State of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at UMass Amherst

STATE OF INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE BERTHIAUME CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

As demonstrated throughout this issue of the State of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, our spirit of innovation—even amid the challenges of a global pandemic—has never been stronger. Emanating from every corner of campus, it gains strength and structure through the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship and expands its reach through our partnerships with individuals, organizations, and businesses across the commonwealth.

We see the power of innovation and entrepreneurship to foster creative solutions, improve lives, and address the challenges of today. We witness the generosity and vision of Robert and Donna Manning, who endowed $18 million of their recent historic $50 million gift to the University of Massachusetts to propel the newly named Robert and Donna Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences forward, focusing on its mission of Computing for the Common Good. Complementing that generosity, we celebrate and gratefully acknowledge the leadership of Governor Charlie Baker, who committed an extraordinary $75 million to expand and enhance the college’s facilities.

In these pages, we also meet chemical engineering student Connor MacFarlane ’23, who arrived at UMass Amherst with an idea to improve the lives of people who, like him, live with Type 1 diabetes. And we watch invaluable east-west partnerships growing through the Mount Ida Innovation and Collaboration Space, with entrepreneurs sharing more than 25,000 square feet of co-working space, creating a hub of innovation while connecting UMass Amherst with the most forward-thinking individuals and companies in Massachusetts. Clearly, our revolutionary spirit is driving us forward, challenging convention, and advancing an environment that encourages scholars, innovators, and entrepreneurs to transform their pioneering ideas into reality.

Sincerely,

Kumble R. Subbaswamy Chancellor

INNOVATING THROUGH CRISIS

In the spring of 2020, when the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning to reveal itself, researchers and innovators on the UMass Amherst campus realized that they could use their skills to help solve one of the emerging problems: a dire nationwide shortage of face shields, critical protective equipment for frontline workers providing patient care.

Frank Sup and Meghan Huber of mechanical and industrial engineering led a cross-disciplinary team of engineers, nurses, and researchers at the university’s Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS, see page 22) aiming to design a face shield that could be produced quickly at a large scale.

Nurses and technicians from the College of Nursing assisted with testing the shield’s clinical usefulness. The design is made out of a single piece of plastic with antifog properties that is quickly cut and packed fat for distribution. It’s easy to put on, with a fold that allows it to curve around the head and create space for eyewear or a respirator underneath.

Partnering with K+K Thermoforming of Southbridge, Massachusetts, the team fabricated and distributed 100,000 face shields. The design was openly published and available to manufacturers and key fndings were shared in a Fast Company article.

Sup recalls, “Supply chains were not keeping up with demand.” Since package manufacturers had underutilized materials on hand, they could “scale up the production of face shields in a matter of days to meet the vast and urgent need. All they needed was the design.”

STRATEGIC COORDINATION ACROSS CAMPUS

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Working Group consists of members tasked by the chancellor with establishing the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a higher education destination of choice for faculty, students, and greater community members who are looking to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship. Te team works in small groups to strategize the best ways to provide undergraduate and graduate students—including those from underrepresented backgrounds—with opportunities to develop interdisciplinary innovation and entrepreneurial skills and to foster more productive collaborations with industry.

The working group’s scope includes:

• Document the current I&E activities on campus.

• Develop proposals to increase support for and engagement of undergraduates across the campus in curricular and co-curricular I&E activities.

• Engage more graduate students in I&E activities that link to the research enterprise, including I-Corps.

• Provide support and coordination for faculty to advance activities in the I&E area.

• Increase the participation of alumni and friends in providing expertise to increase the success of new ventures, e.g., mentors, entrepreneurs-in-residence; incorporate and utilize our Newton campus.

• Vigorously and visibly engage with of-campus groups of investors, e.g., angel and seed funds and support organizations such as Mass Challenge, Valley Venture Mentors, and Greentown Labs.

• Defne goals and success metrics for I&E activities for the next three to fve years.

Members of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Working Group

Mike Malone, vice chancellor for research and engagement, serves as sponsor for the group, which is led by chancellor-appointed co-chairs Gregory Thomas, executive director of the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship and a lecturer at the Isenberg School of Management, and Kathryn Ellis, director of the UMass Innovation Institute.

The other members include:

Brant Cheikes, executive director of the Center for Data Science, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences

James Flynn, assistant dean of Research Business Development, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences

Karen Giuliano, associate professor, Applied Life Sciences and Elaine Marieb College of Nursing

Burnley Jaklevic, director and senior licensing offcer for the Technology Transfer Offce

Charles Johnson, associate director of the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, clinical associate professor of management, and managing director of the Maroon Venture Partners Fund

Allison Jameson Koss, communications manager for Research and Engagement

Sundar Krishnamurty, Isenberg Distinguished Professor in engineering and director of the Center for e-Design in the College of Engineering

Peter Reinhart, founding director of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences

Mark Tuominen, associate dean for Research & Innovation and professor of physics in the College of Natural Sciences

Karen Utgoff, director of IALS Venture Development Programs and site director for I-Corps @ UMass Amherst

THE FUTURE OF UMASS AMHERST’S INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP CURRICULUM

One project under the purview of the chancellor’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Working Group is considering academic programs that will enhance the availability of entrepreneurship resources across the UMass Amherst student body, especially for undergraduate students. To that end, the team envisions a new undergraduate curriculum, called INNOVATE, that will create a support ecosystem for small cohorts of talented students from underrepresented backgrounds to train them as successful scientists and engineers, inspired by the emerging paradigms of an inclusive innovation and entrepreneurial mindset.

INNOVATE’s integrated curriculum and co-curricular activities would provide students with a structured program to support the development of their scientifc discovery process and entrepreneurial skill set, along with meaningful scholarship support. Students would receive numerous opportunities to work in diverse, interdisciplinary teams while applying their knowledge to invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

INNOVATE would be a holistic curriculum with a suite of integrated cohortbuilding, mentoring, and immersive co-curricular programmatic activities that address the importance of belonging, self-efcacy, and ability, which are integral in helping BIPOC and other STEM students navigate their unique challenges in their academic and professional lives.

Te program would help increase the participation of underrepresented students of color, frst-generation students, and women students pursuing degrees in STEM at UMass Amherst, and would empower the next generation of students with an entrepreneurial mindset, as they connect theory to practice and engage in equity ethics as a means for improving motivation and persistence.

Xavier Farrell ‘21

ADVANCING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET ACROSS CAMPUS

The Berthiaume Center supports innovation and entrepreneurship eforts across campus, in the Pioneer Valley, and throughout the commonwealth.

When chemical engineering student

Connor MacFarlane ’23 arrived at UMass Amherst, he had an idea to improve the lives of people who, like him, live with Type 1 diabetes.

MacFarlane sat in on one of the weekly boot camps hosted by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship. Tough he was initially hesitant to speak up, the facilitator encouraged him to share his idea for an insulin delivery system and ofered advice. Over the months that followed, MacFarlane was connected to resources all around the Pioneer Valley, including the Berthiaume Center’s boot camps and incubator space, the NSF-funded I-Corps @ UMass Program, VentureWell’s E-Team, the nonproft startup booster FORGE, and the university’s Technology Transfer Ofce. Berthiaume administrators also put him in touch with the executive-in-residence and a faculty sponsor at the College of Engineering.

He ultimately entered and placed in the Berthiaume Center’s 2020 Innovation Challenge, earning over $27,000 in equity-free seed money to take his idea for the Improved Insulin Delivery (IID) device to the next level.

“Connor is someone who came in and took advantage of the whole innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem on and around campus to advance his venture from a simple idea to a stage where he is now working on moving his prototype into manufacturing options in anticipation of acquisition,” said Gregory Tomas,

executive director of the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship.

MacFarlane’s story is exemplary of the transformative power of the innovation and entrepreneurship environment cultivated by UMass Amherst and the Berthiaume Center.

Te center was established in 2014, thanks to a gif from Doug Berthiaume ’71 and his wife, Diana, to the Isenberg School of Management, where its programs support the dean’s priorities for business education, including innovation in teaching and learning, attracting exceptional students, and creating global citizens and inclusive leaders.

Berthiaume spent more than two decades leading the Milford, Mass.-based Waters Corporation, a multinational laboratory analytical instrument and sofware company, afer organizing an investor group to purchase the assets of the Waters division from its parent company, Millipore Corporation, in 1994. He found that his willingness to work independently paid of with record growth in sales and profts.

“Being an entrepreneur requires taking risks and embracing a broader type of thinking—about costs, marketing, human resources, and so much more,” said Berthiaume. “I wanted to help build opportunities for UMass Amherst students to develop that entrepreneurial spirit and skill set.”

His view is widely shared by leaders in corporate America, who prize such skills in their employees.

“Chancellor Subbaswamy’s vision for the Berthiaume Center is to have it be an umbrella organization, promoting an entrepreneurial mindset in all our students, regardless of their feld of study,” said Gregory Tomas. “We know that gaining experience with entrepreneurship early in life helps students develop skills in problem-solving, idea generation, design thinking, and creativity. It teaches them to collaborate efectively with people who approach problems diferently, and not to be afraid to reach out to others for help with an idea.”

And a university full of people with this mindset—people who say “we can” and “yes, and”—has enormous potential to change the dynamics on campus, generate economic power in the commonwealth, attract investment, and more, Tomas added.

