm
Week 8: 7/29 - 8/1, 9am-3pm

FUNDING

Each team is awarded $15,000 (non-equity, non-diluting) in funding to aid in business development. Of which, up to $5,000 (per student) can be used to pay a member of the team to participate in the program. This team member must be a current UConn student or recent UConn graduate (May 2024), and it will be paid as fellowship – half at start of program, half at completion.

PREVIOUS SUMMER COHORTS

2023

Andros - Laron Burrows, PhD Candidate, ENG; George Bollas, Faculty, ENG; Jacob Crow, Student, ENG

PUURE - Christina Phillips, Student, BUS; Krystal Phillips, Industry

Feel Your Best Self - Sandy Chafouleas, Faculty, NEAG; Emily Wicks, Staff, SFA

GREENBOX Tech - Xiusheng Yang, Faculty, CAHNR; Ankit Singh, Alumni, CAHNR; William H. Yang, Alumni, CLAS; Lan Yang, Alumni

Growler Power - Robert Zielonka, Alumni, BUS; Jacquelyn Higgins, Alumni, BUS; Louis Westfall, Industry; Geffrey Stopper, Industry

Milieu - Sabrina Uva, PhD Candidate, CLAS; Marilena Mademtzi, Student, BUS

Mud Rat - Amelia Martin, Student, CAHNR

Particle N - Al Kasani, PhD Candidate, ENG; Michael Dunn, Student, ENG; Reiner Reichenberger, Student, ENG

Swipestorm - Nathan Catapano, Student, CLAS

2021

Social Labs, LLC (DBA: Frontlines) - Sameer Laul, Graduate Student, CLAS; Sahil Laul, Staff/Alumni, CLAS

Reactomol - Eugene Pinkhassik, Faculty, CLAS; Sergey Dergunov, Faculty, CLAS; Kevin Rivera, PhD Student, CLAS

InPrint Bio - Jacob Quint, PhD Student, ENG; Mohamadmahdi (Mehdi) Samandari, Post-Doc, ENG; Ali Tamayol, Faculty, ENG

Curated CT, LLC - Donald Pendagast, Alumni, BUS; Paul Carbonell, Alumni, BUS; Rahul Sinha, Alumni, BUS

PatentPlus - Jake Winter, Student, ENG; Massyl Mallem, Student, ENG

Queen Bee LLC - Raina Jain, Student, ENG; Harsha Jain, Student, ENG

Engagement Solutions - Shaleighne Cantner, Alumni, NEAG; Raja Sivaramakrishnan; Jeff Kong, Industry Partner; Rashmi Patel, Graduate Student, BUS

AgroWell Biosciences - Robert Samples, Graduate Student, CLAS; Sara Puckett, Graduate Student, CLAS; Rishabh Kejriwal, Graduate Student, CLAS

ProVelocity Bat - Elijah Taitel, Student, ENG

Reach Bar - Eva Quigley, Student, CAHNR; Natalie Lacroix, Student, SFA; Sofia Saul, Student, CLAS

2019

Fusion Technologies - Ray Li, Student, BUS; Jianning Li, Student, CLAS

Geyser Remediation - Nikolas Franceschi-Hofmann, Alumni, BUS & ENG; Elizabeth Perry, Student, BUS; Brendan MacIntyre, Alumni, ENG

Green Agronomics - Jason Henderson, Faculty, CAHNR; Amanda Clark, Student, BUS

Land Maverick - Emily Yale, Graduate Student, ENG

Levo International - Christian Heiden, Student, CAHNR; William Heiden, Industry Partner

Phoenix Tailings - Mike Martin, Graduate Student, ENG; Nick Myers, Industry Partner

Nami Therapeutics - Dr. Xiuling Lu, Faculty, School of Pharmacy; Derek Hargrove, Graduate Student, School of Pharmacy; Sterling Glass, Graduate Student, School of Pharmacy

Optimize - Dr. Linda Pescatello, Faculty, CAHNR; Dr. Yin Wu, Post-Doc Fellow, CAHNR; Rachel Berkowsky, Graduate Student, CAHNR; Harry Korzenowski, Student, Springfield College; Margaux Guidry, Industry Partner

Therapeutic Bandage Products - Dr. Lawrence Silbart, Faculty, CAHNR; Malu Foley, Student, BUS; Colleen Ross, Student, ENG; Jenna Marteka, Student, CLAS

