UNH Entrepreneurship Center Newsletter

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.

November 2021 Newsletter

The Latest Happenings from the ECenter

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The chill is in the air outside, but inside the ECenter it has been red-hot. We have had the busiest October in our 6+ year history!

We've had multiple new programs tied to the Shaw Innovation Explorers (including the inaugural Shaw Innovation Explorers Speaker Series with Brian Skerry, and the 3 Day Start-up Program), a double-induction ceremony for the Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, a Hackathon/Ideathon in partnership with the NH Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development and others, an alumni speaker series, and students literally flowing into the ECenter with ideas to be coached.

These are just some of the activities that kept us in sprint-the-marathon mode. A huge thank you to Heather MacNeill and Genevieve Brown, among so many others, who helped us navigate this schedule.

In those moments we can pause and think about how lucky we are to be surrounded by amazing UNH students who are inspired to be better problem solvers and take the time to engage in our resources for that very reason. No grades or credits are provided so we know it is genuine passion that ignites them. Free nitro brew coffee, food, and cash prizes are a bonus—but not the core reasons for student success.

We are thankful for the students and for donor support to help these students soar. As you think of your year-end giving, please consider the ECenter. Money provided at year-end will go to help support students in our Paid Student Internship at Start-ups Program. EVERY dollar has an impact!

Wishing you and your families the best for Thanksgiving,

Ian Grant

Executive Director, ECenter

[email protected]

Support the UNH ECenter on November 30th and give the gift of student ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship this GivingTuesday. ECenter programs are 100% donor funded.

Support Student Ideas

Shaw Innovation Explorers Presents an

Evening with Emmy Award Winner Brian Skerry

The ECenter and UNH were honored to host the inaugural Shaw Innovation Explorers Speaker Series with keynote speaker and Emmy Award winner (and York, ME resident) Brian Skerry. Brian shared his exploration and journey experiences as it related to the Disney+ series and National Geographic book, Secrets of the Whales. David E. Shaw '73 then sat down for a "fireside chat" with Brian to delve into more details about innovation, exploration, and the importance of story telling with important environmental issues. UNH President Jim Dean introduced the speakers to the over 350 in-person attendees and 180+ simulcast webinar attendees who were captivated for the entire event. Prior to the public event, Brian met with the 12 Shaw Innovation Explorers in a private round-table event to discuss his experience as an explorer and innovator. The Explorers were able to have an insightful Q&A session and a personal book signing. The bar is set high for the next Speaker Series coming in fall 2022!

The Speaker Series is part of the larger, newly created, Shaw Innovation Explorers Program at UNH's Entrepreneurship Center (ECenter) that provides 12, $5,000 scholarships to a selected group of innovative and creative sophomores. These students also receive unparalleled opportunities to engage in hands-on, high-impact experiences, which are designed to give them insights into innovation and success in the real-world. They engage with pioneering leaders across the spectrum, including in the arts, technology, marine science, government and New England native industries. The full Explorers program is generously supported by David E. Shaw '73 and John R. Shaw.

Ten UNH Alumni Inducted into the

Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

October 1st, 2021 marked an important occasion at the University of New Hampshire as we celebrated both the third and fourth annual inductions into the UNH Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame is housed within the UNH ECenter and recognizes alumni who have achieved significant entrepreneurial success with ventures as founders, co-founders, or owners, while also giving back to their communities in a meaningful way. With over 10,000 entrepreneurs in UNH’s alumni ranks, it is not surprising that we received a record number of nominations and the selection process was highly competitive.

While the ECenter team was faced with the harsh reality of having to postponed last year’s in person celebration, we were overjoyed to be able to host not only the newly minted 2021 inductees, but also celebrate last year’s 2020 cohort!

The 2020 inductees into the Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame are:

Tim Collins ’85, Founder and President, EBSCO Information Services
Andrea Coville ’82, CEO, Brodeur Partners
Rick Marini ’94, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Catapult Capital
John Morison III '76, Chairman and CEO, Hitchiner Manufacturing
Matthew Robinson ’09, ‘11G, Co-founder and VP of Engineering for MMS Analytics, Inc. (Talon)

The 2020 inductees into the Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame are:

Kirstan Barnett ’86, Founder and Managing Partner, KBB Capital, LLC
Joel Berman ’76, Founder/CEO, Iatric Systems
David Ferran ’78, CEO, Torrey Project
Kash Kapadia ‘99, Founder and CEO, Anchor Health
Steve Singlar ’94, Co-founder, Board Member, Single Digits, Inc.

A small change from our previous events, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony was hosted in the afternoon. Over 100 members of the UNH community filled the Granite State Room to hear from our alumni and celebrate at a reception under the tent at Paul College following the ceremony.

In his opening remarks, President Jim Dean said while addressing the inductees, “You succeeded beyond all expectations. You became business innovator and creators. You’ve excelled as problem solvers, engagers, risk takers, and team builders.” He added, “You inspire our entire UNH community and we’re really grateful to all of you.”

