Overview
The eHub Technology Venture Award recognizes an outstanding high-tech venture emerging from the College of Engineering that demonstrates exceptional innovation, technical strength, and progress toward real-world impact.
This award celebrates ventures that are translating advanced technologies, from engineering, science, and interdisciplinary research, into scalable solutions addressing critical challenges across sectors such as healthcare, infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, and beyond.
Sponsored by the Matthew & Margarethe Mashikian Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub and open to both student- and faculty-led teams, this award highlights ventures that combine strong technical foundations with clear commercialization pathways and meaningful market traction.
The selected Venture will receive:
- A $1,000 Award: to support continued development, validation, or commercialization efforts.
- University-Wide Recognition: An exclusive UConn Today article and spotlight feature, showcasing their technology and impact.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be a student, postdoc, or faculty member within the UConn College of Engineering.
- Be developing a technology-driven venture with a strong engineering or scientific foundation
- Demonstrate active progress toward technology validation, commercialization, or market entry
Student-led, faculty-led, and mixed teams are all encouraged to apply.
Evaluation Criteria:
Strong applications will demonstrate progress and strength across the following areas:
- Technological Innovation: A novel, differentiated, and technically rigorous solution
- Defensibility: Clear intellectual property strategy or other competitive advantages
- Commercialization Progress: Movement toward real-world deployment, including validation and external engagement
- Market Opportunity: A well-defined problem, customer, and value proposition
- Traction & Validation: Evidence of technical progress, stakeholder engagement, funding, or early adoption
- Team & Execution: A capable team with the ability to advance the venture
Application Profess
The application is designed to capture both the technical depth and commercial readiness of the venture. Supporting materials, including a pitch deck, are required to strengthen the application.
Submission Deadline: September 8, 2026
Awardee Announced: October 2026
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding the application process or eligibility, please reach out to Dr. Leila Daneshmandi at leila.daneshmandi@uconn.edu