Innovation Challenges Event (ICE)
September 12, 2024
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)
Lender School of Business SB 109 Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Read MoreThe M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship empowers and connects students, staff and faculty across all of Quinnipiac’s academic disciplines to pursue their entrepreneurial ventures. We provide advisory services and workshops in legal, finance, research, marketing, design, business plan development and start-up mentoring for all types of innovative business, social, sustainable and artistic ventures. We accomplish this by catalyzing students and faculty from all disciplines and backgrounds to help promising entrepreneurs learn ways to turn their ideas into practical use.
We support faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, alumni mentors and other internal and external partners of the university. Our relationships with successful entrepreneurs and business owners outside the QU community enable us to connect our students with the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region and country and enhance the economic development provided by small to mid-sized businesses that are fundamental to a successful economy.
November 13, 2024
Student Center Piazza
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
The annual Quinnipiac University Launchpad Elevator Pitch Competition gives students the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges, receive feedback and compete for cash prizes. The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines.
Contestants will have 90 seconds to pitch an old or new idea for a business or non-profit to the judges up to three times. Each time, judges will provide guidance on how to sharpen your skills and master the art of being concise, engaging and convincing. Prizes will be given for the best overall pitches and ideas alongside awards from each panel.
All applicants are required to participate in one of our pitch workshops, where you will learn the components of a powerful pitch, test out your idea with feedback and meet the other competitors.
Tuesday, October 15 at 5 p.m. in SB 109 or on Zoom
Wednesday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. in SB 109 or on Zoom
Saturday, October 5 from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. in the Recreation Center
Quinnipiac University and the M&T Bank Centers for Women & Business and Innovation & Entrepreneurship invite small business owners to feature their items and mark their services during our Sip and Shop event on the Mount Carmel Campus. Business owners who identify as people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, persons with a disability (seen or unseen) or neurodivergent will also get to network with other business owners and meet potential mentors from organizations such as M&T Bank, Small Business Administration (SBA), Women's Business Development Council (WBDC), Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce (GNHCC), Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber (CTGLC), ConnCORP, CitySeed and many others.
Seller space is limited.
Mckenna Haz ’21, is the founder of SEAAV Athletics, a company on a mission to make waves — not waste.
As part of Women's Entrepreneurship Week, the M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship proudly hosted McKenna Haz '21 for a pop-up shop and a speaking engagement detailing the growth and trajectory of her eco-friendly sports apparel brand, SEAAV Athletics.
The company, which Haz pitched as part of an introduction to entrepreneurship class during her first year at Quinnipiac, makes sustainable athletic wear with recycled materials. All of its products are made with post-consumer water bottles, and with each purchase, the company removes one pound of waste from the shoreline.
In SEAAV Athletics’ first year of business, the company diverted more than 170,000 plastic bottles through its ocean clean-up initiatives with an area partner and then repurposed them into its apparel. SEAAV Athletics’ big goal is to remove 1 million plastic bottles from shorelines by 2025.
Haz majored in advertising and integrated communications and minored in entrepreneurship and small business management at Quinnipiac.
She attributes several professors at Quinnipiac to helping her build a strong foundation for her success. Her professors helped her with her business plan, traveled to business competitions with her, helped with her pitch and opened the door to their connections.
The M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship holds events throughout the year designed to create a vibrant, entrepreneurial, on-campus community, provide inspiration for Quinnipiac entrepreneurs (faculty, staff and students) and share information that will assist budding innovators in attaining their goals.
April 29, 2022, Mount Carmel Campus
The launch of the new space for the Innovation Hub also featured an overview of opportunities for innovators and entrepreneurs to pursue across campus. Faculty, staff, administrators, fellows, alumni, business owners and corporate partners joined together with participants from our recent pitch competition to celebrate the occasion. Provost Debra Liebowitz kicked off the event with an introduction to the evolution and design of the hub concept with Patrice Luoma, director of the M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, sharing highlights of the year’s events.
In celebration of the Women Entrepreneurship Week 2021, the M&T Bank United Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the M&T Bank Center for Women and Business co-hosted a panel discussion featuring Quinnipiac women student entrepreneurs who discussed various phases of their entrepreneurial journey and what it takes to be your own boss.
The panel included Isabella Dias, founder of Beijo by Bella; Dena Dupree, a founder of NailTique; McKenna Haz, founder of SEAAV Athletics; and Kallie Purdue, a founder of Refashion. It was moderated by Patrice Luoma, director of the M&T Bank Centers at Quinnipiac.
Read more about Women Entrepreneurship Week
October 21, 2021, On The Rocks Pub & Grill, York Hill Campus
The M&T Bank Center for Women and Business and M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship co-hosted a networking event for School of Business student leaders to meet the Advisory Councils, Steering Committee, and Faculty Fellows.
April 15, 2020
Mary Howard, Executive Director, ABCT
Donna Lecky, Co-Founder and Managing Director, iHaven and HealthVenture
Donna Lecky and Mary Howard are leaders of two organizations that support the development of entrepreneurs and innovators focused on health care. Lecky, the co-founder of Health Ventures, helps early-stage health care companies with strategic financial and executive advice. Howard, executive director of the Accelerator for Biosciences in Connecticut (ABCT), leads a quasi-governmental agency designed to support CT-based innovators in the health sciences.
