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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Every year at graduation I pause to reflect… and make sure we catch our breath!
This year is extra special. The class of 2019 is the first class to have been able to engage at the ECenter for all four of their years at UNH. It is hard not to get a bit misty eyed thinking of some of those students moving on, but more importantly to realize how much they grew personally and professionally.
A few shout outs to those who were with us from the start…
Devin McMahon and Kate Aiken were essentially the first students through the ECenter doors in January 2016 to talk about their idea LilyPad. They went on to place 2nd at the Holloway Prize Competition in spring 2016. They were, at the time, the highest placing freshmen (and freshmen women) in the history of the Holloway Prize Competition. Both went on to become our first unofficial ambassadors telling their peers and others what is possible at the ECenter. Devin just couldn’t stay away and became a dedicated ECenter intern during her junior year at UNH. Both Kate and Devin have had the most magical of UNH experiences and we are excited to see them continue to soar in their post-graduation careers.
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Christin Badylak-Reals, a CEPS Mechanical Engineer who just wanted to get the most out of her education by trying many things, started her ECenter journey by joining the first cohort of University Innovation Fellows (UIF). UIF’s mission is to empower students to enact entrepreneurial change on campus and connect with students at the other 200 other UIF universities.
Step-by-step Christin learned, absorbed, and grew to end her senior year with her team's win at the Social Venture Innovation Challenge and 3rd place in the Mobile App track at the Draper National Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs (out of 75 finalists). She capped off her senior year with a team win at Holloway earlier this month. A different path to blossom and an amazing example of #ECenterImpact.
There are so many more stories of students who found us at some point along their Wildcat journey, developed ideas, and then never left.
To you all I say THANK YOU! Without your desire to be curious, hardworking, and passionate, the ECenter would still be just a great idea waiting to happen.
You are always welcome to come home to the ECenter.
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Ian Grant
Executive Director, ECenter
e.center@unh.edu
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UNH Students Win $40,000 2nd Place at e-Fest
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April 13th, 2019 will be a day embedded into ECenter and UNH history! SMARTwheel, Inc., led by brother and sister co-founders, TJ Evarts '20 (CEPS) and Jaiden Evarts '21 (CEPS), placed second ($40,000 prize) at the largest national undergraduate business idea competition, the $250,000 Schulze Challenge, as part of the three day long e-Fest at University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. SMARTwheel was coached by the ECenter's Ian Grant.
Commented Ian Grant, "Heartfelt congratulations to TJ Evarts and Jaiden Evarts and their company SMARTwheel Inc. to place 2nd at the Schulze Prize. To be this successful on the national stage makes us all at UNH proud of your work."
25 teams out of over 100 submissions made the finals. Finals included teams from some of the following top universities: Northeastern, Georgia State, Babson, UVA, Virginia Tech, Princeton, Auburn, and San Diego State. This is the highest placing UNH team in e-Fest history and firmly put UNH on the national stage.
SMARTwheel was also part of the ECenter’s 2018 Summer Seed Grant Program.
Congratulations again to TJ and Jaiden!
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$5,000 Maurice Prize Awarded
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Marisa Rafal '19 and Executive Director Ian Grant
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In 2017, the ECenter received $150,000 from Alfred J. Maurice ’44 to endow the annual J. Dolores and Alfred P. Maurice Prize for Innovation (Maurice Prize). The Maurice Prize encourages and fosters innovation, creativity, originality, ingenuity, and resourcefulness in undergraduate students enrolled at the University of New Hampshire.
The goal of the Maurice Prize is to encourage students to be daring and not to fear failure. Students should know that not achieving everything they set out to achieve is not a failure, but an invaluable learning experience.
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The Maurice Prize is different than many other awards. It is designed to encourage students to take the first steps to move their idea forward. It is judged on what the team learned in the process of the “idea into actions phase” and not necessarily a complete successful outcome at the time of judging.
In April, we were proud to award the second $5,000 prize to Marisa Rafal ’19 (CHHS) of NH Toy Library Network. Marisa and NH Toy Library Network also won a spot in the ECenter's Summer Seed Grant. More information on that later in the newsletter. The NH Toy Library Network is an initiative to support children and families across the state of New Hampshire by providing educational, enriching toys and games at no cost to families. This in turn reduces waste (since toys do not get thrown out as often), improves parent-child attachment and quality of dialogue, and increases equity and accessibility. Said Marisa of her work with the ECenter, “Although I have only gotten to work with the ECenter for a short time thus far, by participating in the Maurice Prize and Summer Seed Grant competitions, I have learned about networking, presenting/public speaking, and self-discipline. The ECenter leaders have always been helpful, kind, and ready to share their knowledge/expertise, and I am grateful for all they do. I so look forward to working with them more this summer."
Marisa is also enrolled as a Master of Public Policy student in UNH's Carsey School.
