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. |
|
September 2021 Newsletter |
The Latest Happenings from the ECenter |
|
“Be careful what you wish for” sometimes refers to things someone may not actually want. In the case of the ECenter, when it comes to our rapid start to the 2021-2022 school year, we embrace it. The “it” in this scenario is engaged and aware students on campus. All within the first 30 days, the ECenter team, including amazing student “Ebassadors,” presented about ECenter resources in over 40 classes; ECenter week at Paul College had every entrance covered with yard signs showing #ECenterImpact stories and programs available, in addition to a staffed table inside to answer questions; I held over 45 1:1 coaching sessions; i2 Passport kicked-off with over 200 students registered; our first year program, Idea and Innovation Society kicked-off with 30 students; and our new sophomore program, Shaw Innovation Explorers had an amazing team building trip below to start the year-long program. |
|
While the energy and time necessary to have such impact is reminiscent of every start-up I have been involved in, the confidence, smiles, high-fives, and outcomes of truly outstanding UNH students feels like the euphoria of an IPO!
Please make sure you request our annual Impact Report (story below) to read about all of the details of students growing from dreamers to believers this past year. As always, if you would like to be part of the ECenter magic with time or financial support of these efforts, please contact me. Every hour or every $25 literally has an impact in one of many of our corners of influence.
Stay curious,
|
Ian Grant
Executive Director, ECenter
|
|
Shaw Innovation Explorers Presents
An Evening with Brian Skerry
|
|
You saw the "save the date" back in our July newsletter, but now it's time to register for one of the most exciting events the ECenter has ever hosted! We're pleased to open this event to the public. |
|
Thanks to the support and engagement of David E. Shaw ’73 and his brother John Shaw, the ECenter has launched the Shaw Innovation Explorers Program with the first cohort in the fall 2021 semester. Included in the program is the Shaw Innovation Explorers Speaker Series - an opportunity for students and others to understand that innovation and entrepreneurship can, and does, take all forms.
Here are the details of the first ever Shaw Innovation Explorers Speaker Series:
When: October 18, 2021 at 6:30pm
Where: UNH Memorial Union Building in Durham, NH
About Brian Skerry: Brian Skerry is a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine covering a wide range of subjects and stories. In 2014 he was one of five photographers named as a National Geographic Photography Fellow. In 2017 he was named a National Geographic Society Storytelling Fellow and in June 2017 he was awarded the title of Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year.
He is the author of 12 books including the acclaimed monographs Ocean Soul and Shark. His latest book, Secrets of the Whales, released by National Geographic, is part of a multi-platform project he created that includes a cover story in National Geographic magazine and a 4-part series on Disney+.
Brian is the Explorer-In-Residence and a Trustee at the New England Aquarium, a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, Director of The New England Ocean Odyssey for The Conservation Law Foundation and a Fellow National of The Explorers Club. He also serves as a Marine Fellow with Conservation International, serves on the World Wildlife Fund’s National Council and the WWF’s Marine Leadership Council.
|
|
UNH Student Entrepreneurs
Experience Draper University
|
|
If you've been keeping up with the ECenter for the past few semesters you will no doubt have heard about the hard work and success of the HydrosPhos Solutions team including Daisy Burns '24, Derek Long '23, Matt Oriente '23, Jason Plant '23, and Katie Remeis '23, all of Paul College.
In spring 2021, Daisy and Katie participated in the annual Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs at which HydroPhos placed 3rd in the nation and won $10,000! This past summer Daisy and Jason had the opportunity to participate in Draper University Hero Training, an intensive, immersive five-week entrepreneurship program in Silicon Valley, CA.
|
|
|
Said Jason of his experience, "During our stay, we developed startup skills essential to launching and sustaining a successful venture, gained exposure to industry experts, and networked with other like-minded entrepreneurs who share our vision of changing the world. The program was a fantastic experience, with top-tier CEO and VC guest speakers such as Phil Libin (Founder of Evernote), Derek Andersen (Founder and CEO of Startup Grind), Andy Tang (CEO of Draper University and Partner at Draper Associates), Andy Yang (CEO of Indiegogo), and many others. We also got Tim Draper’s feedback on multiple pitches and our businesses as a whole. A core component of the program was Survival Week, a week-long survival and character-building training led by Navy Seals in which we walked 78 miles in 4 days. Finally, we pitched our company to 120+ investors on Demo Day.” |
|
Added Daisy, "After being introduced to the UNH Social Venture Innovation Challenge through the ECenter's i2 Passport Program and the Changemaker Collaborative, our team of five created HydroPhos Solutions as our entry into the competition. Based on our success there, we continued to enter several competitions, including the National Draper Women’s Entrepreneurship Competition, where we won the Service Track and a scholarship to Draper University summer Hero Training. Being in Silicon Valley at Draper University was a great opportunity to experience what pursuing HydroPhos Solutions as a real startup would entail, and it gave us numerous connections to fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors. The Hero Training was a very impactful learning experience that wouldn’t have been possible without the programs, support, and idea coaching through the ECenter."
Congratulations to Jason and Daisy on this incredible experience!
|
|
Shaw Innovation Explorers Start Their Adventure |
|
To work like an innovation team, you need to bond as a team. This was the goal for the kick-off of the inaugural Shaw Innovation Explorers Program at the ECenter that saw students head north to The Forks, Maine for a weekend of geocaching, white water rafting, and connecting around games and campfires miles away from campus.