President Dean concluded his remarks by saying: “I understand that this afternoon you will be meeting with some of our most promising student innovators at the Entrepreneurship Center. I will say as president that seeing our successful alums interacting with our students is one of the joys I takeaway from this job.”

True to the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of the award, inductees were tasked with a specific topic for their acceptance speeches. Rather than offering the traditional round of thanks, they instead had to outline a problem they see in the world and address the steps that UNH students and community members can take to solve it.

The speeches spanned a broad range of topics, with Andrea sharing her gratefulness for the tools she received from her UNH education, its community, and the support of her former mentor, the legendary Pulitzer Prize winner Don Murray. Rick discussed the important of foster student’s willingness to take risks, and Matthew the important of work-life balance and mental health. Kash shared a thoughtful reflection on the importance of diversity, his own experience as a first-generation immigrant, and UNH’s ecosystem of innovation while David focused his remarks on the all-encompassing problem of the younger generation’s perception of capitalism and encouraged the audience to focus on sustainability and having a positive impact on the world.

Following the induction ceremony, guests moved to an outdoor reception under the tent at Paul College, where they enjoyed a hosted reception, creating new connections and reconnecting with family and friends.

Later in the afternoon, the inductees traveled to the ECenter to meet with more than 25 innovative, entrepreneurial UNH students. Together they shared stories about their entrepreneurial journeys and engaged in a round table discussion. Students were encouraged to ask questions and seek advice on the issues the entrepreneurial business leaders faced in the development of their ideas. The insights shared by the inductees were hugely impactful to the students and the discussion was a highlight of the day for the inductees.

Nominations for the 2022 Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame will open in the new year. We encourage you to nominate someone deserving of this recognition, and self-nominations are accepted. Biographies for the 2020 and 2021 inductees and videos of their respective speeches are available on our website.

Student Entrepreneur Spotlight

We're pleased to introduce the ECenter community to Matthew Laflamme '25, a computer science major at the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS). Matthew is the first ever recipient of the Edward M. Friedlander ’88 Memorial Entrepreneurship Scholarship we announced in a previous newsletter and our blog. We hope you enjoy reading about Matthew as much as we enjoy seeing him at the ECenter every day!

Please tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Biddeford, Maine and have lived there my whole life up until coming to UNH. I spent a lot of time in my childhood on the computer, which has been an ongoing trend in my later life. I’m currently a member of the Cybersecurity and Programming Clubs, I like to ski, meet good people, and solve puzzles.

What's been your entrepreneurial experience before coming to UNH?

I identified as a kid who was good with A. computers and B. fixing them. From a young age I wanted to do this kind of computer repair thing as a job, but no one really wanted to hire me. So, when I started fixing computers as an “entrepreneur,” it was solely because I couldn’t monetize my skills otherwise. It turns out that for this socially awkward computer kid, passing out business cards and trying to earn customers was a more interesting problem than the trivial virus removal and battery replacement problems—it was so much different than what I had known before. I began to notice how much I enjoyed the process of refining my pitch and expanding my services; and figured out quickly that this is what I liked to do. From then on, I haven’t been able to see myself anywhere besides in this kind of role, one where I can engineer an entire way of doing things from the ground up, without restriction on how I approach or solve problems.

What does receiving the Edward M. Friedlander ’88 Memorial Entrepreneurship Scholarship mean to you?

When I applied, I poured out my most honest feelings about entrepreneurship and why I felt I embody the spirit in which the scholarship was established; to see that the committee observed these statements as true means a great deal to me.

What has your experience at the ECenter been so far?

The ECenter is the best place on campus. I’m mostly involved in the cold brew coffee station in the coworking space, but besides that I’m in the Idea & Innovation Society, I've gone to just about every speaking event there’s been, and I recently won Best Presentation at the ECenter's Hackathon/Ideathon, along with my teammate Anthony Papetti '25 (CEPS). It always feels very homey at the ECenter because I never doubt for a second that the ECenter team has my peers' and my best interests in mind when it comes to growing as entrepreneurs.

What are you looking forward to in your next three years at UNH?

The only thing I’m not looking forward to is long exams. Everything else I’m basically looking forward to. Specifically, I have high hopes for the Programming Club we started this year. To see how it shapes up and grows will be exciting for sure.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I’d like to thank my mother and father, Kim and Donald Laflamme for always hearing me out, being there for me, and making me the man I am. I'd also like to thank all of the donors for funding the Friedlander Scholarship in his memory and honored to be the first recipient.

If you would like to donate to the Edward M. Friedlander '88 Memorial Entrepreneurship Scholarship Fund, you can pledge directly on the UNH giving page by adding "Edward M. Friedlander '88 Memorial Entrepreneurship Scholarship" in the "Other" field.