Transit2College - Ankit Saini, Student, ENG; Michael DaCosta, Student, BUS; Brendan Mabey, Student, Academic Center For Exploratory Students; Sandeep Saini, Industry Partner

2017

Swift Revu - Eli Gates, Student, ENG; Scott Drozd, Alumni, BUS

SquareOne - Alexander Ajayi, Student, BUS; Mahir Rana, Student, ENG; Melissa Berkey, Staff, Office of Undergraduate Research; Steven Williams, Faculty, Accounting

GRAW Sports - Jonathan Meier, Student, ENG; Colin Miller, Student, CLAS

Quantum Purification - Dong Yu, Graduate Student, BUS; Susan Jacob, Graduate Student, BUS; Michael Curtis, Industry Partner

Dermatat - Faizan Khan, Student, BUS; Natalie Miccile, Graduate Student, BUS; Ishita Banerjee, PharmD, BUS; Diane J. Burgess, Faculty, Pharmaceutics; Kate Fitzgerald, Faculty (UMass Medical)

Potentiometric Probes LLC - Corey Acker, Faculty, UConn Health; Rishi Sharma, Graduate Student, BUS; Leslie Loew, Faculty, UConn Health; Ping Yan, Faculty, UConn Health

Zapployment - Jaclyn Paride, Student, BUS & CLAS; Fernanda Ferrari, Industry Partner

Hans Health - David Han, Faculty, MED; Veneta Qendro, PhD Candidate, MED; Poornima Hegde, Faculty, UConn Health; Jim LaFrance, Faculty, MED

Eir Medical Devices - Kostyantyn Partola, Graduate Student, ENG; George Lykotrafitis, Faculty, ENG

NatalSure - Courtney Townsel, Fellow, UConn Health; Hoyu Tang, Graduate Student, BUS; Winston Campbell, Faculty, UConn Health

 

2022

ShadeSnap - Brian Peng, Student, CLAS; Shivam Patel, Student, ENG

Lactation Innovations - Jayme Coates, Alumni, ENG & BUS MBA; Brittany Molkenthin, Alumni, NUR

RiboDynamics - Daniele Fabris, Faculty, CLAS; Limin Deng, Post-Doc, CLAS

Luma Hydration - Jaden Brodeur, Alumni, BUS; Willy Hogan, Industry Partner

Tick Me Off - Lawrence Silbart, Faculty Emeritus, CAHNR; Cassandra Speight, Alumni, CAHNR; Alecia Aldrich, Student, CAHNR; Kevin Bouley, Alumni, BUS

Aerius Water - Richard Fu, Alumni, ENG; Samuel Curameng, Student, BUS; Devin Cook, Alumni, ENG; Lara Beckius

365 Bloom - Harsha Jain, Alumni, ENG; Lindsey Huang, Student, CAHNR

Appoint - Hunter Bowden, Alumni, BUS; Michael Greco, Alumni, BUS; Hailey Altobelli, Alumni, BUS; Jonathan Moore, Faculty, BUS; Michelle Saglimbene

SmartCards AR - Sudiksha Mallick, Student, CLAS; Justin Nappi, Student, ENG

Genesist - Ashkan Novin, PhD Student, ENG; Kshitiz Kz, Faculty, ENG

2020

WrapUp - Kishan Patel, Alumni, CLAS; Harsh Patel, Industry Partner; Luis Blancofe, Industry Partner

Junity - Janoye Williams, Graduate Student, BUS; Chiziterem Uwaga, Alumni, ENG; Astou Diallo, Student, BUS; Alula Shiferaw, Industry Partner

Pisces Atlantic LLC - Peter Goggins, Student, CAHNR

Kona Brand - Zachary Will, Student, BUS

VeraDermics Inc. - Dr. Reid Waldman, Dermatology Resident, UConn Health; Dr. Tim Durso, Industry Partner; Ming Lee, PhD Student, Academic Center For Exploratory Students; Kyle Ryder; Audrey Worth, Student, CLAS

SedMed - Timothy Krupski, Graduate Student, ENG & BUS; Jeremy Bronen, Student, ENG

Hintersight Studios LLC - Stefan Lopuszanski, Graduate Student, SFA

onewith - Hayley Segar, Alumni, CLAS

Unlimino - Harrison Burr, Student, SFA; Andrew Martino, Industry Partner; Pranav Thaker, Industry Partner; Brandon Lebiszczak, Industry Partner; Christian Galain, Industry Partner

