The Graduate Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program empowers UConn engineering graduate students to develop their entrepreneurial mindsets, launch startups, and lead innovative research with real-world impact. Below, we celebrate the achievements of our Fellows from the 2024–2025 academic year.
Featured Milestones
Major Highlights
3 startups launched by Fellows this year
? Fellows secured funding or investment
4 Fellows presented at national or international conferences
“Before this program, I didn’t really think of my research as something that could exist outside the lab. The Fellowship helped me ask better questions, think about the bigger picture, and connect with people who pushed me to turn curiosity into something real” – Program Year 2025
Fellow Spotlights
Fellow Spotlight: Nicholas Nguyen
Program: PhD in Mechanical Engineering Startup/Project: Goldilocks Smart Solutions – a User-friendly Smart Shower System for Elder Care Achievements: Received Prototyping Grant Approval ($2,500), accepted in CCEI Summer Fellowship Program ($15,000), accepted into NSF-I Corps Program (UConn Accelerate), received pro bono prior arts search and NDA after meeting with IP Attorney, and accepted and participated in the VentureWell Pioneer Workshop ($5,000).
Nicholas Nguyen, Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Student
Events & Conferences
VentureWell Pioneer Workshop 2025 – Nicholas Nguyen
2025 ARPA-E Energy innovation Summit Program – Soroush Vahedi
IEEE Energy & Policy Forum – Alaa Selim
AI Safety Entrepreneurship Hackathon 2025 – Aidan Kierans
Alaa Selim presenting at the IEEE Energy & Policy Forum
Fellowships, Grants, & Awards
Nicholas N. – CCEI Summer Fellowship Program + $15,000 seed funding
Alaa S. – Prototyping Grant
Aidan K. – 3rd Place Prize in the AI Safety Entrepreneurship Hackathon
[More Fellows…]
“I used to see commercialization as something separate from academic science. Now I see it as an extension of impact. The Fellowship showed me how to bridge that gap without compromising the science.” – Program Year 2025
Startup Launches & Prototypes
Goldilocks Smart Solutions – User-Friendly Smart Shower System
AIRMAN – An open-source framework that allows AI companies to collaborate on safety standards while protecting their intellectual property