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ECenter Students Win Big at Holloway Prize Competition
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Left to right: Christin Badylak-Reals '19, Ian Grant, Matt Ross '19, and Jessica Lavallee '19
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Left to right: Steven Schnobrich '21 and Ian Grant
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The Championship Round of the Holloway Prize Competition at UNH's Paul College took place on May 8th. Teams coached by the ECenter's Ian Grant took first place and third place!
First place team, VELV, was co-founded by Christin Badylak-Reals '19 (CEPS), Jessica Lavallee '19 (Paul College), and Matt Ross '19 (Paul College). VELV is a dating platform that provides peace of mind for the first date. It offers wearable technology integrated with the platform to alert trusted contacts if you're feeling unsafe on a date. Said Christin, "We would not have won Holloway without the coaching and resources at the ECenter. We’re so grateful to Ian for his tireless support and encouragement to make VELV the best it can be." When asked about working with the VELV team, Ian Grant said, “I am so impressed with the VELV team. They spent hours listening to their prospective customers to end up with a fully integrated dating platform that exceeds the expectations of the market.”
Third place team is Bogey Bag, founded by Steven Schnobrich '21 (Paul College). Bogey Bag also won the People's Choice Award! The goal of The Bogey Bag is to change the way golfers manage their anger while on the golf course. The Bogey Bag is a punching bag that attaches to any golf cart allowing players to take their anger out in a fun and healthy way without paying the price of equipment replacement or injuries. Whether it is a gift for a friend, or a product for yourself, The Bogey Bag is a surefire way to enjoy the game more. “My decision to reach out to the ECenter this past December was one of the best decisions of my life. The support and guidance that we receive there is unlike anything else I’ve experienced. Whether you’re starting your own company, or just want to learn more about the entrepreneurial process, UNH’s Entrepreneurship Center is the perfect place to get hands on experience,” said Steven.
“I would like to congratulate Andrew Earle, Chair of Holloway Prize, for yet another well run competition. It’s the many people behind the scenes that make Holloway what it is,” said Ian Grant. Congratulations to VELV and Bogey Bag!
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$17,500 Awarded for i2 Passport Spring 2019
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Sponsored by Harry Patten '58, the innovative 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). i2P encourages students to start to explore and understand ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship and how they might incorporate aspects into their personal and academic lives. This involvement is then rewarded in Passport Visa Stamps Credits and the chance to win prizes totaling $35,000 ($17,500 per semester).
This spring concluded the 5th semester of i2P. The spring 2019 semester winners were:
- 1st Prize of $6,000: Jessica Nelson '21 (Paul College)
- 2nd Prize of $3,000: Arsalan Khan '19 (Paul College)
- 3rd Prize of $2,000: Jennah Landgraf '22 (CEPS)
- FirstGen Prize of $2,000: Anupreet Saini '20 (Paul College)
- Raffle Prize Drawing of $2,000: Jamie Nelson '20 (Paul College)
- Raffle Prize Drawing of $2,000: Shania Robinson '22 (Paul College)
While accepting her $6,000 giant check, Jessica Nelson '21 commented, "I truly believe that i2 Passport is the difference between just studying entrepreneurship and actually starting a business." Added $3,000 winner Arsalan Khan '19, "I'm an international student and I never thought I'd be participating in a program like this. i2 Passport gives you a platform to make your entrepreneurship dreams a reality." Congratulations to all the winners and great job on all your hard work this semester!
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Support the ECenter in the 603 Challenge
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The
603 Challenge
starts THIS Sunday, May 19th at 12:00am (aka midnight between Saturday and Sunday). Please help support the nationally-recognized UNH Entrepreneurship Center! You don't have to be a UNH alum to give!
Our programs are 100% donor-funded and rely on the generosity of friends of the ECenter, like you, to help students succeed. As part of the ECenter community, you'll receive an email from us when the 603 Challenge has launched, along with a link to the donation page.
As we've mentioned before,
DONATIONS are DOUBLED
up to $150 while funds last. Give within the first 24 hours to secure the double! Plus, if we get to 75 donors, Matt Witkos '89 will give us a $25,000 bonus!
Thank you!
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Summer Seed Grants Winners Announced
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Marisa Rafal '19 and Executive Director Ian Grant
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The Summer Seed Grant is a unique program that provides $3,500 each for up to four students to work on their early-stage ideas/start-ups over the summer without having to find a summer job. The students work out of the Cube
x
Coworking Space and receive mentorship from Ian Grant.
In its fourth year in this format, seven start-ups applied and went through a first round of judging. After the finalists presented in front of the final round judges, we were thrilled to award $3,500 each to Steven Schnobrich '21 for Bogey Bag and Marisa Rafal '19 for the NH Toy Library. Marisa is continuing on at UNH as a graduate student in the Master of Public Policy program at the Carsey School.
The Bogey Bag is a punching bag that attaches to any golf cart allowing players to take their anger out in a fun and healthy way without paying the price of new equipment or injuries. You might recognize Steven from the story above about the Holloway Prize winners!
