WOLFF NEW VENTURE COMPETITION
Our annual Wolff New Venture Competition is the premier event of UConn’s innovation ecosystem, bringing together its most elite startups and the largest, most energized audience of founders, investors, alumni, and supporters. It’s where the university’s top ventures take the stage — and where big ideas meet big opportunities.
The journey begins in March, when ten startups are selected by an independent panel to join CCEI’s Summer Accelerator. Over eight intensive weeks, these founders refine their business models, validate their markets, and build toward real traction. By the end of the program, only the most promising ventures advance to compete in the Wolff New Venture Competition, chosen for their viability and potential to create meaningful impact.
At the main event each October, finalists pitch live to a panel of expert judges for a share of $150,000+ in non-dilutive funding, including a $30,000 grand prize. But it’s more than just a competition — it’s a celebration of innovation. The event also features a dynamic startup showcase, where Summer Accelerator alumni return to demo products, connect with the community, and compete for additional prizes.
Congratulations to 2025's Wolff New Venture Competition Winner: SeaSol!
Led by Yidan Zhang (PhD Candidate, CAHNR), Mingyu Qiao Ph.D. (Faculty, CAHNR), and Jonathan McGee, SeaSol is converting seaweed into a functional coating that makes food packaging compostable and high-performance at an affordable cost, using our proprietary one-step process.
PREVIOUS WOLFF NEW VENTURE COMPETITION WINNERS:
2024 Winner: Soleia Biosciences
Led by Lakshmi Nair, Ph.D. (Faculty, UConn Health) and Yusuf Khan, Ph.D. (Faculty, UConn Health), Soleia Biosciences is a pharmaceutical company that has developed a long-acting medication to manage pain related to surgery, injury, or chronic disease to improve a patient’s quality of life without the need for opioids.
Read more about Soleia Biosciences.
2023 Winner: Feel Your Best Self
Led by Sandy Chafouleas PhD (Faculty, NEAG) and Emily Wicks (Staff, SFA), Feel Your Best Self offers caregivers fun, easy-to-use products to help kids build emotion-focused coping skills to calm themselves, catch their feelings, and connect with others.
Read more about Feel Your Best Self.
2022 Winner: Lactation Innovations
Led by Jayme Coates and Brittany Molkenthin, Lactation Innovations provides critical insights of how much breastmilk an infant has ingested, helping to prevent dehydration and hyperbilirubinemia in the infant, while increasing the mother's confidence in breastfeeding.
Read more about Lactation Innovations.
2021 Winner: ProVelocity Bat
Led by Elijah Taitel, '22 (ENG) and (BUS), ProVelocity Bat is an innovative baseball and softball training tool that has a sliding “power barrel” that releases to the impact position when a batter achieves the desired speed.
Read more about ProVelocity Bat.
2020 Winner: Pisces Atlantic
Led by Peter Goggins, '21 (CAHNR), Pisces Atlantic aims to render fishmeal-based formulations obsolete by providing species- and application- specific feed formulations that are economical, effective, and generally superior to conventional feed solutions.
Read more about Pisces Atlantic.
2019 Winner: Phoenix Tailings
Led by Nicholas Myers and Michael Martin '17 (ENG) '19 MS, Phoenix Tailings recycles industrial mining waste that produces usable material for other industries.
Read more about Phoenix Tailings.
2018 Winner: Bastion Health
Led by Reza Amin and Stephanie Knowlton, graduate students in the School of Engineering, Bastion Health is an at home, affordable and easy to use test for male fertility.
Read more about Bastion Health.
2017 Winner: Simvize
Led by Kostyantyn Partola, a graduate student in Engineering, and Dr. George Lykotrafitis, Simvize developed a device designed to help physicians measure patients’ blood viscosity, a traditionally un-used, but promising indicator of cardiac risk, and health for patients on dialysis and certain types of cancers.
Read more about Simvize.
2016 Winner: LamdaVision
Led by Nicole Wagner, LamdaVision uses a protein, grown in a laboratory and implanted procedurally behind the retina, to help patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other retinal diseases.
Read more about LambdaVision.
PREVIOUS FINALISTS:
404 Inc.
Reinventing medical imaging with safe, plant-based contrast agents that eliminate toxic metals without compromising clarity. Learn More.
MLC Nutrition
The first clinic that prescribes healthy meals and whole-person care to improve health outcomes and stay out of the hospital. Learn More.
Orbit Crates
An AI-powered toy rental subscription company that helps parents reduce clutter, save money, and increase intentional, novel play by renting toys instead of owning them. Learn More.
SeaSol
Converting seaweed into a functional coating that makes food packaging compostable and high-performance at an affordable cost, using our proprietary one-step process. Learn More.
Varda 5
OBLS is Varda 5's simulation-based training program that prepares healthcare teams to respond effectively to maternal medical and delivery emergencies. Learn More.
