Student Profiles
“We have completed the first cycle of our pilot clinical studies with Hartford Healthcare and we are starting our phase I clinical trials with them in 2021!”
Armin Tahmasbi Rad – CEO/Founder of Encapsulate
Education Background
University of Connecticut
PhD in Biomedical Engineering ’19
Master’s in Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship ’20
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“I was always eager to learn different aspects of entrepreneurship, management, and business basics, which obviously was not part of the regular engineering training we usually receive in undergrads, master’s, or doctorate levels. When this program was announced by UConn SoE, I found the coursework and content very suitable for my needs. It has agile coursework, which depends on your personal background, but at the same time gives you the opportunity to choose from a large pool of super useful courses. Moreover, I had the chance of working closely with the program’s mentors, who devoted their invaluable times generously to train me and others, and their intellectual input brought my company to a whole new level.”
What Does my Company Do?
“Encapsulate produces automated tumor-on-a-chip systems that can grow patients cancer cells outside the body, and test the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs against them to advocate for the best course of treatment.”
Emily Yale – CEO/Founder or Land Maverick
Education Background
University of Connecticut
Master’s in Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship ’21
Graduate Certificate in College Instruction ’21
Fairfield University
Masters of Business Administration: Information Systems ’21
Master Certificate in Financial Planning and Analysis ’19
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering ’18
Bachelor of Science (Individualized) in Intricacies of a Start-Up Venture ’18
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“It was the right fit to help bring my company to market.”
What Does my Company Do?
“Land Maverick is the new soil management standard. We provide autonomous robots, MAVs, that collect hundreds of data points on temperature, moisture, and pH of the soil to help golf courses better make decisions about applying fungicide and other chemicals to soil. MAVs are programmed to periodically test soil conditions at non-play times. They are fully automated – they collect samples at the proper soil depth, require no labor, and are cloud-connected. MAVs send data to our app, NutriData, for analytics and groundskeepers get daily reports and soil treatment plans that save on consumables”
Reza Amin – CEO/Co Founder of Encapsulate
Education Background
University of Pune
Bachelors of Science, Electronics ’07
Sharif University of Technology
Master of Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering ’10
University of Connecticut
PhD Mechanical Engineering UConn’18
Master’s of Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship UConn 20′
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“For Master of Global Entrepreneurship”
What Does my Company Do?
“Reimagining men’s health”
I am excited to work on our partnership with Hartford Healthcare to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of our biochips using tumor biopsy samples that we receive from colon cancer patients undergoing colectomy! I am also looking forward to our partnership with the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory where we’ll be able to leverage the microgravity environment on the ISSNL to advance our biochip technology and to further scale and grow Encapsulate
Leila Daneshmandi – COO/Founder of Encapsulate
Education Background
University of Connecticut
Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, 20′
B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering, 14′
Master’s of Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship (Jan 2020-present)
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“I wanted to take my venture to the next level through expanding my network, forming lasting partnerships, and raising capital.”
What Does my Company Do?
“Precision Diagnostics for Personalized Cancer Therapy”
Kianjai Huggan
Education Background
University of Connecticut
Bachelors Computer Science and Engineering ‘20
Master’s of Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship (Present)
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“I joined this program gain the entrepreneurial skills to further advocate for equitable education practices, through developing and marketing accessibility tools. ”
What Does my Company Do?
“We focus on Digital Accessibility! More information coming soon!”
Islam Mosa – CTO of VoltXon Inc.
Education Background
University of Connecticut
Ph.D. in Chemistry, UConn ’18
Master’s of Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship (Present)
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“Coming from scientific background to business, MEGE was a perfect fit to fill my business knowledge gap.”
What Does my Company Do?
“Charge your world through a new energy harvester and storage device.”
“I am excited for some fresh experimental results that are expected soon, which will be much better than previous results!”
Nikolas Franceschi-Hofmann – CEO of Aqualumos
Education Background
University of Connecticut
Bachelors in Chemical Engineering ’19
Bachelors in Business Management ’19
Master’s of Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship (Present)
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“To fill gaps in my knowledge and help get my company off the ground”
What Does my Company Do?
“Aqualumos develops photocatalysis based technologies that break down toxic PFAS (Per/Poly Fluoro Alkyl Substance) and eliminate them from the ecosystem. Our technology protected by a patent pending, with additional patents in the pipeline. There are other solutions on the market that can filter out PFAS from water. However, these solutions do not destroy the PFAS and generate a new waste stream in the form of toxic sludge or impregnated media. These must be disposed off either in landfills, from where the PFAS can leach into the groundwater, or via incineration, which could end up putting the chemical back into the atmosphere. What you end up with is an endless cycle where PFAS moves from one medium to the other but never leaves the ecosystem. Our approach aims to end this endless cycle.”
“I am excited for bringing our operations to scale. I’m looking forward to increasing the volume of feed that we can deliver to our customers while bringing down material and labor costs in the near term.”
Peter Goggins – CEO/Founder of Pisces Atlantic
Education Background
University of Connecticut
B.Sc. in Environmental Science, ’21
Master’s of Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship (Fall 2021-present)
Why Did I Join the MEGE Program?
“I joined the MEGE program to take advantage of the UConn entrepreneurial community’s experience in launching startup ventures.”
What Does my Company Do?
“Pisces Atlantic develops and manufactures novel commercial fish feeds that are efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly.”