Watch the Healthcare and Entrepreneurship event
April 8, 2020
Garrett Sheehan, President and CEO, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce is one of the oldest continuously operating chambers of commerce in America. The chamber has supported business development in the greater New Haven region since 1794. Sheehan, president and CEO of the Chamber, spoke about how the organization is prioritizing the development of entrepreneurship in the region.
Watch the Entrepreneurial Support event
April 1, 2020
George Llado, Chief Information Officer, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Alexion Pharmaceuticals is an example of a university-spawned enterprise that is a leading innovator in health care. Llado, the chief information officer at Alexion, spoke about the role of innovation in the continuing success of Alexion and other early-stage university-connected enterprises.
Watch the Pharmaceutical and IT event
March 24, 2020
Rodney Sampson, Executive Chairman and CEO, Opportunity Hub
Opportunity Hub was one of the first African American-based business accelerators. Based in Atlanta, GA, Sampson is one of the leaders at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship and social change. Sampson is a national leader in working with urban-based innovators and entrepreneurs.
Watch the Urban Entrepreneurship event
March 10, 2020
Will Ginsberg, President and CEO The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Community Foundations have grown increasingly interested in promoting entrepreneurship, particularly in stressed communities, as a method of addressing societal problems that have been at the core of their missions. Ginsberg addressed the foundation’s role in promoting entrepreneurial infrastructure in Greater New Haven.
Watch the Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship event
March 3, 2020
Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senator, State of Connecticut
Richard Blumenthal is serving his second term as a United States Senator from the State of Connecticut. Senator Blumenthal served an unprecedented five terms as Connecticut’s Attorney General, fighting for people against large and powerful special interests. His aggressive law enforcement for consumer protection, environmental stewardship, labor rights, and personal privacy has helped reshape the role of state attorneys general nationwide, and resulted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for Connecticut taxpayers and consumers each year.
April 7, 2022, Mount Carmel Campus
The M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition was a highlight of our year, as students from all disciplines across campus presented their business ideas in an effort to win up to $3,000 in prize money. Each of our finalists had five minutes to describe their business, providing an overview of the fundamental concept before diving into market analysis, competitive landscape and revenue projections. Finalists presented ideas pertaining to health and nutrition, campus car safety, boat rentals, ski and snowboard platforms and hair care products, winning a total of over $12,000 in prize money to further their business ideas. Due to exponential growth in success and overall support, potential prize money for participating students has more than doubled since past competitions in 2021 and 2019.
Watch the 2022 Pitch Competition
February 10, 2022, Webinar
From the conference floor to the board room, making a good presentation is an essential skill for any leader or entrepreneur. Students had the opportunity to learn from Wall Street veteran, Scott Rosen, as he shared well-practiced tips on handling stress and fear of being the center of attention, and how to communicate your ideas confidently under pressure.
December 7, 2021, Rocky Top Student Center
The Schools of Business and Communications presented the Quinnipiac Launchpad Competition. Similar to the hit show “Shark Tank,” this live, virtual event gave viewers and participants the chance to decide which business to launch to the next level. With cash prizes on the line, student finalists from the Fall 2021 Digital Business/Entrepreneurial Media (ENT 290*) course went head-to-head to win it all.
April 21, 2021, Virtual
The M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship held its annual Pitch Competition. This competition helps students transform ideas into reality and take their business to the next level. Cash prizes totaling $6,000 are awarded to help get ideas off the ground.
Watch the 2021 Pitch Competition
April 14, 2021, Virtual
In preparation for the 2021 Pitch Competition, the finalists had the opportunity to get feedback on their presentations. The teams were given 10 minutes to present with time after for the judges to ask questions.
Recurring, Mount Carmel Campus
The Student Business Pop-Up Shop highlighted a variety of student-run businesses on campus and gave business owners the opportunity to share and sell their products to fellow students, faculty and staff. This event was held on the quad in coordination with student affairs faculty and staff.
March 31, 2022, On the Rocks Pub
TJ Salta, a third-year entrepreneurship major in the 3+1 program and a professional magician, performed a show at the On the Rocks Pub on our York Hill Campus before embarking on a one-year tour in Las Vegas. Renowned for his passionate and charismatic style, TJ Salta has performed from NY to LA and quickly earned recognition a rising talent. TJ was recently hired to perform as the close-up magician for ‘Mad Apple’ — Cirque du Soleil’s newest show in Las Vegas.
December 9, 2021, Webinar
Students were able to join Leah Bailey, Chief Business Development Officer for AUSA, a publicly-traded multi-state cannabis company, and John Volkmann, Vice President of Marketplace at Eaze Technologies, California's largest cannabis delivery business to discuss opportunities and startups within the cannabis industry.
Our School of Business M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship completed another productive year with initiatives that had a measurable impact on the various people and communities they serve, despite the uncertainty and heaviness of the pandemic. Consistent with their missions, each provided exciting, engaging and provocative activities and opportunities for students, faculty, alumni and friends of Quinnipiac University.
View the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Report (PDF)
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