In 2014, Birton Cowden was part of the team that started to implement this vision.

“How could we leapfrog instead of just trying to copy existing models of top entrepreneurship centers?” said Cowden, who today is assistant professor and research director of the Shore Entrepreneurship Center at Kennesaw State University.

Te Berthiaume Center is diferent from other centers at UMass. While housed in Isenberg, its mission aims to promote entrepreneurship across the university, serving faculty, recent alumni, and students of all levels in every school and college.

Tis poses some challenges in gaining buy-in from other parts of the university. Te center’s leadership takes a “bottom-up” approach and directly engages students to participate in programming. Cowden recalled a series of Idea Jams—low-stakes pitching and networking events open to students across campus—held during the center’s frst year. While only 20 students came to the frst event, the number of attendees doubled and then tripled in subsequent sessions. Word of mouth among students led to exponential growth in 2015.

In 2016, the center inherited from the Ofce of Research and Engagement the Innovation Challenge, the multi-stage competition that awards equity-free seed money and coaching to ventures like Connor MacFarlane’s. According to Cowden, incorporating

Connor MacFarlane ’23

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy and Competitions

For the Berthiaume Center’s signature annual series of pitch competitions, interdisciplinary teams— consisting of students at all levels, faculty, and graduates of the last decade—develop products with a focus on customer base, scientifc and technological design, and a compelling business strategy.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy

During the fall semester, the Berthiaume Center hosts a series of competitions and co-curricular programming open to all UMass Amherst students. Participants are coached to develop their ideas, create startup plans, and scale their startups through bootcamps, advice from industry experts, guidance from mentors, and feedback from celebrity judges at competitions:

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3

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Innovation Challenge

The spring semester brings an elevated competition with participants from the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy and other UMass startups that apply to compete in a preliminary 1

round for a coveted spot in the fnal round of the Innovation

Challenge. Winners are awarded larger amounts of equity-free

funding:

this event lent credibility to the burgeoning center and opened doors for other important partnerships, such as with the UMass Technology Transfer Ofce.

Te center won the USASBE Model Emerging Program Award in 2016. It also began ofering a forcredit commercialization incubator course over two semesters, open to students campus-wide. In 2017, the center started a summer accelerator program, and acquired a dedicated space in Bartlett Hall for ofces and students incubating their ventures.

Today, the center serves more than 250 students per year. According to Program Manager Carly Forcade, students get involved with Berthiaume at various stages; some are deep into developing a venture, while others have a seed of an idea and are seeking guidance in getting it of the ground.

“We meet students where they are,” said Forcade. “Sometimes they come in a little unsure. We try to give them the confdence to dive in and explore, and

the resources and tools to advance their idea.”

Te Berthiaume Center ofers weekly startup boot camps and several seminars each semester. For students ready to put their ideas to the test, the center continues to host the Innovation Challenge, which is open to all students as well as recent alumni. Tomas aims to grow its tradition of collaboration across all the university’s schools and colleges and other organizations dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship in the region, through co-sponsored events and co-curricular activities in person, hybrid, and online. He points to the Collegiate Summer Venture Program (see page 8) as a success story of such a partnership: It combined separate summer accelerator programs previously hosted by UMass Amherst and Valley Venture Mentors, and today serves all 14 colleges and universities in the Pioneer Valley.

For Tomas, another important goal for the

future is fnding a permanent physical home for the Berthiaume Center.

“What makes a good program great is space,” he said. “We need a central, modern space that links to makerspaces so students can take advantage of campus resources to advance their ideas. A place where student entrepreneurs can collide, share ideas and receive advice, and build on their respective areas of strength.”

Finally, Tomas wants to continue to spread the word around campus about the resources available through the center and its partners.

“I think there are many more students like Connor—in every school and college—who have ideas that could be commercialized,” he said. “Tey just need support.”

Minute Pitch

Executive Pitch

Tech Challenge

Hult Prize

Business Plan Competition

60-second pitches made in front of Boardroom sessions that include Technology Invention-based Social impact startup competition; Our no-pitch event; online audiences; $2,500 distributed to the Q&A with judges; $15,000 awarded competition, evaluated by judges; campus winners proceed to regional submissions evaluated by judges winning teams. by the judges. $15,000 awarded by the judges. challenge with the opportunity for (starting fall 2022). international competition.

Preliminary Round 2

Final Teams pitch and engage in Q&A Finalists take the stage at a live

with judges, with the goal of event to present and engage in Q&A

winning entry to the Final. with judges; $65,000 awarded.

COLLEGIATE SUMMER VENTURE PROGRAM

The Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship launched an intensive 10-week program in 2017 that serves as a boot camp for entrepreneurs. Funded through the generous support of Earl W. Staford ’76, the program gives entrepreneurs access to the various resources of the University of Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley without the distractions of the school year.

In 2019, a summer collegiate accelerator ofered by local nonproft Valley Venture Mentors (VVM, see page 29), which supports entrepreneurs in western Massachusetts, merged with the UMass program. In the combined program, ventures from the 14 schools and colleges of the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative work with and inspire each other, allowing participants to collaborate with a more dynamic community and form a more diverse collection of disciplines.

Founders enter the program at diferent levels: Some have an idea in its early stages, and others are generating revenue and looking to scale. Each works with mentors—a brain trust of the campus’s

alumni, faculty, and staf, as well as VVM’s network of supporters and many local industry experts and business leaders who are part of the Pioneer Valley entrepreneurial ecosystem. Te type of progress founders will make during the summer is determined, establishing benchmarks and targets and meeting weekly with their mentors to track their progress.

Most days are spent defning who their customers are. Teams build their company visions, refning their thinking and pivoting when the data suggest they are going in the wrong direction. Teams create prototypes while working with the makerspace community on campus. Repeatedly practicing pitches, they learn what makes a strong presentation and how to look at their venture through the eyes of investors and potential partners. As they celebrate their successes and confront their obstacles together, founders become a community of entrepreneurs.

Participants spend time in the community and online doing customer discovery and meeting with entrepreneurs in the Valley, as well as visiting

the VVM co-working space, a valuable resource that’s available year-round where they can meet and get to know some of the upcoming ventures that call VVM’s space home.

A week at the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst in Newton is also on the schedule. Route 128, downtown Boston, and Cambridge comprise one of the world’s most vibrant entrepreneurship communities. Happy collisions with many of the players and organizations that are central to the region’s reputation bolster the programming.

Additional outside experts join the program for single-session workshops in their areas of expertise, such as marketing, customer acquisition, legal issues, prototyping, and team development.

Te culmination of the program is a showcase in Springfeld, where entrepreneurs pitch to and network with a room full of industry experts, business leaders, faculty from around the region, economic development leaders, potential investors, and interested community members.

To learn more about the CSVP or the Mentor Network, go to umass.edu/entrepreneurship

Berthiaume Center Mentor Network

The Berthiaume Center Mentor Network is a group of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts who have the knowledge and energy to support emerging entrepreneurs. These volunteers share their experiences to help ventures move forward in their entrepreneurial journey, with a particular focus on the Collegiate Summer Venture Program. The Berthiaume Center works with Eric Ashman ’89 to mobilize and manage the group—he was an early supporter who helped create and formalize the mentor network concept. Ashman, former president and chief operating offcer of Group Nine Media (which includes well-known websites Thrillist, NowThis, and Seeker), focuses on advising startups across Massachusetts.

At the 2021 Executive Pitch competition, engineering major Vishesh Gupta (second from left) and biology major Ami Mungilwar (third from left) won $2,000 in funding for their venture, Learnin, a platform for curated educational content. Berthiaume Executive Director Gregory Thomas (left) and Program Manager Carly Forcade (right) presented the awards.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholars Program

Isenberg MBA alumna Rebika Shaw Bendayan was also instrumental in helping codify the mentoring program’s structure and has continued serving as a mentor. She is an experienced healthcare strategist and leadership coach with global expertise in building strong teams and infrastructure. She currently serves as a senior consultant at Commonwealth Health Advisors.

Berthiaume’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholars Program (IESP) is open to all frst-year UMass Amherst undergraduate students, including transfer students. Successful applicants develop startup ideas from the back-of-a-napkin stage to real businesses, or advance previously established ventures with help from Berthiaume MBA Fellows, Ventures @ College of Computer Sciences Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and Berthiaume Expert Ofce Hours. Tey participate in boot camps, seminars, and competitions such as the Innovation Challenge, and work with the Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship Clubs.

As part of an exclusive cohort of innovative and entrepreneurial students, IESP participants complete at least 10 customer interviews and draf a business plan for their ventures. If students complete all IESP requirements, they receive a $250 award.

HOSTING THE HULT PRIZE

International Social Impact Startup Contest Comes to UMass

On April 23, UMass Amherst hosted a fnal regional summit in the 2021 $1 million Hult Foundation startup competition.The international competition challenges student entrepreneurs to solve social issues, such as food security (the theme of the 2021 challenge), water access, energy, education, and other priorities.

Earning the honor of serving as regional fnals host was no mean feat: UMass was one of only two U.S. sites in that role. The contest, notes Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship Executive Director Gregory Thomas, is anything but U.S.-centric, with 50 regional summits around the globe. To secure its distinction as a regional summit site, Berthiaume submitted a detailed proposal in December 2020. The plan included a list of 30 proposed judges from

which the Hult organization chose 12. In the plan, Berthiaume also committed to publicizing the event through social media and inviting an audience to its concluding gathering.