As mentioned in the Maurice Prize story above, The NH Toy Library Network is an initiative to support children and families across the state of New Hampshire by providing educational, enriching toys and games at no cost to families. This in turn reduces waste (since toys do not get thrown out as often), improves parent-child attachment and quality of dialogue, and increases equity and accessibility.
Congratulations, Steven and Marisa!
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Pierce Atwood!
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UNH Student Entrepreneur Spotlight
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It’s graduation week at the University of New Hampshire, and Elizabeth O’Malley ’19, dual major in International Affairs and Economics, reflects upon her time at the UNH ECenter. For Elizabeth, and an increasing number of students each year, college is not necessarily the immediate next step on the road to success. “I went to Portsmouth High School,” she explains. “I felt a little burnt out after high school. I wasn’t sure I was ready for college.”
After taking a gap year to work on a farming cooperative in Ecuador, Elizabeth returned to the Seacoast ready to focus on academics. What she found was the UNH ECenter and a passion for entrepreneurship. “I came to college with the philosophy that I’m here to learn and I’m going to take as many classes as I can in whatever interests me. So in the variety of classes I’ve been in, I recognize the importance of learning entrepreneurship skills wherever you are.”
Elizabeth is not alone in her enthusiasm for a new way of thinking. A recent report suggests that 41% of Gen Zers, born between 1995 and 2015, plan to pursue an entrepreneurial career over traditional paths. And it all starts with a creative mindset and an idea. “I definitely think everyone has good ideas,” Elizabeth emphasizes. “But most people don’t have the tools to pursue those ideas. I came to the ECenter with an idea, but without any tools to use, and being here, I’ve learned a lot about how to present an idea, how to think about it from different perspectives, and how to make it work for a wide variety of customers. I really think it’s just about getting exposure to people who have that experience.”
Her foray into the world of ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship started with a tour of the ECenter, after which she signed up for the i2 Passport Program, the ECenter’s flagship platform to help launch students into the world of creative thinking and problem solving through engagement with bootcamps, workshops, speaking events, and more.
By participating in i2 Passport events, students earn the opportunity to win tuition relief based on their level of engagement. In December 2018, Elizabeth was the proud recipient of a hefty check for $6,000 to help her pay down student loans, generously sponsored by Harry Patten ’58 and the Patten Family Foundation.
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“i2 Passport helped me in so many ways,” Elizabeth explains. “I feel like I’m better at problem solving now, and more confident in presenting my ideas and thoughts.” When asked about her favorite events, she easily rattles off several. “I did an idea creation bootcamp, which was so cool. Basically, we got a stack of post it notes and were told to write down 10 solutions to a problem right then, you have two minutes. That’s how you think creatively, by challenging yourself in the moment. E-Club [UNH’s Entrepreneurship Club] also creates an environment where you have to think on your feet. I think that’s where your ideas come from. They’re already in there, you just need the platform to get them out.”
To complement the fast-paced, occasionally stressful nature of bootcamps, Elizabeth also flexes her creative muscles by using the student-run Makerspace in the ECenter. “I love the Makerspace” she says. “I create things to use in ceramics, which is so cool.” Whether applying classroom business strategies to the real world through workshops, or fostering creativity by using the Makerspace to 3D print molds to use in a ceramics class, the ECenter is all about interdisciplinary, co-curricular learning. As Elizabeth explains, “I didn’t really have the opportunity to do a lot of real-world problem solving in classes, so coming to the ECenter has been amazing to do that and be able to apply it. I was exposed to so much in that in a way that I wouldn’t have been if I was just in regular classes.”
For many ECenter students, i2 Passport is only the first foray into the ECenter. Said Elizabeth. “I’ve done a lot of advising here, talking to Ian Grant about my idea that I presented in the SVIC [UNH’s Social Venture Innovation Challenge]. The idea is True Vote; it’s an application for everyone eligible to vote to vote on each specific bill their representative is voting on." As Elizabeth tells it, her success is tied to the exposure and expertise she gained at the ECenter. “Most people don’t have the tools to pursue their ideas. I came to the ECenter with an idea but without any tools to use, and being here I’ve learned a lot about how to pursue an idea and how to think about it from a wide variety of perspectives. I really think it’s just about getting exposure to people who have experience.”
With graduation looming, the natural question is what’s next? “I think because I have the tools in problem solving, and working with a variety of people from being in the ECenter setting, I will be able to be successful wherever I am. Right now I’m considering going to grad school for international development, but I’m also looking at corporate jobs.” What it really comes down to is a creative outlook and a motivation to solve problems. “That’s the future,” she explains. “Every company I’ve applied to talks about the connection between communities, the environment, and the economy. To have solid solutions, you need creative thinkers.”
As we close out her chapter at the ECenter, I have one final question for her. What does she wish her peers knew about the ECenter? “I wish they knew the ECenter was here! I wish they knew they could come here and feel inspired and supported. It’s a warm and welcoming place on campus.”
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Thank You to our Generous Corporate Sponsors
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The ECenter is excited for Lake Street Advisors and 3EDGE Asset Management
to join Pierce Atwood as our newest 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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