The ECenter is the co-curricular heart of ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship at UNH. Our goal is to create the next generation of leaders with an entrepreneurial mind-set who can see opportunities and identify creative solutions others have missed, one idea at a time. Although part of UNH, we are independent of any one college. |
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The Latest Happenings from the ECenter |
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Happy 2022! The spring semester at UNH started on January 25th and after an amazing conclusion of the fall semester, we are planned and ready for another full and exciting semester of great opportunities for students with our high-impact, experiential signature programs. It's always fun to be at the starting line, anticipating the sprint through activities and programs and eager to see which students excel in their curiosity!
A BIG shoutout to the many of you who thought of the ECenter in your year-end philanthropic giving—every dollar is stretched and goes a long way to impact students. We are excited to welcome Sandy Tripodi as Director of Development who will be focused on continuing the momentum of raising the necessary funding for the ECenter and all of our current and innovative new programs waiting to launch!
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A wonderful growing trend at the ECenter is the percentage of women not only engaging in our programs and coming out ahead (like first-year student Emily Abrusci '25 in i2 Passport), but also launching companies like the story you will read about beeUtiful and co-founders Alison Durand '23 and Sophia Bolduc '23. Consistently over 2/3 of the participants in i2 Passport are women as are 50%+ in Shaw Innovation Explorers, Idea & Innovation Society, and Ideathons. We know with the right tools and the ECenter program support, the historically lower rates of women entrepreneurs in the US will be a mere footnote in history!
#WildcatWomenEntrepreneurs
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Ian Grant
Executive Director, ECenter
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3 Day Start-up Weekend Launches Student Ideas |
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For the first time ever, the ECenter hosted a 3 Day Start-up Weekend event. Geared for students who wanted an intensive workshop on problem solving and idea creation, the event was sponsored by the ECenter's Shaw Innovation Explorers Program.
Facilitator Dustin Liu of Harvard University kicked the weekend off by sharing the principles of entrepreneurship, but the participants were standing up and giving "minnow tank pitches" before the night was over!
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Day two saw the students doing customer discovery and rapid prototyping. Industry leaders from the ECenter's Mentor Network joined in to provide feedback on the ideas that were just 24 hours old.
Armed with the feedback, ideas were tweaked and go-to-market strategy was developed!
On the final day, tight pitches were developed and presented to a team of expert panelists.
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Real ideas came out of this exciting event! A team of Shaw Innovation Explorers - Daisy Burns '24 (Paul College), Will Sargent '24 (CEPS), and Tim Sicard '24 (Paul College) - came up with 3Vize, a solution for low-cost 3D printed products for students with disabilities to reduce accessibility barriers when transitioning to higher education. Another team, Emily Abrusci '25 (COLSA), Nathan Brennan '25 (Paul College), and Michael Hartmann '25 (Paul College), developed Grey't Water, a grey water filtration system that recycles water from your shower and sink drains and redistributes it to your toilets. Emily and Nathan are also currently in the ECenter's first-year focused Idea & Innovation Society.
The 3Vize and Grey't Water teams took their ideas to the Changemaker Collaborative's Social Venture Innovation Challenge. 3Vize won Best Articulated Problem and Grey't Water won Best Overall First-year Student Submission and Most Impact Potential!
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"It was a really cool experience to work with a group of other people to create a new, innovative product/service. I was able to learn a lot about the entrepreneurship process in a step-by-step way that made the learning fun, easy, and intuitive," said Carley Dahlstrom '24 (Paul College).
"This was a non-stop 72-hour marathon for students to get a significant crash-course in idea development. The room was full of sticky notes, drawings, and the energy was contagious. It was a building tool for the Shaw Innovation Explorers Program and any student with the curiosity to embrace innovative change," commented ECenter Executive Director Ian Grant.
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Thank you to all of the students, mentors, and panelists who spent the weekend with us! Thank you to the Shaw Innovation Explorers, David Shaw '73, and John Shaw for making the event possible! |
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Paid Student Internship at Start-ups Now Accepting Applications for Students & Start-ups |
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The Paid Student Internship at Start-ups Program provides a unique opportunity for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to get hands-on, in-the-trenches experience at an innovative start-up, working directly with the founder or co-founder!
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The students get the benefit of impacting a growing business while gaining real-world experience. The start-ups get the benefit of working with a passionate UNH student for free. Thanks to our generous donors, the ECenter provides the start-ups with the money to pay the students. There are up to 15 internship slots for the summer of 2022. Students from all majors and colleges are encouraged to apply. Start-ups from all around New England are welcome!
The ECenter's senior program manager and Internship Program lead, Heather MacNeill said, "This is one of my favorite ECenter programs because the positive impact is so profound and wide-reaching. The value of a well-placed internship means so much for the future success of our students and the start-ups. The students learn a tremendous amount and gain experience that sets them apart from their peers while the start-ups get energetic, capable, and full-time help for the summer."