Atlas
An all-natural edible coating from sustainably-farmed seaweed that reduces food loss and spoilage in the supply chains of highly perishable commodities. Learn More.
Happy Dinosaur
A licensable character franchise that combines the spirit of adventure and creativity through children's storytelling. Learn More.
Soleia Biosciences
A pharmaceutical company that has developed a long-acting medication to manage pain related to surgery, injury, or chronic disease to improve a patient’s quality of life without the need for opioids. Learn More.
Vamos
A travel platform designed for remote teams to simplify the complexities of group travel. Learn More.
WheelPrice
A two-sided marketplace for car enthusiasts to buy and sell automotive parts on the second-hand market. Learn More.
Andros: Laron Burrows & George Bollas Ph.D.
Ammonia synthesis reactors that are cheaper, safer, and more energy efficient than the traditional reactor. Learn More.
Feel Your Best Self: Sandy Chafouleas Ph.D. & Emily Wicks
Offering caregivers fun, easy-to-use products to help kids build emotion-focused coping skills to calm themselves, catch their feelings, and connect with others. Learn More.
Mud Rat: Amelia Martin
The world’s first eco-friendly surfboard core. Learn More.
Particle N: Al Kasani, Reiner Reichenberger & Michael Dunn
A cost-effective way to use precious metals in catalysts and similar mechanisms. Learn More.
PUURE: Christina Phillips
An intimate apparel brand creating underwear made of organic and nontoxic materials that promote feminine wellness. Learn More.
Swipestorm: Nathan Catapano
Offering digital solutions for restaurant management, specifically tailored to quick-service restaurants. Their software suite replaces paper-based systems and generic software, and provides valuable insights for owners and managers. Learn More.
Appoint: Hunter Bowden, Michael Greco, Hailey Altobelli, Jonathan Moore, Michelle Saglimbene
Software that removes the burdens of overly complicated nursing clinical schedules and the stress of creating them. Learn More.
Genesist: Ashkan Novin
An RNA-based reagent that can make the healthy tissue surrounding a tumor in patients' body more resistive against breast cancer metastasis.
Lactation Innovations: Jayme Coates & Brittany Molkenthin
Provides critical insights of how much breastmilk an infant has ingested, while increasing the mother's confidence in breastfeeding. Learn More.
RiboDynamics: Daniele Fabris & Limin Deng
Aims to develop technology for the detection of pathogens in biological material based on the presence of specific RNA biomarkers. Learn More.
ShadeSnap: Brian Peng & Shivam Patel
Giving prescription glasses the ability to tint and un-tint on demand. Learn More.
Queen Bee: Raina Jain (Undergraduate, School of Business)
An all-natural beverage made by mixing royal jelly from beehives with ginger and turmeric. Learn More.
ELEA (Engagement Solutions): Shaleighne Cantner (Alumni, NEAG School of Education)
Offering a lifeline to families trying to access special education services. Learn More.
ProVelocity Bat: Elijah Taitel (Undergraduate, School of Business)
A new iteration and invention in baseball training. Learn More.
InPrint Bio: Jacob Quint Ph.D. (Student, School of Engineering)
Offering a reconstructive breakthrough after breast surgery. Learn More.
Reactomol: Eugene Pinkhassik, Sergey Dergunov & Kevin Rivera
Striving to simplify pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce toxic waste. Learn More.
Junity: Janoye Williams (School of Business)
A nonprofit that aims to be a connection point between underprivileged youth and guidance counselors with educational, employment and mentorship programs. Learn More.
SedMed: Jeremy Bronen (School of Engineering)
Creating toilet lift assist devices to help the elderly get on and off toilets. Learn More.
onewith: Haley Segar (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
A bathing suit brand that provides a smoothing, second-skin fit with the feel of seamless undergarments. Learn More.
Pisces Atlantic: Peter Goggins (College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources)
An innovative fish food based on his belief that the fish that people consume should be fed healthy ingredients. Learn More.
VeraDermics: Reid Waldman (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
A revolutionary treatment that eliminates warts by delivering precise wart-busting medication via a microneedle patch similar to a bandage. Learn More.
Aqualumos (Geyser Remediation): Nikolas Franceschi-Hofmann (School of Engineering), Brendan MacInyre (School of Engineering), Elizabeth Perry (School of Business), Gabrielle Conrad-Amlicke (School of Social Work)
A remediation system that breaks down PFAS in drinking water. Learn More.
Land Maverick: Emily Yale (School of Engineering)
A soil-sampling rover that can test soil moisture, pH, and overall nutrient level creating precise and organized measurements to maintain soil quality. Learn More.
Levo International: Christian Heiden (College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources)
Providing sustainable produce to suburban families and uses the proceeds to increase food stability in other countries through a self-contained growing system. Learn More.
Nami Therapeutics: Dr. Xiuling Lu (School of Pharmacy), Derek Hargrove (School of Pharmacy), Sterling Glass (School of Pharmacy)
Providing advanced cancer treatments to fulfill the unmet needs of patients, partnering with pharmaceutical companies to minimize product-toxicity while maximizing effectiveness. Learn More.