Idea Creation Bootcamps

Teach Problem Solving Skills

Every academic year the ECenter hosts an Idea Creation Bootcamp to get students primed for problem solving and innovation. This year, we were lucky to welcome Beth Houlis, then Director of Innovation and Communication at RiverStone, to lead the attendees in their hands-on activities.

Beth started the evening by giving the students a crash course in design thinking. Design thinking happens at the intersection of desirability, feasibility, and viability. Design thinking is NOT magic, linear, an instant fix, or shorter than other processes. "Start being productively wrong. When you're wrong you learn more from what doesn't work to what does work," said Beth.

The participants then got to work on their main activity: brainstorming and prototyping "how might we help new students easily navigate and find what they need at the MUB?" They got up from their seats and walked around the MUB before settling on any particular idea. The room was buzzing with ideas and the results were impressive!

Of his experience at the Bootcamp, Jeffrey Allen '23 said, "we learned great brainstorming skills and how to apply these skills to bring more innovation into our world!" Added Derek Bobbitt '24, "It was a great event that allowed students to get up and explore the possibilities of how we can use human-centered design in everyday problems."

If you'd like to experience the Idea Creation Bootcamp yourself, check out the recording on our YouTube page.

Thank you to Beth for guiding us through the Idea Creation Bootcamp two nights in a row!

UNH Students Tackle Problems

in the NH Winter Sports Industry

We had a lot of fun with this semester's Hackathon/Ideathon! As with all our Hackathon/Ideathons, we

connect with a sponsor who is looking for students to help solve some of their pressing issues with innovative ideas. This year we partnered with the NH State Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development. They brought on their partners at Granite Outdoor Alliance and Ski NH.

While planning the event with these organizations, three main problems impacting the winter sports industry in NH were identified:

Climate change and sustainability
Growth of industry and diversity
Workforce and seasonality

A total of 11 teams made up of 28 students spent about 24 hours over a Friday/Saturday in October developing solutions and pitching their ideas to the judges. Once again, UNH students soared and exceeded the expectations of the sponsors. Pictures of the winnings teams are below with Scott Crowder (Director, Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development), Tyler Ray (Founder & Rockhound Chief, Granite Outdoor Alliance), Jessyca Keeler (President, Ski New Hampshire), Marian McCord (Senior Vice Provost for Research at UNH), and Marc Eichenberger (Director of Corporate Engagement and Interim Managing Director of UNHInnovation at UNH).

1st Place - $1,500

The winning team, made up of Kaiden Bedell '24 (CEPS), Allison Martin '24 (COLSA), Yevgenia Men '24 (CEPS), and Kaitlin Phair '24 (COLSA), are all from the ECenter's Shaw Innovation Explorers Program! They came up with the idea to convert resort waste into biomethane which could then be used for power at the resort (for heating, cooking, chair lifts, etc.) and power for transportation to and from the resort.

2nd Place - $750

The 2nd place team, Mohammad Monjur '23 (CEPS), Nitin Sharma '21Dec (CEPS), and Hamad Zaheer '23 (CEPS) focused on industry growth and diversity. They proposed using the existing technology of indoor ski simulation, augmented reality, and drones to increase the number of people who can learn to ski and want to ski. People from all around the world could learn to ski!

3rd Place - $500

The 3rd place team, Emily Abrusci '25 (COLSA), Melissa Gold '25 (COLA), and Naomi Schneider '24 (CHHS) shared their idea for pop-up slopes which would be smaller than the big trails of resorts and staffed by instructors from NH resorts. The pop-up slopes would feature on-site medics and rope lifts to get up the hill. Emily and Melissa are also in the current cohort of the ECenter’s Idea & Innovation Society (first year students).

Three Honorable Mention awards ($100 each) were also given out at the conclusion of the event. Congratulations to Matthew Laflamme '25 (CEPS) and Anthony Papetti '25 (CEPS) for winning Best Presentation, John Grace '22 (Paul College) and Brendan Sullivan '22 (Paul College) for winning Most Original Idea, and Emily Duffy '23 (COLSA) and Natalie Young '25 (COLSA) for winning the Think Big Prize. All ideas presented were innovative and impressive!

Thank you to the NH Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development for sponsoring the event and for their partnership. Thank you to Granite Outdoor Alliance and Ski NH for contributing expertise and swag for amazing door prizes!

ECenter (Temporarily) Takes

up Residence at Paul College

ECenter Ebassador Daisy Burns '24 talks to a Paul College student

Following the successful roll out over the last two

years of the ECenter setting up shop in Kingsbury Hall (CEPS) and Hamilton Smith Hall (COLA), we partnered with Paul College this year for a weeklong ”co-habitation.” We appreciate the support of Dean Merrill-Sands and her team in making this happen!

The goal was that every student who walked into Paul College would know there is an ECenter on campus to be a resource for them and create awareness of our signature programs. We met many new-to-us students curious about how they can get involved in the ECenter's Programs.

Where will we show up next?!