Don't take our word for it, though! Hear from both a student and a start-up founder who participated in the program last year. Do you want to support a student with their internship? Click on the DONATE button above.
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Derek Bobbitt '24 (Paul College), Intern for evolvetalent.io |
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Joel Nkounkou '18, Co-founder/CEO of ecoText |
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If you're a UNH student or start-up interested in applying to the Paid Student Internship at Start-ups Program for summer 2022, please visit our website. Applications are due by February 14th. Email [email protected] with any questions.
Thank you to our generous donors, many of whom are UNH alumni, for making this program possible!
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Student Entrepreneur Spotlight: beeUtiful |
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From left to right: Sophia Bolduc '23 and Alison Durand '23 |
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This month we celebrate beeUtiful, a start-up company co-founded by Alison Durand '23 (Paul College) and Sophia Bolduc '23 (CHHS). Alison is a Business Administration and Entrepreneurship major and Sophia is a Health Management and Policy major. With the ECenter’s help they’ve been able to create and run a successful self-care box subscription business, beeUtiful, on campus.
What was your background or experience with ideas, innovation and entrepreneurship prior to UNH?
Alison: Prior to UNH I had little experience with entrepreneurship, I had taken business classes in high school, but nothing compared to what I have done since I got to UNH.
Sophia: I had no experience with ideas, innovation and entrepreneurship. UNH does a great job with promoting all things ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Once I got involved, I can’t imagine my UNH experience without it.
Can you tell us more about your start-up company beeUtiful?
Alison: beeUtiful started last January as an idea of how to help struggling women adapt to college life. Since then, we have grown it to a business where we sell wellness boxes to students on campus. Inside the boxes are items to help align your mind, body, and soul for the most successful college experience. We are so proud of how far the business has gone and so happy to see the positive impact it has had on our Hive!
How did the ECenter help you grow your company?
Sophia: The ECenter is the whole reason that beeUtiful went from an idea to a legit company with an LLC. The ECenter provided us with our amazing mentor, Ian Grant, who then advised and supported us through multiple entrepreneurship competitions. These competitions provided us with seed money to help us grow our company and gained access to extremely successful entrepreneurs as well as guidance to each step we took while growing the idea and transforming it to a company.
What was your experience being coached by the ECenter for competitions and business development?
Alison: The ECenter prepared us for all the competitions by helping us with our pitches and preparing us for the potential questions that they could ask us. Not only that but they helped to grow our confidence and public speaking skills.
Sophia: beeUtiful had an awesome experience being coached by the ECenter for competitions and business development. Ian pushed us when we needed to get outside of our comfort zone. I joined the ECenter not knowing much about business and especially entrepreneurship, being a Health Management and Policy major, and the ECenter taught me everything I know.
Is there anything else you’d like UNH students to know about the ECenter?
Alison: The ECenter is one of the best resources that you could use at UNH. The support and resources they have are unmatched to anything else on campus! Coming to the ECenter with our idea made it possible to start our business.
Has the ECenter influenced your prospective career path, and have you considered what you’ll do after UNH?
Sophia: The ECenter has 100% influenced my prospective career path. It helped me find a new passion of entrepreneurship which I will now be minoring in and would love to work for a start-up company once I graduate or even better, start my own.
We're excited to see where Alison and Sophia take beeUtiful both at UNH and beyond!
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We're excited to announce a new member of the ECenter team!
Sandra Tripodi (Sandy) has joined us as the Director of Development in the Advancement Team. Her role is dedicated support of the ECenter through developing new relationships and deepening understanding of and engagement with UNH and the ECenter.
She is a fundraising professional with strong resource development, leadership, communications and relationship skills, who builds strategies for expansion and growth, incorporating the identification, engagement and retention of key stakeholders.
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“I am thrilled to be of service to the newest generation of entrepreneurs through UNH’s ECenter.” said Sandy, “it is exciting to help support student’s successes at UNH and beyond.”
If you'd like to learn more about how you can support student success at the ECenter, contact Sandy at [email protected].
Welcome, Sandy!
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Speaker Series Shows What Musical
Minds Can Teach Us About Innovation
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Our final Start-up Speaker Series of the fall 2021 semester featured R. Michael Hendrix, global design director at IDEO and co-author of Two Beats Ahead.
For Two Beats Ahead, Michael and co-author Panos A. Panay, senior vice president for strategy at Berklee College of Music, interviewed some of the nation’s top musicians and business leaders about how they approach innovation differently.
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With the students in attendance, Michael shared the lessons learned from industry legends including:
- dare to pioneer with Kendrick Lamar
- know your audience from Jimmy Lovine
- the fireworks in a great collaboration from Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams
- “dare to suck” from Justin Timberlake
- the power of reinvention from Gloria Estefan
- the importance of experimentation from Imogen Heap and Radiohead
"The mindsets that artists have are applicable outside of their craft to your craft. The principles apply to pretty much anything you'll do," said Michael.