Berthiaume’s student assistants, MBA Fellows, and student volunteers worked closely with Hult Prize staff to create the entirely remote program, which

included panel discussions about food

entrepreneurship and a keynote speech by UMass Amherst sociology graduate Fatimah Baeshen ’02, who is founder of an international affairs advisory frm called Quantum, and AuthenticFi, a creative platform.

Hult, which was founded in 2009 by social entrepreneur Ahmad Ashkar, has catalyzed initiatives by 25,000 students at 2,000-plus universities in more than 100 countries. It is an offcial global partner of the United Nations. Thomas credits UMass and Berthiaume’s long-standing relationship with Hult as a key factor in the choice of the campus as a regional fnals site. “For at least fve years running, Berthiaume has hosted local Hult challenges,” observes Thomas. “We’ve also sent students to regionals in Boston and Toronto. And in the past two years, our students have worked directly with the Hult organization on competitions.”

In November 2021, Qualtags (then called Ripe) won the local campus Hult competition. The venture of three Isenberg students—Harsha Prakki (OIM), Satish Pokuri (OIM, economics), and Dev Parikh (fnance, economics)—Qualtags

is developing a sticker that changes color when food is exposed to damaging temperatures. The fall win punched their ticket to the April regional fnals at UMass. “The competitive process has added immeasurably to our enterprise,” says Prakki. “Hult offers all sorts of resources. The process has made us stronger. We’ve all grown tremendously.”

At the event, 35 teams from 30 universities and 11 countries competed for the regional title. The judges included a mix of 14 entrepreneurs, fnanciers, and representatives from universities, NGOs, chambers of commerce, and others. The two winners were a University of California Berkeley team called Impact Food, which is developing plant-based seafood substitutes, and a University of Rochester team called Advanced Growing Resources that is making portable sensors to allow farmers to detect plant diseases early in the feld. Both teams qualifed along with the winners from each of the 50 global regional fnals competitions for Hult’s four-week accelerator in August, notes Thomas. The fnal competition took place at the U.N. in the fall.

“Hult is above all about student growth,” Thomas says. “It helps UMass and Berthiaume to expand our horizons—to get them thinking about how they can change the world through their own ventures.”

Local Hackathons

The UMass Amherst campus sponsors a large annual student-organized event called HackUMass. The 36-hour event brings together as many as 1,000 students— including those from non-tech majors— from around the country to work on hardware and software projects in the Integrative Learning Center.

The frst all-women and nonbinary student hackathon in western Massachusetts, HackHer413, which takes place annually, is a student-organized and run event that welcomes 350 participants from New England and beyond. The principal goals of the event are to create a welcoming hacking environment, celebrate frst-time hackers, and encourage women from any major or career interest to explore computer science.

Entrepreneurship Club

Seasoned student entrepreneurs and inexperienced idea-holders both ft into the UMass Entrepreneurship Club perfectly. Catering to many skill levels, the club is developing spaces for both frst-timers and 'old'-timers to learn and problem-solve. New this year, the club joined forces with the Social Entrepreneurship program to foster a larger audience and generate an even greater impact. In addition to its biannual startup event, ULaunch, which has created more than 50 student-run startups, the club is looking to plan a trip to Boston in the spring and aims to bring back a sense of the bustling startup scene to UMass. Lastly, the Entrepreneurship Club is teaming up with the Women of Isenberg organization for an event to help motivated women learn new skills and pursue their dreams.

Three-Minute Thesis

The UMass Amherst Three Minute Thesis (3MT) celebrates the research accomplishments of the university’s graduate students while helping them develop their presentation and communication skills. These popular competitions have become a global phenomenon and offer graduate students the opportunity to communicate the signifcance of their research to a general audience—all in three minutes or less.

The frst-place winner of the 2021 contest, Adam Netzer Zimmer (pictured above), presented his doctoral research in anthropology on the historical sourcing of cadavers for medical research from marginalized populations. In a three-minute video, he explained that, before the current practice of voluntary body donation, cadavers were taken from poor families in New York City and from Aboriginal burial grounds in Australia. The identities of many bodies still being used for medical research remain unknown.

FACULTY FACILITATORS

Across the UMass Amherst campus, faculty members actively engage with the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem— supporting their own students’ discoveries and venture ideas, creating collaborative startups in their labs, and participating in curricular and extracurricular programs that highlight the value of creative thinking. The following faculty members are just a few of those who embrace entrepreneurship in the classroom and beyond.

Cynthia Barstow Senior Lecturer, Isenberg School of Management

Neil St. John Forbes

Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering

Dee Boyle-Clapp Director of Arts Extension Service

Kenneth Carter

Professor of Polymer Science & Engineering, College of Natural Sciences

Mark Corner Associate Professor, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences

Eric Crawley Lecturer and Entrepreneur-inResidence, College of Engineering

Jim Flynn

Assistant Dean of Business Development, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences

Karen Giuliano

Associate Professor, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing

Jeanne Hardy

Professor of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences

Charles Johnson Clinical Associate Professor, Isenberg School of Management

Sundar Krishnamurty

Professor and Head of Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Isenberg Distinguished Professor in Engineering, and Director of the Center for e-Design, College of Engineering

Jim Lagrant

Professor of Practice in Manufacturing, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering

Derek Lovley

Distinguished University Professor of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences

Craig Martin Professor of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences

Barbara Osborne

Distinguished Professor of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, College of Natural Sciences

Bogdan Prokopovych Lecturer, Isenberg School of Management

M. Sloan Siegrist

Assistant Professor of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences

Julian McClements

Distinguished Professor of Food Science, College of Natural Sciences

Jennifer Merton

Associate Chair, Law Lecturer Coordinator, and Senior Lecturer, Isenberg School of Management

Gerome Miklau Professor, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences

Matthew Rattigan

Senior Lecturer, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences

S. Thai Thayumanavan

Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, and Department Head of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering

Gregory S. Thomas

Executive Director of Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship and Lecturer, Isenberg School of Management

B.J. Roche Senior Lecturer, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Neena Thota

Senior Lecturer, Associate Chair of Teaching Development, Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences

Jonathan P. Rothstein Professor of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering

Mark Tuominen

Associate Dean of Research & Innovation and Professor of Physics, College of Natural Sciences

Professor of Electrical

Professor of Practice, and Computer School of Public Policy Engineering, College of Engineering

C. Andras Moritz

Betsy Schmidt

BUILDING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MAJOR

For students who come to UMass Amherst with a vision for a specifc career and discipline, the journey is somewhat clear: Taking required courses amid a selection of electives can develop new ways of thinking with content that caters to personal or professional interests.

But for those who come to campus without a prescribed learning vision, two options exist that allow them to craf a major from thousands of courses and determine their own journey in preparation for an entrepreneurial future: Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) and University Without Walls.

BDIC is an interdisciplinary academic program whose mission is allowing undergraduates the opportunity to design an individualized portfolio of courses that enables them to thrive and energize their passion. Of the 400-plus students in the program, many build a major with a focus on specifc areas of entrepreneurship, from social and educational to fashion and sports.

Learn more at umass.edu/bdic and umass.edu/uww

“I decided to become a BDIC major because I saw it as an opportunity to correlate my personal drive with interdisciplinary courses among the entire UMass system,” says Patrick Scanlon ’22, who participates in pitch competitions through the Berthiaume Center as he develops venture ideas. “Entrepreneurship is more than just having a skill set. To me, it involves standing out of the crowd, working with others, and pursuing paths that can be uncertain or out of the ordinary.”

Securing credits for previous life experience is where University Without Walls (UWW) enters the picture. UWW students can chart their own course— literally—and create a major that brings together their existing professional and academic background with a portfolio of online and on-campus learning experiences to complete their undergraduate education. Similarly, many of these students craf an entrepreneurship major to satisfy their personal career vision. Teir own ingenuity, while utilizing the vast educational resources at UMass Amherst and through the Five College Consortium, can make professional goals become a reality.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION IN ISENBERG

For students majoring in management who aim to launch their own ventures, the Isenberg School of Management ofers an entrepreneurship and innovation concentration that ensures they know how to evaluate the commercial applicability of a new product or service and bring that idea to life in the marketplace. Courses focus on fnancing and organizing new ventures, and electives ofer insights on starting businesses in sport and social entrepreneurship, among other areas.

“Te Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management Concentration allows students majoring in management to make meaningful contributions to the difusion of innovation and new businesses throughout the economy,” says Jennifer Merton, associate chair and senior lecturer for Isenberg’s Management Department. “While entrepreneurship in the context of new ventures is at the heart of this concentration, students develop an entrepreneurial skill set, which is also applicable to work in the traditional corporate setting.”

Te concentration, which was developed in conjunction with the creation of the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, is supported by Berthiaume and the many opportunities it provides for advancing student ventures, including advising services, pitch bootcamps, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy and Competitions.

Read about Isenberg programs at isenberg.umass.edu

THE INTEGRATED CONCENTRATION IN SCIENCE:

An Entrepreneurial Approach to Scientifc Pedagogy

Preparing 21st-century scientists requires a 21st century approach. Tinking outside the traditional pedagogy box, the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst launched the Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) program in 2010. A unique approach to science education, the program answers the pressing need to produce the next generation of leaders in science and technology with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills required to solve the multifaceted problems facing our world.