Phoenix Tailings: Michael Martin (School of Engineering) & Nicholas Myers
Recycling industrial mining waste, producing usable material for other industries. Learn More.
Encapsulate: Armin Tahmasbi Rad Ph.D. (School of Engineering) & Leila Daneshmandi Ph.D. (School of Engineering)
A diagnosis device to determine personalized treatment for cancer.
MycoZap: Dr. Cindy Tian (Faculty, College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources) & Elizabeth Johnson (Graduate Student, College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources)
A plant-derived antimicrobial treatment for illness in cattle caused by microplasma bovis.
Bastion Health (QRFertile): Reza Amin Ph.D. (School of Engineering), Stephanie Knowlton Ph.D. (School of Engineering), & Dr. Savas Tasoglu (Faculty, School of Engineering)
An in-home device to measure male fertility. Learn More.
Stemify.AI (Savkar.AI): Dr. Amit Savkar (Faculty, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning), Bill Moschella (Chairman, Savkar Inc.) & David Nichols Ph.D. (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
A predictive analytics platform for student retention in STEM fields.
WellTech: Dr. Robert Aseltine (Faculty, UConn Health), Dr. Riddhi Doshi (Postdoctoral Fellow, UConn Health), Wenjie Wang (Graduate Student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), Madeleine Aseltine (Undergraduate Student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), & Cal Colins (Industry Partner, CEO, OpenClinica)
Tablet application to assist healthcare providers in collecting patient information to improve quality measurement.
Eir Medical Devices: Dr. George Lykotrafitis (Faculty, School of Engineering) & Kostyantyn Partola (Graduate Student, School of Engineering)
Developing a device designed to help physicians measure patients’ blood viscosity, a traditionally un-used, but promising indicator of cardiac risk, and health for patients on dialysis and certain types of cancers.
Hans Health: Dr. David Han (Faculty, UConn Health) & Veneta Quendro Ph.D. (Student, UConn Health)
Developing a new way to provide doctors with information about the specific type of mutations causing an individual patient’s form of cancer. Learn More.
NataSure: Dr. Courtney Townsel (Fellow, UConn Health) & Dr. Winston Campbell (Faculty, UConn Health)
Developing a device that will replace in the treatment of cervical insufficiency, a condition that causes prevent premature birth due and miscarriage.
Potentiometric Probes: Dr. Corey Acker (Research Associate, UConn Health), Dr. Leslie Lowe (Faculty, UConn Health) & Dr. Ping Yan (Research Associate, UConn Health)
Creating a voltage-sensitive dye that can help medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies study electrical conductivity in cells, and test for dangerous cardiac side effects while new prescription drugs are in development. Learn More.
Quantum Purification: Dong Yu (Graduate Student, School of Business) & Michael Curtis (Industry Mentor)
Developing a filtration process to help producers of biogas – a renewable natural gas – remove damaging and toxic byproducts more cost efficiently than current solutions that limit its production and adoption as a reliable form of alternative energy.
Eleframes: Rosse Gates & Gazment Sosoli (School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering)
Free-form, interlocking, easy-to-mount and remove photograph displays that makes story-telling beautiful.
EVA Systems: Joseph Warren & Dr. Penny Vlahos (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Marine Sciences)
Measuring contaminant levels in water using a process called “passive sampling” that provides a better picture of the overall health of the body of water and with faster, more consistent results.
LambdaVision: Dr. Nicole Wagner, Dr. Jordan Greco, Molly Zgoda, Audrey Gallo (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Chemistry)
Developing a protein-based retinal implant for the treatment of blinding degnerative diseases.
Oral Fluid Dynamics: Dr. Robert Kelly (School of Dental Medicine, Reconstructive Surgeries) & Gopinath Rajadinakaran (School of Business, MBA/PhD)
Developed to solve the medical problem of dry mouth through the use of an artificial salivary gland that is implanted in the mouth of the patient.
Protectiscope: Elizabeth Pouya (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Physiology/Neuro.) & Ryan Cordier (School of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering)
Intending to improve stethoscope hygiene in healthcare settings using a wall-mounted dispenser that houses a film roll applied via hands-free application.
The Wolff New Venture Competition is proudly supported by:
The Wolff Prize is endowed through the Thomas John and Bette Wolff Family Fund in Strategic Entrepreneurship, established to provide leadership for teaching and research in the field of strategic entrepreneurship. The Wolff family has a long tradition of business success, personal philanthropy, commitment to UConn, the UConn School of Business, and the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. We are grateful for the support of Thomas John (1928-2008) and Bette and their three children Greg, Gary, and Debi.
If you are a company/organization interested in partnering or sponsoring this annual event, or are a UConn-affiliated startup interested in tabling during the showcase component, please email alycia.chrosniak@uconn.edu.