Michael graciously stayed late to sign a free copy of Two Beats Ahead for every student in attendance!
“I found it so interesting hearing such a unique perspective on the topic of collaboration. The wisdom he shared made me completely rethink the important of collaboration and what it really means to be a good collaborator," commented Allison Martin '24 (COLSA).
Thank you to Lake Street Advisors for sponsoring our Speaker Series! If you'd like to view the recording of the event, please visit our YouTube page.
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We launched our student ambassador program, fondly called Ebassadors, in the 2019-2020 academic year. The idea was for students engaged at the ECenter to share their experiences and knowledge about the ECenter's resources to their classmates, faculty, and beyond. Now in its third year, the program is a great success and we don't know what we'd do without the four students in the current cohort of Ebassadors. All four of the students have participated in the ECenter's Idea & Innovation Society as freshmen. Axel Barretto and Daisy Burns, both sophomores, are currently in the first cohort of the Shaw Innovation Explorers Program. Read on to learn more about them!
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Axel Barretto '24
Business Administration/Entrepreneurship Major
Paul College
"My favorite part of being an Ebassador is going around classrooms to promote ECenter programs as it benefits my public speaking abilities and my networking around school."
Fun fact: Axel's first experience in entrepreneurship was when, as a kid, he would sell lemonade and other drinks to neighbors.
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Daisy Burns '24
Economics and Sustainability Dual Major
Paul College
"The ECenter has added significantly to my UNH experience through idea coaching, events, scholarships, and providing a great coworking space to work and connect with other students."
Fun fact: Daisy and her co-founders are coached by the ECenter for their start-up, HydroPhos Solutions, a 3rd place winner in the national Draper Competition for entrepreneurial women undergraduates.
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Gunnar De Young '23
Business Administration/Entrepreneurship Major
Paul College
"My favorite part of being an Ebassador is when I get to tell people about an ECenter program that will help them achieve one of their academic or professional goals."
Fun fact: Gunnar is a student pilot and Eagle Scout.
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Madison McEachern '23
Animal Science Major
COLSA
"I love how welcoming everyone at the ECenter is and I enjoy meeting people from other colleges and majors. I am so grateful I got the opportunity to be an Ebassador and learn a new skill set that is different from my major. "
Fun Fact: Madison was a gymnast for 15 years before coming to UNH.
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If you're interested in learning more about the Ebassador program, visit our website. Any students interested in becoming an Ebassador can reach out to the ECenter at [email protected].
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i2 Passport Program
Awards $12,500+ in Cash and Prizes
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It was great to be back in person for the tenth semester of i2 Passport, which launched with a kick-off session on September 26th.
As always, it was a jam-packed semester rewarding students for participating in activities and events surrounding ideas and innovation and rewarding them with the chance to win money to pay down student loans or pay for tuition. Student debt can be a barrier for those who wish to pursue their own ideas and start a business or organization.
A few fun facts from this semester:
- The four top-scoring students are from four different graduating classes.
- One of the top four students is the second ever winner from the Graduate School.
- The top scoring student participated in every possible event and activity from the semester.
- There was a three-way tie after 1st prize.
Congratulations to the fall 2021 winners!
1st Prize of $3,500:
- Emily Abrusci ’25 (COLSA)
2nd Prize, 3rd Prize, and FirstGen Prize Split of $6,000 ($2,000 each):
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Martin Keene ’23 (Paul College) – a FirstGen student!
- Caroline McCarthy ’24 (Paul College)
- Nitin Sharma G’21 (Grad School – CEPS)
Runner-up raffle prizes of $1,000 each:
- Derek Bobbitt ‘ 24 (Paul College)
- Madison McEachern '23 (COLSA)
- Abram Rock '22 (Paul College)
"Coming into i2 Passport I knew nothing about entrepreneurship, but I figured I'd give it a shot and it completely surpassed my expectations. I learned so many things I can apply to a future job or internship. On top of that, it introduced me to awesome opportunities, like the Shaw Innovation Explorers and B Impact Clinic," said 1st prize winner Emily Abrusci.
Commented winner Nitin Sharma, "I think i2 Passport is the best thing to happen to me this semester. The experiences I had in the 3 Day Start-up and winning the ideathon really brought my own entrepreneurship to the next level."
Thank you to the ECenter's generous alumni donors for sponsoring i2 Passport!
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Call for Nominations:
2022 UNH Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
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Nominations for the 2022 UNH Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame are now open through June 1, 2022. Alumni entrepreneurs with successful business ventures as a founder, co-founder, or owner, who are also giving back to the community in a meaningful way are strongly encouraged to apply.
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Venture Plus Level Sponsors |
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Ian Grant
Executive Director
(603) 862-5470
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Heather MacNeill
Senior Program Manager
(603) 862-4959
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Genevieve Brown
Associate Program Manager
(603) 862-1351
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Sandra Tripodi
Director of Development
603-862-4027
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