Today’s society faces urgent challenges, such as developing clean energy, curing diseases, producing drinkable water, and responding to climate change.

To make meaningful contributions to the issues of their time, students must possess a deep understanding of relevant scientifc concepts and the ability to apply these concepts in real-world contexts. Unfortunately, most felds of science are taught the same way they were a century ago—in separate silos isolated from economic and political realities. Without ofering a wider cultural perspective, science instruction cannot inspire today’s students to create solutions our world needs.

While deep technical expertise is critical to solving the world’s biggest problems, standard

UMass Amherst All-Campus Makerspace

Currently housed in the former Astronomy Research Facility, the Makerspace is available to all UMass community members. It is a place for creating, tinkering, collaborating, sharing, and relaxing. It includes a lounge area for casual meetings, a presentation area, a staffed front desk, arts and crafts and sewing stations, electronics testing and soldering stations, molding and casting areas, and 3D printers. Visitors create projects on their own and in groups, for assignments or just for kicks.

To learn more, contact umamakerspace@umass.edu

science instruction alone does not provide students the breadth of training they need to succeed as future leaders in industry, government, or academia. New skill sets in collaboration, communication, leadership, and interdisciplinary thinking defne the needs of the 21st-century technical workforce. Organizations must identify and recruit employees armed with these skills to compete in today’s world. Te iCons program is at the cutting edge of integrative education, bringing together undergraduate students to:

• Collaborate on complex societal issues in diverse teams;

• Understand multifaceted problems from multidisciplinary perspectives; and

• Develop and study creative solutions to realworld challenges.

Initially focused on STEM, iCons has expanded its partnerships to include students from 40 diferent majors from the College of Natural Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Manning College of

Information & Computer Sciences, and, as of 2020, the Isenberg School of Management. Building on the disciplinary strength of each student’s major, the 20-credit iCons curriculum consists of one course per year over four years, culminating in world-class research experiences. iCons projects involve student teamwork on case studies, laboratory experiments, and research—all fostering cross-disciplinary communication and integrative problem-solving skills.

iCons does not replace a major. Instead, the certifcate program enhances a major by providing opportunities to engage with real-world issues as part of interdisciplinary teams—skills that translate directly to careers at the leading edge of science. Students apply knowledge from their disciplines to existing problems of global signifcance, such as the cholera epidemic in Haiti, endocrine disruptors, or the development of algae biofuels.

Spring 2021 projects focused heavily on the UMass Amherst goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2032, exploring campus heating and cooling proposals including geothermal heat transfer.

Find more information about iCons at icons.cns.umass.edu

ELAINE MARIEB CENTER FOR NURSING AND ENGINEERING INNOVATION

In spring of 2021, the University of Massachusetts Amherst announced a $1 million gif from Michael ’76 and Teresa (Murphy) ’77 Hluchyj to serve as seed funding for the establishment of the new Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation. Te center will forge new collaborations between nurses and engineers, bringing together the two felds to create clinical solutions that can improve personal well-being and save lives.

Te center has also been supported by a $21.5 million gif in honor of Elaine Marieb, who received her master’s degree in nursing in 1985. Te center will support participating students, staf, and faculty from both colleges, and provide fnancial support for activities and resources, such as graduate fellowships, seed funds for R&D pilot projects, and an annual symposium. Funds will be shared between the newly named Elaine Marieb College of Nursing and the College of Engineering, enabling them to recruit the top student researchers from both colleges, as well as others from outside the university.

“We are excited to support UMass in this new initiative,” says Michael Hluchyj. “Innovation is ofen accelerated at the intersection of diferent academic disciplines. Te

worldwide health crises resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic make clear the critical need for innovative solutions in clinical settings, where both nursing and engineering play vital roles.”

Te center will not only provide students with an environment to work together, but will also integrate innovation and entrepreneurship into the current nursing and engineering curriculum. With support from faculty leaders, students will engage with industry partners on enhancing and inventing their own products.

“Te ability to quickly and efectively tackle everyday challenges in health care requires both nursing and engineering expertise,” explains Karen Giuliano, joint associate professor for the College of Nursing and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences. “Te power of a nurse-engineer approach is derived from mutual collaboration, where the nurse identifes the problem, the engineer creates potential solutions, and through bi-directional, real-time continuous collaboration, iterations and tradeofs occur until the best solutions are found.” Giuliano will serve as an inaugural co-director of the center along with Frank Sup, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering.

CMASS

Te university’s Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS) opened doors in 2011 to support the student success and sense of belonging of frst-generation students, students of color, multiracial students, and low-income students. Te center ofers social engagement, guidance in navigating the university, cultural connections, and feedback on students’ plans for success, and it works to promote inclusion. Its program oferings include ongoing success coaching as well as events such as the annual Cultural Connections event, which takes place at the start of the fall semester. Attendees learn about the four cultural centers on campus and connect with the cultural registered student organizations (RSOs) and multicultural Greek organizations. Te event features performances and appetizers from around the world, and is a highlight of UMass Welcome.

CMASS also organizes interactive programming throughout the academic year, such as an event called Te Return of the Black Wall Street, whose guest speaker, Marcelius Braxton, assistant dean of students at Capital University School of Law, explained the truth of the massacre that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921 and the impact it had on Black and brown businesses.

Nursing Faculty Members Join Innovation Advisory Board

The American Nurses Association has named Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Associate Professor Karen Giuliano (pictured above) and Associate Professor and PhD Program Director Rachel (Rae) Walker to its newly-formed Innovation Advisory Board. The board comprises 15 nurse leaders with commitment to healthcare innovation that encompasses design, education, nonproft, business, venture, and philanthropy sectors.

The central focus of Giuliano’s work is to improve patient outcomes through innovation in healthcare delivery practices and products. While at Philips Healthcare, she spent 12 years in various global roles, working with patient monitoring systems and clinical outcomes research. In 2016, Giuliano completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Yale University, where she collaborated across the schools of nursing, engineering, and business while working on improving the safety and usability of IV smart infusion pumps.

Walker is an associate director of the UMass Center for Health and Human Performance—a multidisciplinary translational science center that specializes in developing sensors, wearables, and digital health technology. They earned their PhD in nursing, certifcates in health disparities research and nursing education, and completed their postdoctoral fellowship in innovation for aging and translational science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Their clinical background includes oncology nursing and patient navigation, as well as experience in rural emergency response, humanitarian disaster relief, wilderness search and rescue, and as a U.S. Peace Corps-Mali volunteer.

UMass Amherst Libraries

As a key partner in teaching, learning, and research at UMass Amherst and beyond, the libraries foster a diverse, inclusive, and user-centered environment in which to engage with ideas and acquire the skills necessary for independent learning and critical thinking.

Te Digital Media Lab’s 3D Innovation Center (DML) has seven digitizers and ffy 3D printers, which can facilitate cross-discipline collaboration, rapid prototyping, educational models, fnal products, and more. Te Virtual Reality system at the DML can be used for personal or academic use.

Te UMass Amherst Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) librarian and materials are in the Science & Engineering Library in the Lederle Graduate Research Center. PTRC is a nationwide network of about 80 public, state, and academic libraries designated by the United States Patent and Trademark Ofce to support the diverse intellectual property needs of the public. In Massachusetts, UMass Amherst libraries and the Boston Public Library assist with trademark and patent searches, the application process, and general intellectual property questions.

Te Business & Entrepreneurship Services librarian is located in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, along with three databases in the Entrepreneurship Collection, available to users: Entrepreneurship Database (ProQuest) supports teaching, research, and academic competition for undergraduate and MBA programs, as well as other students or individuals looking to launch new business opportunities. CB Insights provides a real-time listing of U.S. venture capital/ private equity deals with the ability to search by keywords for deals, companies, or investors. Foundation Directory Online is a comprehensive search for grants, grant makers, and grant recipients, complete with funding opportunities and fnancial information.

Learn more at library.umass.edu

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Engineers are inventive. Their creative ideas and approaches result in solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and improve quality of life. At UMass Amherst, engineers are immersed in design experiences that focus not only on specifcations, fabrication, and analysis, but also on customer need and the economic, social, and environmental impact of their solutions. In the College of Engineering, we also partner with industry to tackle real world production issues, and with local community organizations to address urgent projects that have an immediate social impact—experiences that further ready our students for the workforce.

The following are examples of College of Engineering student work, including projects completed by teams of graduating seniors as well as course-based accomplishments.

Pelican Packaging

Manufacturers need packing material that is eco friendly and more customizable. Tis challenge was issued to the college’s engineers by Pelican Products. Currently, the company fts a proprietary polyethylene foam into shipping cases through a labor-intensive deductive manufacturing process, using bandsaws and waterjets, that leaves behind hard-to-recycle scraps.

Te solution? Establish key foundational performance characteristics of various 3-dimensional connective rod structures. Tese custom-designed additive manufactured structures, when incorporated within rotationally molded containers, will ensure high-quality protection.

The Coffee Valve Project

You expect liquid energy from your morning cup o' joe, but what about harmful chemicals? Inexpensive plastics in consumer-grade cofee makers are leached by hot water during brewing. Te Pioneer Valley Cofee Machine Company (PVCC) challenged our engineers to create a non-traditional cofee valve for an innovative, hybrid/drip cofee maker that eliminates plastic from the brewing process.

