{"id":229566,"date":"2025-05-05T14:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T18:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=229566"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:00:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T19:00:49","slug":"uconn-students-pitch-tech-startups-at-semester-end-showcase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/05\/uconn-students-pitch-tech-startups-at-semester-end-showcase\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Students Pitch Tech Startups at Semester-End Showcase"},"content":{"rendered":"

On April 28, students in a\u00a0<\/span>Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship class<\/span><\/a> capped off their academic year-long entrepreneurial journey by pitching their technology-based startup ventures at the course\u2019s final pitch day.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event, held at the Innovation Partnership Building, featured eight student teams presenting to an audience of guest judges, peers, and visiting international students. A networking hour with light refreshments followed, offering time for further discussion and connection.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tech-EntrepreneurshipThe course, co-taught by Dr. Leila Daneshmandi from the College of Engineering and Sam Nanayakkara from the School of Business, is an interdisciplinary, project-based class that brings together students from across campus to form teams and tackle real-world problems with innovative technology solutions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s cohort included students from five UConn schools and colleges: Engineering; Business; Nursing; Fine Arts; and Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. Participants ranged from first-year undergraduates to graduate students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
The Flexapy team presenting their mobile app pitch idea to a panel of judges. (UConn Photo\/Sarah Redmond)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe students have to work across disciplines, build communication skills, and collaborate as a team. That\u2019s part of their learning journey,\u201d said Nanayakkara. \u201cThey\u2019re not just learning how to start a company, they\u2019re learning how to work with people who think differently from them, how to adapt, and how to lead. These are skills that apply far beyond entrepreneurship, whether they go into startups, industry, or any field where innovation and collaboration matter.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the 26 students began developing their ventures in the fall semester\u2019s <\/span>Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship I<\/span><\/a> course. That course introduces ideation, design thinking, and business models. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The spring sequel focuses on startup strategy, product-market fit, prototyping, and financials. Together, the courses form a year-long, hands-on sequence designed to help students build viable, scalable technology ventures. No prior experience is required to enroll in the Fall course.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This spring, Joseph Luciani from the College of Engineering\u2019s <\/span>Innovation Shop<\/span><\/a> joined the instructional team, providing students with support in prototyping and technical development, further strengthening the course\u2019s emphasis on building real, working solutions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The student teams focused on solutions across a wide range of areas, including charging infrastructure, AI regulations, energy trading, healthcare, elderly care, mobility assistance, physical therapy, and agriculture. The ventures pitched were OptiEnerX, Safety Assurance Index, SoleShift, Transferable, PowerBid, Goldilocks, SmarThyCheck, and Flexapy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The audience also included 24 visiting students from the U.S. Department of State\u2019s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), who were on campus for a five- week entrepreneurship program hosted by UConn\u2019s Global Training and Development Institute. The YSEALI students observed the final presentations, asked thoughtful questions, and joined the networking session following the pitches.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe event was a perfect reflection of UConn\u2019s entrepreneurial spirit and culture of innovation,<\/span><\/span>\u201d said Dr. <\/span>Tolga<\/span> Turker, Director of Global Entrepreneurial Programs at UConn\u2019s Global Development and Training Institute.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>The<\/span> student pitches <\/span>showcased<\/span> bold imagination and real-world problem-solving, inspiring the YSEALI fellows to pursue their own ideas.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A panel of guest judges provided constructive feedback and insights, helping teams refine their ideas and build confidence in presenting to external stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event also welcomed course alum Sage Bhagwansingh, founder of Sage Scenes, who returned to support the event and contributed videography, demonstrating the strong and growing community around UConn’s innovation programming.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n