The Explorers Program selected 12 current sophomores last spring based upon their passion and experience in innovation in their personal or academic areas. The fellowship is designed for students to gain a 360-degree understanding of innovation through hands-on, high-impact experiences—mostly away from campus. The program provides introductions and engagement with pioneering leaders in areas that include art, music, technology, science/marine, theatre, municipalities, and New Hampshire and New England native industries. Each student selected to participate also receives a $5,000 scholarship and participates in a 3-day training workshop in the basics of innovation and start-up development.
|
|
A 7:00am departure on a coach bus is rarely the optimal time for college students, so most caught up on sleep or got ahead on homework for the 3+ hour drive. Upon arrival and after settling into their cabins, the Explorers met with Northern Outdoors Adventure President Russell Walters to understand the rules of the geocaching and creation of three person teams. Embedded were intentional and unintentional problems like batteries dying and old, slow technology with the goal of the teams problem solving together as they had to move around the Maine woods to find four different locations. |
|
|
For a group of students, many of whom were meeting in person for the first time, the results were impressive in leadership, listening, and team cooperation. A fun filled night ended with s’mores around the campfire and opportunities for each student to learn more about each other.
Another 7:00am rise and shine on Sunday and the Explorers got their safety training and headed out to the Kennebec River for whitewater rafting in two separate rafts. The class IV river required coordinated paddling and following directions from the two Northern Outdoor raft guides. Big splashes, some crashes, some intentional over-board river floating, and small raft adventuring all created the key aspects necessary for team bonding. There may have been some competitive splash fights between rafts and trash-talking, too. Personalities came out and confidence was gained. All arrived home comfortable and ecstatic to be a Shaw Innovation Explorer and excited for the adventurous year ahead.
The Shaw Innovators Explorers Program was developed in close cooperation with David Shaw (’73) CEO of Blackpoint Group, his brother John, CEO of Itaconix, and ECenter Executive Director, Ian Grant. UNH is grateful for the innovation and financial support from David and John for what has already become the talk of campus.
|
|
We're thrilled to Welcome Genevieve Brown to the ECenter team as Associate Program Manager! Gen joined us in August - the start of our busiest time of year. She's hit the ground running on vital projects, such as the Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, marketing, and more.
Gen comes to UNH with a decade of experience in marketing, program management, and event programming in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. She is passionate about storytelling and delivering customer-centric strategies promoting awareness, engagement, and growth.
|
|
|
Genevieve received both her B.A. (Ancient Studies) and graduate diploma (Public Relations) from Université Laval and she has been serving the American Marketing Association on various boards of directors since 2018.
Next time you're at the ECenter, stop by Gen's office to say hi and welcome her to the UNH community!
|
|
UNH Alumni Start-up Launches WeFunder |
|
Founded in 2019 by then UNH students (now alumni) Daniel Marek '20 (CEPS), Evan Gwynne Davies '20 (CEPS), and Mikey Pasciuto '21 (CEPS), Scrapp Recycling is a mission-led profit for purpose platform, helping people to recycle right and protect the planet. The ECenter's Ian Grant has been coaching the Scrapp team since the beginning. They won 2nd place in the 2020 Holloway Prize Competition and won Best Articulated Problem, Most Financially Sustainable Solution, and third place in the Audience Choice Awards in the 2020 Social Venture Innovation Challenge.
It starts with just a scan of the barcode found on any household item using their free app. Then Scrapp will show which parts are recyclable or not, according to local recycling rules. With points earned for each piece of packaging recycled correctly, Scrapp ensures that planet-positive efforts get rewarded. These points can be spent on eco-friendly products or services via their in-app, sustainable marketplace. Alternatively, points can be donated to help fund climate-conscious causes. Current progress has shown that Scrapp could divert 85,000 tons of wrongly placed recyclable waste for an average-sized city (500,000 users) every year.
|
|
Scrapp recently launched a crowdfunding campaign via WeFunder! Scrapp's minimum raise is $50,000, but their goal is $200,00 so they can have a 12-month runway and allow the team to work full-time on Scrapp.
To learn more about Scrapp's WeFunder and to support their $200,000 campaign, please visit their WeFunder page.
|
|
|
UNH, the ECenter, and/or any of its employees do not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by Scrapp or any third party and takes no responsibility therefor. All such information is provided solely for convenience and informational purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Any person who chooses to fund via WeFunder should do so based solely upon their own evaluation. |
|
ECenter Annual Impact Report - Get Your Copy! |
|
Our 2020 - 2021 annual Impact Report is hot off the press!
The ECenter's Impact Report is a comprehensive retrospective which includes updates on all our donor-funded programs, highlights from our unique and hands-on events, and stories highlighting what innovative UNH students have been up to lately (hint: they're doing amazing things!).
We're very proud of everything we accomplished in the 2020 - 2021 academic year, along with the students, and we want to share it with you!
If you'd like to request a copy of the Impact Report, please send us your information in this webform.
Thanks for your interest in the ECenter!
|
|
|
Meet the Idea & Innovation Society's 4th Cohort |
|
The fourth cohort of the ECenter's Idea & Innovation Society kicked-off on September 10th. At the kick-off, the students received their swag bags and started getting to know each other. The friendships and partnerships they'll form over the next year will last their entire time at UNH and beyond.
A few fun facts about this cohort:
- All five UNH colleges represented
- 16 different majors
- Nine US states
- Three countries
- 13 have started businesses
- 16 women
The Idea & Innovation Society is an exclusive group of aspiring first year students who are idea creators, innovative thinkers, or entrepreneurs from across UNH.
The goal of the Idea & Innovation Society is to provide students with the opportunity to be at the forefront of the idea and innovation community on campus, while gaining unique benefits through the ECenter. It embraces first-year students from all colleges, majors, and backgrounds and provides a network of like-minded individuals with whom to connect, collaborate, share ideas and resources, and help you the students faster with their ideas and innovations.
|
|
Venture Plus Level Sponsors |
|
Ian Grant
Executive Director
(603) 862-5470
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