Te solution? An inexpensive metal “showerhead” cofee valve that functions to industry standards— modular, compact, and with simple assembly. A fuid and thermal analysis, coupled with prototype testing, demonstrated that the students’ design prevents overfow and allows for even dispersion.

Team Captcha-Shield

Face masks mufe speech and prevent lip-reading. Enter Captcha-Shield—a lightweight system that sits on custom face shields and prints audio-to-text on screens to help those with hearing impairments better understand their face-mask-wearing counterparts. It uses a noise-proof microphone, and a microcontroller displays the converted, easy-to read text on the screen. Te team’s prototype appears in a 3D-printed enclosure and features a fully populated and functioning printed circuit board and efcient integrated system.

La Finca, Nuestras Raíces Farm

In fall 2020, the College of Engineering ofered a new team-based course focused on community engagement and social justice. Students were partnered with local organizations including La Finca, a farm run by a grassroots urban agriculture organization called Nuestras Raíces in Holyoke, Mass., where engineers designed a cover that could protect irrigation valves and pipes from freezing winter temperatures. Te students also learned about the farm’s mission to improve nutrition and agricultural awareness, and its focus on Caribbean cultural crops. As course evaluations noted, the experience “let engineers know that they have a social impact and responsibility.”

Coffee Valve Project members at the fall 2021

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Senior Showcase. Find more details at engineering.umass.edu

Innovative Engineering Faculty Honored

Sundar Krishnamurty (pictured), professor and head of the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, was named the second Ronnie & Eugene Isenberg Distinguished Professor in Engineering in July 2020. The designation was created to enhance interdisciplinary teaching and research among the felds of management, engineering, and science. Krishnamurty also directs the Center for e-Design, an NSFsupported Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, and serves as associate director for the Center for Personalized Health Monitoring, which focuses on development of wearable sensor systems for personalized health care.

In 2019,Chemical Engineering Professor Christos Dimitrakopoulos was named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. Dimitrakopoulos holds more than 89 U.S. patents; he has worked on organic and hybrid semiconductor materials and devices for large area fexible electronics as well as wafer-scale epitaxial graphene growth, characterization, and optoelectronic devices.

ROBERT AND

DONNA

MANNING COLLEGE OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCES

An essential skill for any entrepreneur is the ability to respond to market signals. Identifying what customers want and then fulflling that demand is a prerequisite for business success. In 2012, UMass Amherst responded to market signals when it created the College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS). Since its inception, CICS has grown rapidly—its graduates become the data scientists, cybersecurity experts, sofware engineers, researchers, and other technologists required to make the innovation economy possible. Technologies in which CICS excels, such as machine learning and artifcial intelligence, are driving innovation across virtually all industry sectors, from Amazon to the latest fntech unicorn.

Tis fall, the college’s success and potential were recognized with a transformative gif of $18 million from Robert and Donna Manning, along with a $75 million investment from the state, announced by Governor Charlie Baker, to enhance and expand its facilities.

Although the demand for computing talent from innovative businesses creates fantastic career opportunities for computer science and informatics majors, the leaders at CICS know their students are not satisfed with just fnding high-paying jobs; they seek meaning in their work. Tey want to bring about positive change. To support entrepreneurship and innovation in the CICS community, the college has the following initiatives:

• Ventures @ CICS Program—Members of the CICS and UMass Amherst community can draw on the expertise of the college’s experienced entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs). Tis year, CICS recruited three additional entrepreneurs to increase its lineup to seven EIRs. Learn more at cics.umass.edu

• Sofware Entrepreneurship (COMPSCI 420)—CICS designed this course for students interested in developing sofware that moves from early-stage proof-of-concept ideas toward marketable products with societal benefts. During the semester, students develop business plans and minimum viable products (MVPs) for their ideas. Te EIRs from the Ventures @ CICS program serve as guest lecturers and reviewers for the fnal presentations. Many of the MVPs that students develop in this course are either ready or nearly ready to launch as revenue-generating oferings.

• Center for Data Science Mentoring Program—In this program, students team up with industry partners to work on solutions to real-world problems in data science. Student teams work under the supervision of PhD candidate teacher assistants, who report to a faculty member who has ultimate responsibility for the various customer projects.

• Industry Research Partnerships—When companies like Microsof, Adobe, Stanley Black and Decker, and others have technical challenges in areas where CICS excels, they regularly turn to our faculty-student teams to address those challenges. Tere are always numerous research projects ongoing within CICS that provide partners with answers to their most vexing research questions, while students get experience dealing with real-world challenges.

• Hackathons—CICS students routinely take leadership roles running campus-wide hackathons, such as HackUMass, which attracts students from throughout the northeast, and HackHer413, which creates an inclusive environment for all women (cis and trans) and nonbinary students of all backgrounds.

In addition to all of its ongoing initiatives, Manning has signifcant plans for the future. Te college is developing an additional entrepreneurship course, which will be called Sofware Entrepreneurship Launchpad. Te new course will allow students to transform the projects they started in COMPSCI 420 into revenue-generating businesses.

THE INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES

Connecting university researchers with industry resources

The Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) is a pancampus organization whose objectives are: to be a catalyst and resource for “applied” and “translational” life science and technology R&D activities; to further industry engagement and collaborations; to contribute to workforce development; and to participate in growing an innovation and entrepreneurship culture on campus.

To achieve this vision, deep and interdisciplinary expertise of more than 250 faculty-led research groups from seven colleges and 29 departments on the UMass Amherst campus is combined with the diverse capabilities of industry and government partners. IALS partnerships support academic innovation that focuses on delivering high unmet-need product candidates.

IALS is organized into three large centers:

The Center for Personalized Health Monitoring addresses real-world problems in the emerging feld of digital health care, wearable sensor technologies, and personalized, precision health care delivery, interfacing closely with provider networks, hospitals, and industry across the commonwealth and the world.

The Center for Bioactive Delivery develops novel drug delivery platforms for next-generation nutraceuticals, small-molecule, and bio-molecule therapeutics to facilitate “the right drug to the right place.”

The Models to Medicine Center discovers novel disease-related cellular pathways, drug targets, and therapeutic candidates. These targets/candidates represent next-generation therapeutics in disease areas of high unmet need.

A signifcant resource facilitating the IALS objectives is a newly created set of more than 30 Core Facilities, which contain cutting-edge equipment to facilitate a wide range of applied projects—from device

IALS Venture Development

Te IALS Venture Development team ofers innovation services (programs and resources) to support campus researchers aiming to translate their discoveries and inventions into product concepts and startup ventures that address real-world problems to improve human health and well-being.

Venture development resources include a cadre of Business Innovation Fellows as well as external mentors and experts, all of whom work directly with applied science and technology founders on commercialization planning. Te group helps pre startups and startups from the idea stage through early implementation to secure funding through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and/or Series A funding.

Support from the Venture Development team ranges from one-time meetings on a specifc question to ongoing commercialization planning with a small team of Business Innovation Fellows. Mentors, experts, and other campus organizations are engaged as warranted. Drawing upon a broad tool kit, the entire Venture Development team tailors

its eforts to the individual needs of each emerging venture with emphasis on identifying and meeting key business milestones that de-risk and add value to the project.

Te Venture Development team encourages and facilitates participation in events and programs to accelerate progress and raise visibility. For example, founders from the IALS startup community have participated in the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s NexGen program, BIO 2018 Startup Stadium, MassBio’s MassConnect and MassConnect PI programs, the CleanTech Open Northeast Summer Accelerator, I-Corps @ UMass Amherst, the UMass Innovation Challenge, VentureWell E-Teams Stage 1 and Aspire programs, and various MassChallenge accelerators. Recently, IALS Venture Development collaborated with fve startups from the campus to help them secure spots in the 2021 Massachusetts Life Science Innovation Day (MALSI+) poster showcase.

In addition to its work with founders of individual pre-startups and startups, IALS Venture Development works to strengthen the campus

prototyping, 3D printing, precision manufacturing, and roll-to-roll fabrication to human motion and gait studies, EEG and sleep studies, human energy metabolism, and brain/muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All Core Facilities are available to academic researchers as well as industry partners.

Near these Core Facilities are “Collaboratories”—lab space available to industry partners and UMass startup companies to allow them to work alongside UMass faculty and Core Facilities. An “Industry Sabbatical Program” allows industry researchers to spend time embedded in UMass research laboratories or in the IALS Core Facilities.

IALS works with industry partners to combine the best in academic innovation with an industrylike focus on delivering commercially signifcant products, services, and technologies over a defned timeline. Resources and facilities are equally accessible to academic, government, and industry collaborators. By design, IALS is product-focused, interdisciplinary, collaborative, outward-looking, and entrepreneurial.

innovation ecosystem by creating resources to inspire and educate emerging innovators and through collaborations with other campus organizations— the Technology Transfer Ofce, the Manning/IALS Innovation Awards program, the Ofce of Research & Compliance, I-Corps @ UMass Amherst, the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Manning College of Computer & Information Sciences, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, Maroon Venture Partners, and more. For example, in 2020–21, the Venture Development Team launched the Startup Navigator (umass.edu/ials/startup navigator) to provide general information for students and faculty seeking more information regarding STEM entrepreneurship and innovation. Te team also collaborated with the Technology Transfer Ofce on a series of “Startup Know-How” talks (umass.edu/ ials/innovation-services/startup-know-how-talks) and with the Manning/IALS Innovation Awards program which added “Create a Commercialization Plan in 90 Minutes” sessions, and are now available on the IALS website.

