Traction Workshops are a unique opportunity to help aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups move their ideas forward. Open to any UConn student, this series of virtual workshops provides participants with hands-on guidance in developing a strong foundation of entrepreneurship knowledge. Whether you have a concept in its earliest stages—or no idea at all, these workshops aim to empower you to learn about entrepreneurship on your own terms.
Participants will benefit from expert-led sessions that cover essential startup topics, including value proposition creation, customer discovery, creating an impactful pitch deck, and business model development. Don't have all your questions answered? Set up office hours with any of our speakers!
Great ideas don’t start with solutions; they start with understanding people.
Design thinking is about creating human-centered solutions to complex challenges. At the heart of innovation is creative problem-solving, and practicing design thinking can help any entrepreneur build better products for their customers. This approach begins by empathizing with human needs: focusing first on the problems we’re solving for potential customers, then designing a product or service that truly meets those needs. In this workshop, we’ll introduce the core concepts and techniques of design thinking and guide participants through a hands-on activity that brings these ideas to life. Whether you’re just starting to develop an idea or already building your business, this session will provide practical tools to strengthen your entrepreneurial journey.
Traction is coordinated by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI) at UConn. CCEI was founded in 2007 and is a focal point for entrepreneurial activity within the University. CCEI supports students, faculty, staff, and alumni entrepreneurs across all academic departments, schools, and colleges. For more info: ccei.uconn.edu
For more information, contact: Micheala Hartl at micheala.hartl@uconn.edu