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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Good ideas know no vacation!
During the summer, our work shifts from the non-stop student engagement during the academic year to reviewing the analytics and impacts of our programs and, of course, finalizing the myriad of details for the upcoming year’s new events. During this shift, we are reminded that helping to develop students' entrepreneurial mindset is central to our goals and objectives.
As you will read, we have an active group of students either working in the ECenter on their idea through the Summer Seed Grant sponsored by Pierce Atwood LLP, or out in the trenches at start-up companies in MA, ME, and NH as part of our Paid Student Internship at Start-ups Program. For the first time, we will be hosting a Student Summer Showcase for these students to share their insights and the impact the programs have had on them.
We are also ramping up for another exciting and engaging fall semester. We will welcome our second group into the Idea & Innovation Society, which brings together incoming first-year students who have already started a company, non-profit, or been actively engaged in innovation during high school.
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Additionally, we will have a continued array of bootcamps, from Idea Creation to learning how to present an idea, we're building a collection of fascinating stories in the panel of our start-up speaker series, and so much more. A few surprises will be announced shortly, too!
We are appreciative to the 75+ donors who supported the ECenter during this year’s #603Challenge. Our success is your success because without donor support we could not do what we do—and watch student innovators soar!
Finally, if you have missed the news on the amazing year students from the ECenter have had, please request a copy of our 2018-19 Annual Report which will be out in August.
Here’s to even more great ideas taking off!
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Ian Grant
Executive Director, ECenter
e.center@unh.edu
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Six Students Matched for Start-up Internships
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Jessie DeLouis '21 (r) with YouScheduler Co-Founder, Kristian Comer '20 working on a marketing project
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Due to the generosity of the Patten Family Foundation, six UNH Durham students from any college or major can get hands-on experience working at a start-up company. This was increased from four students last summer. We recognize that not all students have the “a-ha” idea right away and/or they want to learn about and understand the inner workings of a start-up and help in the building process. The Internship Program provides that experiential learning opportunity over a 10-week period. Students receive a stipend of $4,000.
This is the third summer we have run the Paid Student Internship at Start-ups Program. We had over 20 companies and 15 students apply this year. The six students matched for internships are:
DJ Beasley '21 is a sociology major at the College of Liberal Arts from Hyde Park, MA. He is spending the summer as a marketing intern with Sleepbox in Boston, MA. Over the past several weeks, DJ has worked on a social media plan, created a Wikipedia presence for Sleepbox, and much more. Check out
DJ's blog to learn more!
Alex Bunnell '20 is a business administration major (concentration in marketing and minor in economics) at Paul College. He is interning as a Client Acquisition Leader at UniteGPS in Manchester, NH. Just in his first week, Alex created a market spreadsheet, reached out to prospective clients, talked about the scope of the transit world with the CEO, created promo videos for various campaigns/meetings, and configured a GPS device! Learn more at
Alex's blog.
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Jessie DeLouis
'21 is a business administration major (dual option in finance and business analytics) at Paul College from Bristol, NH. Jessie is working as a marketing intern with YouScheduler this summer. YouScheduler is co-founded by two UNH students and is located in UNHInnovation's Cube
x
Coworking Space in Durham, NH. At YouScheduler, Jessie has launched their social media platforms and is creating their marketing plan. Read more from
Jessie's blog here
.
Jon Dryja '20 is a business administration major (concentration in marketing) at Paul College from Ellicott City, MD. Jon is a marketing intern at Twin Barns Brewing in Meredith, NH. In addition to launching their social media and planning an Oktoberfest event for the fall, he's helping to open Twin Barns Brewing to the public! Check out
Jon's blog to hear more of what he's up to!
Annie Henry '20 is a business administration major (concentrations in international business and economics) at Paul College from Peterborough, NH. She's been interning at Wallit in York, ME this summer, focusing on digital marketing. At Wallit, Annie has been working closely with the Chief Marketing Officer and is excited about everything she's learning. Hear more about Annie's experience via
her blog.
Jacob Lenef '22 is a mechanical engineering major at the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences from Belmont, MA. Jacob is working as a marketing and sales intern at SplitFit in Brookline, MA. Jacob has been hard at work with lots of market and demographic research for SplitFit. Visit
Jacob's blog for more details.
For 2019, we're expanding the internship opportunity to be up to ten spots! Be on the look out for more information in the next few months.
Email Program Manager Heather MacNeill at Heather.MacNeill@unh.edu if you're a student or start-up interested in learning more about the program. We can also add you to a notification list to be alerted to the applications on our website when they are available for downloading.
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Corporate Partnerships with the ECenter
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We launched our newly improved Corporate Sponsorship Program in April and it has been embraced with great success. A shout-out to our first sponsors, Bottomline Technologies (our first Premier Level Sponsor!), 3EDGE Asset Management, Lake Street Advisors, Pierce Atwood LLP, and CatchFire Creative.
