Entrepreneurship at The Fletcher School

Fletcherpreneurs recently showcased the best of Fletcher entrepreneurial spirit at the semi-finals of the Tufts $100K New Venture Competition. The competition, which is hosted annually by the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center at the Gordon Institute, is the flagship venture competition at Tufts University. Kicking off in early February, the annual competition calls on Tufts undergraduate and graduate students, along with alumni, faculty, and staff across all 11 schools and colleges to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas and compete for prizes and in-kind services totaling up to $100,000. The competition provides teams who enter with valuable resources to successful entrepreneurship including educational workshops, coaching, mentoring, and networking. Pitches and venture ideas compete in three tracks: General Technology, Social Impact, and Healthcare & Life Science.

We are delighted to report both Fletcher students and alumni competed in this exciting opportunity. Out of all applications submitted, judges selected 30 semifinalists – 10 teams for each of the three tracks. Eight of the 30 semi-finalists included members of the Fletcher community. 2019 Master of International Business alumna Alice Ursini moved on as a finalist in the social impact track – one of 15 finalists across all tracks!

Fletcher entrepreneurs have a history of doing well at the competition, while driving social impact with their ventures. Past winners of the social impact track include:

• Farah Momen, F’19 for The Now Exchange which brings health access to women in the Bangladeshi garment industry; and
• Peter Sacco, F’17 for Adelante Shoes, a mission-driven startup that delivers handcrafted, made-to-order shoes direct from their workshop in Guatemala.

Curious about the range of Fletcher entrepreneurial ingenuity and global problem solving? Read on to learn more about the semi-finalists, one finalist, and their respective ventures:

SOCIAL IMPACT

Alice Ursini (MIB 2019) FINALIST

UMA

Helping students develop critical skills and intellectual curiosity by providing them with immersive virtual learning environments.

We remember only 5% of what we hear, 10% of what we read, but over 70% of what we experience, yet independent learning and most classwork is not experience based. UMA is creating engaging educational videogames that make students active protagonists in their own intellectual development. UMA provides an algebra game for desktop and in virtual reality that helps students discover and internalize mathematical concepts. We maximize learning outcomes through curriculum-aligned content based on the principles of inductive learning.

Arman Sapargaliyev (MIB 2021) SEMI-FINALIST

Ulys.tech

Promoting education and professional resources for girls and women in Central Asia.

Ulys.tech is a startup aimed at providing girls and women in Central Asia with access to modern courses and training in software engineering and provide opportunities for future employment in global companies as software engineers.

Matthew Lee (MALD 2019) SEMI-FINALIST

Yanda

Encouraging thought-provoking discourse through tailored email engagement.

Yanda replaces the classic email newsletter with a tailored experience designed to keep you updated in a digestible, intimate, and engaging way. Named after the Xhosa virtue of enrichment through sharing, our weekly newsletter brings thought-provoking discourse straight to your inbox.

GENERAL TECHNOLOGY

Phillip Gomez, Andrew Seligson, Ian Eder, Alfredo Ramirez (MALD 21-22) SEMI-FINALISTS

LOKI Systems

Aiding military forces with advanced situational awareness technologies.

The LOKI System uses unmanned aerial vehicles to sense interior environments for military (special forces) and civilian (emergency management, law enforcement) operators. It interfaces with existing situational awareness technology to present key information to the operator, thus enabling faster decision making while also reducing the risks presented by ‘unknown unknowns.’

Kadeem Pratt (GBA) SEMI-FINALIST

Davy Jones

Preventing package deliveries from being seized by “porch pirates”.

Davy Jones Parcel Locker is a rental mailbox solution protecting your treasure from Porch Pirates. Use our secure storefront location as your private mailing address. Never lose a package again, we protect the booty from lurking Porch Pirates.

We extend our congratulations to all of our Fletcherpreneurs who participated in this year’s Tufts $100K Competition. These students and alumni showcase the breadth of global problem solving capabilities fostered by a Fletcher education. Please join us in cheering on our Fletcher Finalist Alice Ursini (F19) on Friday, April 9th at 10am EST.  Register here!