Research, Funding, and Awards

  • OVPR Commercialization Spotlight

    UConn Startups Win Social Enterprise Challenge 

    Two UConn technology startups recently won top prizes in the Social Enterprise Trust, (reSET) annual Impact Challenge. UConn’s Movia Robotics was selected for a $10,000 Gold Level prize and Parrot MD for a $5000 Silver Level prize by a distinguished panel of judges that included investors and successful entrepreneurs.

    MOVIA Robotics was founded by Tim Gifford a research specialist at the Departments of Psychology and Engineering who co-developed the technology with Anjana Bhat, an Assistant Professor in the NEAG School of Education. Gifford licensed the technology from UConn to support the company’s innovative approach to educating children with autism and other disabilities.

    Parrot MD is a student startup created by recent UConn Business School Health Care Management graduate Steven Graf and Biomedical and Electrical Engineering student Charles Fayal to commercialize a device that promotes medication compliance among illiterate and visually impaired patients.  Parrot MD was also a 2015 winner of UConn’s Innovation Quest and is currently participating in the first cohort of UConn’s NFS I-Corps Site, Accelerate UConn, to further its market planning.

    Congrats to these committed and successful UConn entrepreneurs!

     

    For more information, contact: Rita Zangari at rita.zangari@uconn.edu