I-CORPS @ UMASS AMHERST

Te UMass Amherst I-Corps Site—I-Corps @ UMass Amherst—was established in late 2018 with funding from the National Science Foundation and the campus, with the goals of increasing research commercialization and startups while enhancing the campus innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. A robust three-part program introduces STEM faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows to the lean startup approach, and provides training and experience in customer discovery interviewing. In addition, research and program materials have been developed to engage and support the participation of members of groups who are underrepresented in science, engineering, and technology entrepreneurship.

More than 200 STEM researchers have participated in the Innovators Warm-Up, a 90-minute workshop that includes a hands-on exercise to engage and inspire participants. It is ofered several times a semester in open sessions and through classes or other groups.

IALS Business Innovation Fellows

Te Business Innovation Fellows program selects students from the Isenberg School of Management On-Campus MBA Program and other UMass colleges and schools to gain hands-on innovation and entrepreneurship experience as part of the IALS Venture Development team. In collaboration with startup founders and IALS Venture Development leadership, agile teams of fellows work to de-risk and add value to business concepts by assessing competitive landscapes, fnding potential funding sources, analyzing key markets, and building fnancial projections to clarify commercialization opportunities and plans.

Since 2018, fellows have engaged with more than 30 applied research and technology startup teams and have helped to secure SBIR funding from the National Institutes of Health

and National Science Foundation, as well as VentureWell and the UMass Ofce of Technology Commercialization and Ventures.

Te program was conceived in 2016 by Mark Fuller, then-dean of the Isenberg School, and IALS Founding Director Peter Reinhart as a vehicle to help technical founders while providing hands-on experience in research-based innovation and entrepreneurship for business students. Since its inception with fewer than 10 fellows, it has grown to involve more than 20 fellows each year. While fueling IALS Venture Development eforts to support startups and pre-startups, fellows work in an industry-like environment that complements their education, thus preparing them to lead in the innovation economy. Fellows have gone on to impactful positions in startups and key innovation organizations and have established technologydriven companies.

Ninety-three individuals on 36 teams have completed the Innovators Jump-Start, which provides substantial initial hands-on training (six to eight hours of workshops) in support of required customer discovery interviewing (10 interviews). It is ofered once each semester to selected teams.

Te Innovators Jump-Start includes training in “Overcoming Blind Spots and Unconscious Bias” to help participants address diversity, equity, and inclusivity concerns related to customer discovery and commercialization planning.

Te Innovators Rev-Up is a capstone experience for teams that have successfully completed the Innovators Jump-Start and want to conduct additional interviews. Upon successful completion of the Innovators Rev-Up, participants are deemed prepared for the National Science Foundation’s National I-Corps Teams program.

Te I-Corps @ UMass Amherst Innovators JumpStart and Rev-Up act as springboards to launch teams into successful participation in other programs on campus and beyond:

• 4 NSF National I-Corps Teams

• 2 VentureWell E-Teams Stage 1 grants

• 1 CleanTech Open Northeast Summer Accelerator team

• 1 MALSI+ showcase participant

• 2 Manning/IALS Innovation Awards recipients

• 4 Innovation Challenge 2021 fnalists

Te I-Corps @ UMass Amherst teaching team includes instructors from the College of Natural Sciences, the Technology Transfer Ofce, the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, and IALS Venture Development.

Learn more at umass.edu/ials/innovation-services

Learn more about IALS and the Core Facilities at umass.edu/ials

THE UMASS OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT

The Offce of Research and Engagement administers the campus’s research enterprise. It works in conjunction with academic, government, and private partners to translate new knowledge and scientifc discoveries into technical innovations and scholarly works that beneft society and create opportunities for students, faculty, and the public. Its major functions encompass two broad areas: research administration and compliance, and research development and engagement. Research and Engagement also oversees large, multi-college centers, institutes, and affliated core facilities.

The Technology Transfer Ofce (TTO), under the Ofce of Research and Engage ment, is a faculty-service organization that lends its specialized expertise in “intellectual property”—patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets—to faculty, students, and staf across campus. It helps people recognize when they may have made an invention, evaluate pat entability and commercial potential, and fle and pursue patent applications. Te TTO works with inventors to fnd companies interested in selling the patented products or to create startup com panies for this purpose. It also provides advice to faculty, students, staf, and university leadership on a wide variety of matters that touch on intel lectual property.

One of the TTO’s most valuable functions is seeking patents on inventions that result from UMass Amherst research, and then entering contracts, called “licenses,” that give companies the right to make and sell the patented products. Te patent rights give companies an incentive to invest money and efort in developing and marketing the new products because the patents prevent other companies from selling the same products for a period of time. In some cases, the TTO licenses patent rights to already-existing companies, both large and small.

In other cases, the TTO collaborates with other campus organizations, such as the Ofce of Research Compliance, IALS Venture Development, and Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, to support faculty, students, and others as they consider forming a company to commercialize inventions. Te startup route is sometimes the only avenue for commercializing promising and highly advanced university inventions because existing companies consider them too risky.

In addition, the TTO actively supports the UMass Amherst National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Site (see page 23). Te TTO director, Burnley Jaklevic, is co-principal investigator on the I-Corps Site grant. Te TTO licensing professionals serve as instructors or coaches for I-Corps Site program participants.

If you have intellectual property questions or are considering forming a venture, please call us at 413-545-3606, email us at tto@umass.edu, or consult our website (umass.edu/tto).

UMass Amherst–Based Startups

The following university-affliated ventures have formed commercial entities within the past decade; some are in the process of raising funds from government grants and investments, and others are developing projects.

Automated Controversy Detection, LLC (AuCoDe)

Shiri Dori-Hacohen, CICS

Automated computer system for detecting the presence of controversies on the internet. Applications in automat ed stock trading, artifcial intelligence.

Cyta Therapeutics, Inc. Thai Thayumanavan, Chemistry

Nanogel-based drug delivery system that is capable of stably encapsulating a drug of choice, targeting the nanogel to a desired tissue, and releasing the drug upon entering the target tissue cells.

Ernest Pharmaceuticals, LLC

Nele Van Dessel/Neil Forbes, Chemical Engineering

Salmonella has long been known to target cancer cells, but use as a drug delivery vehicle has failed. Novel gene construct that causes bacteria to burst inside target cells now makes this possible.

HasenTech, LLC Barbara Osborne, VASCI

Using purifed exopolysaccharide (EPS) from Bacillus subtilis to provide protection against infammation associated with infammatory disease.

Intrata, Inc. Greg Tew, PSE

Synthetic protein-transduction-domain mimics that are capable of intracellular delivery of antigens, antibodies, and other biomolecules for vaccine development and therapeutic applications.

Kyttarinic Technologies, LLC Kenneth Carter, PSE

Commercializing new technologies based on cellulose and nanocellulose materials to address modern problems.

Latde Diagnostics, LLC Sloan Siegrist, Microbiology

Diagnostic for blood-borne infections; technology could be adapted to detect bacterial growth in humans, animals, food, and manufacturing contexts.

Marvel Diagnostics, Inc. Jonathan Rothstein, MIE

Marvel Diagnostics innovative BlowFISH technology of fers the potential for a simple, inexpensive, non-invasive, massively-deployable, rapid diagnostic or sentinel system for detecting respiratory illness and airborne viral threats.

Optical Waters, LLC

Mariana Lopes,Civil & Environmental Engineering

Germicidal, ultraviolet side-emitting optical fbers to dis infect the inside of tight channels in medical equipment and air/water treatment applications.

Soliyarn, LLC Trisha Andrew, Chemistry

Conductive cloth for heated garments made using vapor deposition at high pressures. Thin and fexible, low power consumption.

Sperm Capacitation Technologies, Inc. (SCT, Inc.)

Pablo Visconti, VASCI

Kit for increasing the fertilization rate and embryo quality achieved in artifcial insemination and in vitro fertilization. Applications in hard-to-breed gene-defcient research mice, breeding cattle and horses, improving human fertility enhancement.

TetraMem, Inc. Qiangfei Xia, ECE

Developing next generation computing devices for AI and IoT applications.

Two Trees, LLC Ginny Chandler, Nursing

Deploying proprietary strengths-based learning model to activate resilience, increase thriving to boost adaptive success.

Anellotech, Inc. Chemical Engineering

Sustainable technology company commercializing technology for the production of cost-competitive renewable chemicals and fuels.

In Market

These seven teams have products or services available.

Aclarity, LLC Dave Reckhow/Julie Bliss, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Point of use water purifcation device that uses a small elec tric current to generate chlorine and peroxide, avoiding need for expensive cartridges.

Felsuma, LLC Al Crosby & Duncan Irschick, PSE/Biology

Geckskin® products, based on revolutionary adhesive technologies, developed at UMass Amherst and provide easily releasable and reusable adhesive materials.

Genoverde Biosciences, Inc. Sam Hazen, Biology

Agri-biotech company developing plant-based solutions to address economic, social, and environmental challenges of the 21st century.

Lumme, Inc. Deepak Ganesan, CICS

Developing a behavior change platform that combines ma chine learning, wearable devices, and behavioral psychology.

MedZu, Inc.

Nationwide surveillance of arthropod vectors of human disease that provides actionable data to individuals, care providers, and communities.

