{"id":165027,"date":"2020-10-12T07:12:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T11:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=165027"},"modified":"2020-10-13T12:30:09","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T16:30:09","slug":"five-uconn-affiliated-startups-vie-recognition-funding-prestigious-wolff-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2020\/10\/five-uconn-affiliated-startups-vie-recognition-funding-prestigious-wolff-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Five UConn-Affiliated Startups Vie For Recognition, Funding at Prestigious Wolff Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong>A novel swimsuit design, a healthier food for the fish we eat, and an app that could assist teenagers in their quest go to college are the inspiration for some of the five UConn startups vying for a prestigious entrepreneurship award.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s Wolff New Venture Competition finalists are some of the best startups we have ever had participating in this annual event,\u2019\u2019 says Jennifer Murphy, director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI).<\/p>\n

The entrepreneurs spent the summer in CCEI\u2019s Summer Fellowship business accelerator. Half of the 10 participants were offered an invitation to the Wolff competition on Oct. 19. This year\u2019s event will be virtual.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wolff competition is meant to celebrate the success of not only these five startups, but of our entrepreneurial ecosystem here at UConn that has guided, mentored, and supported these entrepreneurs and helped to get them to where they are today,\u2019\u2019 Murphy says. \u201cWhile only one team will walk away as the \u2018Wolff Winner,\u2019 with an additional $20,000 in startup funding, each of the teams has the opportunity to build a connection from this program that can help them take their venture to the next level.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The finalists include:<\/p>\n

Fish-Food Entrepreneur is Swimming in Opportunity<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Peter Goggins (Nathan Oldham\/UConn School of Business)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peter Goggins ’21 (CAHNR) sometimes wades through fish-food dust that\u2019s as deep as snow, but that hasn\u2019t derailed his enthusiasm for his new company Pisces Atlantic, which is creating a healthier, less expensive and more environmentally friendly fish food.<\/p>\n

Recently relocating his business from his parent\u2019s home to a production facility in East Hartford was a big step in his journey to become a significant disruptor in the commercial fish-food industry. He is motivated by the belief that the fish we eat should be fed high-quality ingredients, because ultimately it will be humans ingesting those nutrients.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not hard for me to stay focused and motivated,\u2019\u2019 says Goggins, 21, an environmental science major. \u201cI\u2019m continually thinking about my business and what I want it to look like two or three years down the line.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Making a Splash: Alumna Entrepreneur Creates Flattering Swimwear<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Hayley Segar (contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alumna Hayley Segar \u201917 (CLAS) would like women to look forward to shopping for swimwear, instead of dreading it. Segar has created \u2018onewith,\u2019 a swimwear company that features lightweight fabrics and a seamless design for a more flattering look.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor so many women, swimwear has been a massive pain point,\u2019\u2019 says Segar, whose work features an East Coast aesthetic. \u201cSwimsuits are all made the same way, even the so-called \u2018figure flattering\u2019 brands. They may say they offer compressing fabric but that often means they have elastic and tight seams that are uncomfortable and not particularly flattering.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Segar, 24, who previously worked in the bridal industry and has a popular YouTube channel, says she knew from the time she was young that she would become an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know what it would be, but I felt I was on a path to build something of my own,\u2019\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Junity Creator Hopes to Make a World of Difference for Teens<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Janoye Williams (contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strong test scores and a determined grandmother helped Janoye Williams attend a prestigious magnet school that prepared him for a successful life. But many of his friends struggled in underperforming high schools\u2014without the resources or guidance to chart a new life.<\/p>\n

Williams – who works at Pratt & Whitney and is earning his second graduate degree at UConn – and two friends have created a mobile app startup called Junity that can connect ambitious teenagers with the support they need to succeed, whether educational, employment or mentorship programs. All they\u2019ll need to do is enter their zip code to be connected with local resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like society gave up on my friends,\u2019\u2019 says Williams, 28. \u201cOur goal is to eliminate the disparity that exists today by becoming a bridge between students in need and the resources that can help them!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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A Wheelchair-Dependent Grandma Inspired \u2018SedMed\u2019 Startup<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Jeremy Bronen (contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than half of the injuries suffered by people over 85 occur in the bathroom. Two UConn mechanical engineering alumni are hoping to prevent some of those mishaps \u00a0with their startup called SedMed, a toilet-lift\/assistance product designed to make it easier for the elderly and disabled to get on and off the toilet.<\/p>\n

The company is the brainchild of Jeremy Bronen \u201920 (ENG) and Tim Krupski \u201915 (ENG), who is currently a graduate student in business and engineering. When Krupski was in high school, his grandmother suffered a stroke and became wheelchair dependent. That\u2019s when he recognized the need for an assistive device.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis company and this product were founded on the principle of caring for and helping the people we love\u2014our families,\u2019\u2019 Bronen says. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved creating things. The idea of creating a novel product and building a company around that product is really something that gives me joy\u2014even through the challenges.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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No More Worry Warts: Medical Resident May Revolutionize Patient Care<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Reid Waldman (Stan Godlewski for UConn Health)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The problem with warts is they are not only disgusting, and contagious, but they are also extremely stubborn and can linger for up to five years on those unlucky enough to get them.<\/p>\n

UConn Health dermatology medical resident Reid Waldman has helped devise a new treatment, delivering precise wart-busting medication via a microneedle patch that looks like a bandage. His startup, VeraDermics, would initially target school-age kids, who typically protest conventional treatments, including a painful process of freezing warts to eliminate them.<\/p>\n

\u201cPharmaceutical startups are a high-risk endeavor and much harder to initiate than others,\u2019\u2019 he says. \u201cI believe this idea, if executed right, will be kid-friendly and can help a lot of people.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The Wolff New Venture Competition will take place on Oct. 19 where five UConn-affiliated startups will vie for $20,000 in funding. For more information or to RSVP to attend the live (virtual) presentations, please visit: https:\/\/ccei.uconn.edu\/wolff-new-venture-competition.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UConn-affiliated startups in fields ranging from medicine to fish food are finalists in this year’s Wolff New Venture Competition. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":165040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1866,2226,1862,1868,2235,179,2225],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2105],"class_list":["post-165027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engr","category-clas","category-busn","category-meds","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-health","category-uconn-storrs"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 12:29:59","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165027"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165139,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165027\/revisions\/165139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/165040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165027"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=165027"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=165027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}