The wide variety of programs offered by the ECenter are made possible by generous donors and corporate sponsors who believe in the importance of helping students gain experience in and exposure to ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Through a corporate partnership, you can help the ECenter grow and have an impact on students. If you or your company is interested in learning more about the exclusive benefits to your company, please contact ECenter Executive Director Ian Grant at Ian.Grant@unh.edu. Thank you!
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i2 Passport Named Innovation of the Month
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We're thrilled that our i2 Passport Program has been named Innovation of the Month for July by
UNHInnovation
. Every month, UNHInnovation highlights an outstanding example of UNH intellectual property with excellent commercial potential. Check out UNHInnovation's interview of Ian Grant for the honor
on our YouTube page.
The innovative and nationally recognized i2 Passport Program rewards students for engaging in ideas and entrepreneurship activities on campus with the chance to win $35,000 in cash prizes to help pay off student loans and tuition, with an additional focus on FirstGen students (first in family to attend college). The goal is to encourage students to start to explore and understand ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship and how they might incorporate aspects into their personal, academic, and professional lives. This involvement is then rewarded in Passport Visa Stamps Credits and the chance to win large cash prizes. The i2 Passport Program is generously supported by Harry Patten ’58 and the Patten Family Foundation.
Now we're licensing i2 Passport to other universities!
If you'd like to learn more about the i2 Passport Program, including licensing it for your university, visit
i2Passport.com
.
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Join Us for the Student Summer Showcase
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ECenter Student Summer Showcase
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
UNHInnovation Training Room
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Kindly RSVP by July 30, 2019.
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UNH Student Entrepreneur Spotlight
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As we bid farewell to our Class of 2019 graduating seniors, we also took the opportunity to sit down with Matt Perry ‘19, Paul College graduate, to discuss his experience at the ECenter. His journey here began the way it does for many students – stumbling across the ECenter by accident. “I actually lived in the same building for a whole semester and didn’t know it was here,” he admits. “Finally during my second semester junior year, I went to a Marketing and Advertising Club meeting and that was the first time I knew it existed.”
For Matt, finding the ECenter in the second semester of his senior year was a case of better late than never and he was keen to make full use of the resources available to him. “There’s so much to learn that I feel you aren’t getting your money’s worth if you aren’t attending the extra-curricular activities. Students should be motivated to learn more than they’re required to, and it adds so much value to your education.” Not surprisingly, the opportunities offered through the ECenter helped him excel both inside and outside of the classroom.
“Everything from the Start-Up Speaker Series, to Idea Creation Bootcamps, to Hackathons made me a much more effective problem solver and thinker,” he explains. “Being a Marketing major, you need to be creative and willing to take risks. It’s important not to get stressed and be able to break problems down and really analyze them. The activities at the ECenter really challenged me in a way that no classes ever would. I think it applies to all majors equally, as it teaches you to be confident in your decisions and how to present them effectively.”
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Specifically impactful to his experience as a student was his participation in the i2 Passport Program, which provides structured events and opportunities for students to engage with ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship for an opportunity to win prize money to offset student loan debt. “i2 Passport really helped me get involved with the ECenter and discover some great new skills,” he said. “I definitely feel that I would not have had the structure in place to participate [in ECenter activities] if it weren’t for this program.”
In December 2018, Matt was the overall winner of the i2 Passport Program, earning the grand prize of $6,000. “Having the opportunity to win gave me some great experience on my resume and, of course, helped out a lot with the interest on my student loans,” he said. He is also quick to express his gratitude for the philanthropy that has helped him throughout his college experience. “The donors really are everything. None of this would be possible without the donations from our sponsors and I really think that every dollar goes a long way when it comes to getting students engaged. Harry Patten, in particular, made an enormous impact by providing funding for i2 Passport.”
After participating in i2 Passport, Matt became a central figure in the ECenter, and the impact of his time here extended far beyond the walls of Madbury Commons. “The general framework of training your mind to recognize problems in your everyday life is extremely helpful. It helps to have the skills to recognize problems in whatever project you’re working on, and in group situations. I often use the analytical framework to break problems down into their individual parts and try to find the root of the issue.”
As we wind down our conversation, he offers a few final thoughts to share with his peers: “I think the ECenter offers students a place to really separate themselves from the classroom and discover their individual potential. It’s a place to brainstorm and create without the pressure of professors or grades. It’s a community that people feel a part of, one that is constantly evolving and growing, which is the exciting part.”
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Save the date to join the ECenter and the UNH community at the Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Reception! The Hall of Fame award recognizes a graduate who has achieved entrepreneurial success with ventures they have founded, co-founded, or own and who have given back to the community in a meaningful way.
Friday, October 6th
6:00pm to 8:00pm
Hamilton Smith Great Hall
Durham, NH 03824
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Thank You to our Generous Corporate Sponsors
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Ian Grant
Executive Director
Ian.Grant@unh.edu
(603) 862-5470
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Heather MacNeill
Program Manager
Heather.MacNeill@unh.edu
(603) 862-4959
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Allison Bell
Associate Program Manager
Allison.Bell@unh.edu
(603) 862-0349
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