PearlPod, LLC Carlos Gradil, VASCI

Intra-uterine device that limits erratic behavior of mares during breeding season.

Tumult Labs, Inc. Gerome Miklau, CICS

Information privacy technology that allows data to be used effectively while respecting and maintaining the privacy of contributing individuals.

The UMass Innovation Institute

Designed to foster industry-sponsored basic and applied research, gain collaborations with industry partners, and apply technology transition to industry, the mission of the UMass Innovation Institute (UMII) is to increase opportunities for companies to work with university researchers in order to elevate projects from concept to commercialization.

The goal is to have an impact on regional and national economic growth by ensuring that knowledge and technology developed at UMass Amherst are rapidly and broadly disseminated to advance the nation’s social and economic interests.

On average, 20 percent of university-wide research projects (200 per year) are affliated with industry partners. UMII is the central offce for coordinating projects across campus for companies seeking expert research.

UMII is committed to real-time responsiveness with agility and fexibility, understanding that companies have a short window of opportunity and recognizing that any delay can impact projects.

A one-stop shop, UMII coordinates all aspects of proposal development for industry projects, reaching internally across multiple offces in order to process a grant. Its work is tightly coordinated with the university’s Technology Transfer Offce regarding intellectual property in order to achieve equitable deals for both the company and UMass Amherst researchers. The institute conducts meetings across campus to assist researchers (of which there are more than 700) with various types of contracts, as well as helping prepare the scope of work, budget, timeline, and milestones for each project.

MOUNT IDA INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION SPACE

The Mount Ida Innovation and Collaboration Space, located on UMass Am herst’s Mount Ida Campus in Newton, is home to a community of entrepre neurs, comprising more than 25,000 square feet of co-working space. There are offces—both dedicated and shared—in addition to conference rooms, auditoriums, laboratories, a makerspace, and event spaces. The space serves as a hub for innovation by connecting UMass Amherst with the area’s most forward-thinking companies and individuals.

Memberships start at $350/month. Full-time, part-time and virtual options are available. Consistent with the mission and strategic plan of the Mount Ida Campus, Innovation and Collaboration Space members are expected to provide professional development opportunities for UMass Amherst students, including informational interviews, internships, and networking opportunities.

The space is located within the Newton-Needham Innovation District and adjacent to the Wells Avenue Commercial District. The area has become a hotbed for revolutionary technology, booming startups, and enterprising cor porations. Located less than 10 miles from downtown Boston, the Mount Ida Campus offers free parking, on-site dining, and outdoor recreational facilities.

Learn more at umass.edu/umii

PORT IN A PANDEMIC

In the spring of 2020, when it became clear that the COVID-19 pan demic was going to cause major disruptions to everyday life, stafers at the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) shifed into high gear.

“Small businesses were frantic—particularly those in restaurants and hospitality,” says Allen Kronick, senior business advisor for the Western Massachusetts Regional Ofce, one of the nine business centers that make up the statewide MSBDC network. “Information was very hard to come by, answers were not there, federal and state programs were very complicated to access. We were able to help clients feel a little better and get some information.”

Te MSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Massachusetts Ofce of Business Development, and a consortium of institutions of higher education led by the Isenberg School of Manage ment at UMass Amherst. Te six regional business advisory centers, the Mass Export Center, Procurement Center, and Technology/SBIR pro grams ofer in-depth one-on-one advising and training across the state.

“We were people that small business owners—many of them mom-and pop companies—could talk to, and we could intervene to help them out,” Kronick says.

At the same time, the MSBDC worked on the front lines to help Massa chusetts companies that found their moment for success in the pandem ic, including the Future Air Filters system, a product line started by the father-and-son team of James and Matthew Patterson.

James Patterson’s HVAC business, Orchard Valley Heating and Cooling, is based in Southampton, Mass. When he learned about the devastating COVID-19 outbreak that took at least 76 residents’ lives at the nearby Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in early 2020, he began looking for solutions. He realized that a technology he was very familiar with, bipolar ioniza tion, could be a great tool—it destroys viruses, bacteria, allergens, odors, and molds that are airborne and on surfaces by sending charged parti cles out into a room to purify the air. He had been using the technology inside the duct work of allergy-sensitive homeowners and businesses with high foot trafc for the past decade.

EXPORT CENTER MOVES TO THE MOUNT IDA CAMPUS

Since its inception in May 1994, the Massachusetts Export Center has assisted thousands of companies and individuals. Recognizing the need to make export services easily accessible to companies of all sizes, it was established as a specialty offce of the MSBDC to serve as the state’s one-stop resource for export assistance, offering a full range of targeted, customized services to Massachusetts businesses at any stage in the export process. The Export Center recently moved to the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst in Newton, Mass., just 10 minutes from downtown Boston.

He built a prototype of a unit that could sit within a portable enclosure, and thanks to donations from customers, he was able to present the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home with two air purifcation units. When nearby businesses and homeowners learned about the project, they were anxious to purchase units.

James’s son, Matthew Patterson ’15 (pictured at lef, with James), who graduated with a management degree and a concentration in entrepreneurship, joined his father’s team and focused on marketing the Future Air Filters. For advice, Matthew contacted Allen Kronick, whom he had worked for during an internship at the MSBDC.

“Te MSBDC referred us to many associations, grants, and assistance programs that were happening at the time for small businesses, as well as for businesses specifcally working toward eradicating COVID and getting back to a new normal,” Matthew says, adding that the organization also helped with forming the identity, brand, and strategy for going to market. “Matthew was the marketing brains of the operation,” Kronick says. “We worked with him to help him develop markets, advertise his services to the right people, and do some network ing.”

Te Future Air Filters units are modular boxes designed for ease of assembly and require no installation for the customer; they can simply be plugged in to begin purifying the air in en closed spaces. Te MSBDC connected the Pattersons with a statewide innovation challenge focused on slowing the spread of COVID-19.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without this connection,” Matthew says. “We placed third in the challenge, which was remarkable. We met dozens of brilliant business owners, investors, and other public fgures who were all pushing to get through this difcult time using innovation as a catalyst.”

Learn more at msbdc.org

THE WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP ECOSYSTEM

Since George Washington chose Springfeld as the site for the U.S. National Armory in 1777, the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts has been a hub of innovation. Agriculture, wood products, rural enterprises, metal and precision manufacturing, and colleges have all made their home in the area. Intellectual, fnancial, and practical networks have long linked the doers and the makers of western Massachusetts, and in recent years, organizations supporting entrepreneurs have gained traction to help everyone with great venture ideas fnd the best ways to bring them to life.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR EVERYBODY

Te nonproft EforAll aims to foster inclusive entrepreneurship in communities with the goal of accelerating economic and social impacts. Te Holyoke, Mass., site started in 2015 as SPARK, a program of the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce; SPARK joined forces with the Lowell-based EforAll in 2018, and last year launched a Spanish-language version of the program, called EparaTodos.

EforAll’s approach is predicated upon the understanding that under-networked and un der-funded groups face barriers to entry into entrepreneurship, which impede their success. Te organization provides would-be entrepreneurs with the three necessary components for success that they so frequently lack—business know-how, access to capital, and a profession al network—by ofering a year-long accelerator program twice a year, and four pitch contests. Te programs are totally free, thanks to generous funders and corporate and individual donors. Tese three local entrepreneurs have participated in Holyoke EforAll programs:

Nicole Ortiz, Crave Food Truck & Restaurant: Ortiz (pictured lef) is the proud owner of Crave Food Truck, which opened in August 2020. Her delicious tacos and rice bowls made with local fresh ingredients became an instant hit in Holyoke. Tis business is the culmina tion of Ortiz’s long-time fascination with food trucks, which led her to culinary school to get her start. Like many EforAll graduates, Ortiz’s frst experience with the organization was participating in a Pitch Contest, where she won frst prize. In addition to her thriving food truck, Ortiz opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant that now employs 10 people.

Mike Bennion, LifeBooch Kombucha: Like many entrepreneurs, Bennion started his business based on passion (in his case, a love of kombucha) and identifcation of a market (his neighbors wanted to buy it from him). Bennion and his partner teamed up and started slowly, brewing in a shared kitchen and, occasionally, selling small quantities at farmers’ markets. Afer completing EforAll, Bennion and his partner moved out of the shared kitchen and into their own 1,200-square-foot custom-built brewery, where they run LifeBooch Kombucha. Tey also got their wholesale license and expanded their brewing capacity from 75 gallons/month to 600 gallons/month.

Jessika Rozki, Rozki Rides: Rozki was a bus driver for 15 years, but afer her baby was born, she wanted to be more present in her daughter’s life. She launched Rozki Rides, a transportation service taking families to and from school and day care, and to medical ap pointments or sports activities. Rozki was accepted into the Winter 2020 Accelerator Cohort, where she received the support of mentors and lessons ranging from fnance to marketing, allowing her to take her business to the next level. Afer graduating, Rozki expanded her business to work with local foster care agencies and added a second driver to her team.

Find more information at eforall.org

GRINSPOON ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVE

Local real estate entrepreneur Harold Grinspoon developed the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative (EI) in 2003 (a program of the Harold Grinspoon Charita ble Foundation) to elevate the importance of entrepreneurship and recognize entrepre neurial excellence among college students.