Sourcery - Dr. Tom Scheinfeldt, Faculty, SFA; Dr. Wes Hamrick, Post-Doc, SFA; Brooke Gemmell, Staff, SFA; Sara Sikes, Staff, SFA; Greg Colati, Staff, UConn Library; Brian Daley, Staff, SFA; Garrett McComas, Staff, SFA; Allison Marsh, Student, SFA; Samson Weiner, Alumni, ENG

2018

YouCOMM - Daniel Yasoshima, Graduate Student, ENG; Thomas Cotton, Graduate Student, ENG

Encapsulate - Armin Tahmasbi Rad, PhD Candidate, ENG; Leila Daneshmandi, PhD Candidate, MED 

The Grewery - Cameron Collins, Student, CAHNR; James Polo-Lossius, Alumni, CLAS

QRfertile - Reza Amin, PhD Candidate, ENG; Savas Tasoglu, Assistant Professor, ENG; Stephanie Knowlton, PhD Student, ENG

Snipit - Alexander Ciccio, Student, BUS; Andrew Burns, Student, ENG; Vincent Turnier, Student, ENG

WickAway - Trevor Svec, Student, ENG; Philip Gitman, Student, ENG

Dyadic Innovations - Ruth Lucas, Faculty, NUR; Jimi Francis, Faculty (UT Tyler), College of Nursing and Health Sciences; Patrick Hocking, Student, ENG

MycoZap - Xiuchun (Cindy) Tian, Faculty, CAHNR; Elizabeth Johnson, Student, CAHNR

WellTech - Madeleine Aseltine, Student, CLAS; Riddhi Doshi, Post-Doc Fellow, MED; Chongliang Luo, Post-Doc Fellow, MED; Wenjie Wang, Graduate Student, CLAS; Cal Colins, Industry Partner; Robert Aseltine, Faculty, MED

SAVKAR.AI - Amit Savkar, Faculty, CLAS; William Moschella, Industry Partner; David Nichols, Graduate Student, CLAS

2016

3D Array Technologies - Yanbing Guo, Faculty, ENG; Pu-Xian Gao, Faculty, ENG

Eleframes - Rosse Gates, Student, ENG; Gazment Sosoli, Student, ENG

EVA Systems - Joseph Warren, Graduate Student, CLAS; Penny Vlahos, Faculty, CLAS

LambdaVision - Nicole Wagner, Faculty, CLAS; Jordan Greco, Post-Doc, CLAS; Molly Zgoda, Student, CLAS; Robert Birge, Faculty, CLAS

Maliaka - Ofonime Udo-Okon, Student, CLAS; Cherina Zerbo, Alumni, BUS; Kwasi Gyambibi, Staff, Center for Academic Programs

Oral Fluid Dynamics - Rajadinakaran Gopinath, Graduate Student, BUS; Robert Kelly, Faculty, UConn Health; Martin Freilich, Faculty, UConn Health; Doug Adams, Faculty, UConn Health

Protecticscope - Elizabeth Pouya, Student, CLAS; Ryan Cordier, Student, ENG; Amisha Dave, Student, ENG

RA-RxD - Caroline Dealy, Faculty, UConn Health; Ryan Beach, Graduate Student, CLAS; James Heym, Faculty, Office of the VP for Research; Micha Abeles, Faculty, UConn Health; Dennis Wright, Faculty, Pharmacy 

Reinesse - Ying Liu, Student, ENG; Jie Shen, Faculty, Pharmacy; Yue Zhang, Graduate Student, BUS; Diane Burgess, Faculty, Pharmacy; Hadi Bozogmenash, Faculty, ENG; Mary Caravella, Faculty, BUS; Montgomery Shaw, Faculty, ENG; Jim LaFrance, Industry Partner

ShrimpBright - Anthony Patelunas, Graduate Student, CLAS; Nipam Patel, Faculty (UC Berkeley); Matt Dunn, Graduate Student, BUS

PROGRAM PARTNERS

PROGRAM CONTACTS

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Alycia Chrosniak
Assistant Director of Brand and Venture Development
alycia.chrosniak@uconn.edu

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Jennifer Mathieu
Executive Director

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Rory McGloin Ph.D.
Associate Director of Entrepreneurial Communication & Research

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Rachel Borden
Business Operations Manager

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Michelle Cote
Lead Instructor