Te mission of the EI is to encourage en trepreneurial activity in the Pioneer Valley by fostering an educational environment among participating colleges and univer sities that informs, supports, and inspires students, and by recognizing and awarding students who display entrepreneurial spirit.

Grinspoon EI hosts two high-profle events—an annual fall conference and a spring awards banquet—and recognizes outstanding students with Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards.

Grinspoon EI Member Institutions

American International College Amherst College Bay Path University Elms College Greenfeld Community College Hampshire College Holyoke Community College Mount Holyoke College Smith College Springfeld College

Springfeld Technical Community College University of Massachusetts

Western New England University Westfeld State University

VALLEY VENTURE MENTORS

Since its inception in 2011, Springfeld-based nonproft Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) has become the center of a community of entrepreneurial thinkers: small-business owners using its co-working space (pictured above), experienced advisors mentoring startup founders, and people with ideas trying to fgure out next steps. Te organi zation, which helps entrepreneurs turn their ideas into thriving, scalable businesses, has been the Berthiaume Center’s partner in producing the Collegiate Summer Ven ture Program since 2019. VVM also holds lively monthly mentorship meetings, where volunteers help startup founders with their pitching skills and discuss solutions to their business problems. Te connections made at meetings create vital social capital among entrepreneurs, helping to make western Massachusetts a destination for startups.

Chris Lucas, cofounder and CEO of the digital well-being plat form Ompractice, describes how VVM’s accelerator program helped his team launch a business based on live two-way yoga classes:

“Without a doubt, VVM was transformative for our company, creating a sense of structure and community at once. Te forcing function helped us focus on the right things at the right times, and we got to know an incredibly diverse group of founders, op erators, advisors, and mentors! Te setup where all companies were invested in the success of each other was—and remains— completely unique to any other accelerator we’ve been part of since.

“Having a free place to gather and co-work proved invaluable early on; and we loved it so much, we signed up for a full ofce in the new space. It is such a special community hub where people from all stages of a company’s life can swap stories, pitch in with ideas, and get real-time feedback.

“Te VVM accelerator eventually led to investments by three local funds. It is no exaggeration to say Ompractice would not exist without the VVM accelerator. We were investable because of what we learned and applied, giving us a huge advantage early on.”

Learn more at valleyventurementors.org

Local Business Groups Foster Innovation

“With the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Improvement District (BID), the Downtown Amherst Foundation (DAF) raised close to $500,000 to support small businesses” during the pandemic, said Gabrielle Gould, who leads both the BID and the DAF as executive director. Gould noted that the founda tion gave 65 grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to Amherst businesses and donated $10,000 worth of personal protective equipment.

“Plus, we became experts in grants from the Paycheck Protection Program and the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation,” she added. “We helped the Amherst area receive literally millions of dollars in grants, loans, and support.”

Her counterpart at the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, executive direc tor Claudia Pazmany, elaborated on how her organization had supported local entrepreneurs: “We supported local startups like the Yerli,” Pazmany says, refer ring to an app developed by UMass Amherst students Kevin Cutinella (man agement) and Avi Benmayor (industrial engineering) that provides a platform where residents—including college students—can learn more about local small businesses. “We also supported local businesses with new product development, such as Amherst Cofee’s delivery option during COVID,” she added.

“Everything we have accomplished during the pandemic has been a direct result of partnership,” Pazmany continued. “Every single initiative was a reinvestment in our small businesses, with a lens of setting them up for success in the future and attracting new entrepreneurs to our local ecosystem.”

Every single initiative was a reinvestment in our small businesses, with a lens of setting them up for success in the future and attracting new entrepreneurs to our local ecosystem.

—Claudia Pazmany, Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce executive director

CONTACTS AND INFORMATION

University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003

Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC)

350 Campus Center Way Amherst, MA 01003 (413) 545-2504 bdic@bdic.umass.edu umass.edu/bdic

Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship

Isenberg School of Management Business Innovation Hub N175 121 Presidents Drive (413) 545-9482 berthiaume@umass.edu umass.edu/entrepreneurship

Collegiate Summer Venture Program & Mentor Network berthiaume@isenberg.umass.edu

Maroon Venture Partners Fund Charles Johnson, Managing Director cjohnson@isenberg.umass.edu maroonventurepartners.com

Clubs: Entrepreneurship Club umassentreclub@gmail.com isenberg.umass.edu/people/umass-entrepreneurship-club

Social Entrepreneurship Club umass.seclub@gmail.com facebook.com/SEClubUMass

College of Engineering

Dean’s Offce, 125 Marston Hall 130 Natural Resources Road (413) 545-6388 engineering.umass.edu

College of Natural Sciences

Dean’s Offce, 101 Stockbridge Hall 80 Campus Center Way (413) 545-2766 cns.umass.edu

Mahoney Life Sciences Prize cns.umass.edu/research/mahoney-life-sciences-prize

Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation

240 Thatcher Road nurse-engineer@umass.edu umass.edu/marieb-nurse-engineer

Elaine Marieb College of Nursing

651 North Pleasant Street (413) 545-2703 umass.edu/nursing

Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative hgf.org/programs/entrepreneurship-initiative

I-Corps @ UMass

S485B Life Science Laboratories 240 Thatcher Road Karen Utgoff, Site Director (413) 253-7108 kutgoff@umass.edu umass.edu/tto/icorps

Institute for Applied Life Isenberg School of Management

Sciences (IALS)

Dean’s Suite, N330

Business Innovation Hub N510 Life Science Laboratories 121 Presidents Drive 240 Thatcher Road (413) 545-5610 (413) 545-1710 isenberg.umass.edu contactials@umass.edu umass.edu/ials

IALS Venture Development

S485B Life Science Laboratories 240 Thatcher Road Karen Utgoff, Director (413) 253-7108 kutgoff@umass.edu umass.edu/ials/venture development

IALS Core Facilities Andrew Vinard, Director avinard@umass.edu

MASSACHUSETTS

Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences

140 Governors Drive (413) 545-2744 info@cics.umass.edu cics.umass.edu, cics.umass.edu/ventures

Center for Data Science

Lederle Graduate Research Center, A205 740 N. Pleasant Street

Brant Cheikes, Executive Director (413) 545-2561 bcheikes@cs.umass.edu ds.cs.umass.edu

MSBDC State Offce

Tillson House 23 Tillson Farm Road Georgianna Parkin, State Director (413) 545-6301 gparkin@msbdc.umass.edu msbdc.org

MSBDC Western Regional Offce

Scibelli Enterprise Center

1 Federal Street, Building 101 Springfeld, MA 01105

Samalid Hogan, Regional Director (413) 577-1768 smhogan@msbdc.umass.edu msbdc.org

Offce of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement

362 Whitmore Building (413) 545-5270 vcre@umass.edu umass.edu/research/engagement/about/leadership

Technology Transfer Offce

Mass Venture Center, Suite 201 100 Venture Way Hadley, MA 01035 tto@umass.edu umass.edu/tto

UMass Innovation Institute 100 Venture Way, Suite 201 Hadley, MA 01035 umii@umass.edu

University Without Walls (UWW)

(413) 545-1378 umass.edu/uww

Valley Venture Mentors 276 Bridge St Springfeld, MA 01103 (413) 337-2887 admin@valleyventurementors.org valleyventurementors.org

Maroon Venture

Maroon Venture Partners Fund I, LP, is a for-proft venture fund that invests in early stage companies linked to UMass Amherst. Investments are typically in the range of $50,000 to $200,000 and are often a venture’s initial outside equity funding. Maroon Venture Partners looks for companies that can use its funds to accomplish signifcant milestones toward commercial success. Its broader goal is to foster the growing spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the UMass Amherst community.

Te following are the fund’s current portfolio companies:

88 Acres: nutrition powered by seeds (88acres.com)

Teromics: radiofrequency and microwave medical device technology to optimize ablations of lesions and sof tissue (theromicsinc.com)

HomeBinder: management platform for homeowners (homebinder.com)

Aclarity: electrochemical water treatment solutions (aclaritywater.com)

TOP Te Organic Project: 100 percent cotton organic tampons (toporganicproject.com)

QSM Diagnostics: rapid animal testing (qsmdiagnostics.com)

Adelante Shoes: men’s and women’s footwear (adelanteshoes.com)

Ompractice: online yoga and meditation (ompractice.com)

Since the last State of Innovation and Entrepreneurship report was published in 2019, UMass Amherst’s entrepreneurship ecosystem has grown and evolved—cross campus partnerships have strengthened and our collaborations with community organizations have matured. We at the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship developed this updated report to help all the students, potential students, faculty members, neighbors, friends, educators, and fnancial supporters who want to participate in creating and nurturing new businesses navigate this complex ecosystem.

Our mission is to connect the right people and catalyze the creation of ventures that bring the university’s bright ideas to the world. If you’re interested in participating, we hope you’ll fnd guidance in these pages. If you need more direction, give us a call.

TedX Amherst

A local, independently organized event following guidance from the TED Conference, TEDx Amherst takes advantage of a community brimming with intellectual promise. Te 2021 event was held online in May and featured speakers Kavya Krishna ’16 (pictured), cofounder of the Society of Women coders; Erin Baker, UMass professor of industrial engineering and operations research; and seventh-generation dairy farmer Denise Barstow, among others.

Gregory S. Thomas ’91 Executive Director Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship Isenberg School of Management Business Innovation Hub N175 121 Presidents Drive Amherst, MA 01003 162069