April 27, 2022 | Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
It All Starts With an Idea
Five student teams make their business pitch live and compete for seed funding. Be there when they make the deal!2022 StartUp Teams
GreenIRR
GreenIRR is a SaaS offering allowing investment managers easy access to current environmental data about their investments, ensuring progress is being tracked and climate goals are met.
GreenIRR: Logan MacDougall ’23, and Celine King ’23
Present Pass
Present Pass is a recommendation engine that helps shoppers buy the perfect gift by matching interests with a carefully curated selection of products
Present Pass: Daniel Reisman ’23, Ashley Milone ’23, Joe Crowley ’23, Ummi Rahman ’23, and Remy Papillon ’23
Quantify
Quantify is a cryptocurrency strategy generator deploying artificial intelligence insights to support individuals’ portfolio goals.
Quantify: Akul Khatri ’23, Shahnt Madalian ’23, Evan Lovanio ’23, Mariana Antaya ’23, Andrew Visceglia ’23, and Keshav Sule ’23
Right Hand Apprentice
Right Hand Apprentice is a platform connecting students looking for work with homeowners looking for assistance with home projects.
Right Hand Apprentice: Caroline Neilson ’22, Christian O’Rourke ’24, Valentina Montalvo ’23, and Phil-Jay Whyte ’25, Not pictured: TJ Schlotter, 2022 graduate of St. Joseph's College
Village
Village is a safe and interactive mentoring platform that connects middle school classrooms with college students engaged in service-learning.
Village: Brendan Daly ’23, Thanh Le ’22, Ricky Jagroo ’22, Reyes Huerta ’22, and Raqibul Haque ’22
Investor Panel
Joseph Bronson '70
Joseph (Joe) Bronson is currently principal and CEO of The Bronson Group, LLC, a business advisory group focused on operational and financial consulting. In addition, he is a strategic advisor and managing director of Cowen Group, Inc., a New York City based investment banking firm, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Fairfield University. Joe is a CPA and holds a BS in Accounting from Fairfield University and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He was inducted into the UConn Business School Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Fairfield University Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2017.
Chris Hillock '00
Chris Hillock is the vice president and head of portfolio development at Dell Technologies Capital, the venture capital arm of Dell Technologies. He is chartered with creating go to market partnerships and scaling strategies for portfolio companies within Dell Technologies' business units and partner ecosystem. Chris has 22 years of sales leadership and general management experience leading cross functional global sales teams and scaling emerging HW & SW solutions within enterprise accounts. Prior to joining DT Capital, Chris was a GM within the DT Select division of the Dell Technologies Global Accounts practice chartered with growing revenue, operating income, and building an integrated GTM model across the Dell Tech family of businesses. Chris holds a BS in Marketing and Information Systems from Fairfield University, an MBA in Finance from the University of Connecticut, is a graduate from the General Management Program from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Spring Hollis
Spring Hollis is the CEO and founder of Star Strong Capital, an investment firm focused on debt opportunities for early state companies. Prior to founding Star Strong Capital, Spring was a portfolio manager at Park Cities Asset Management, a credit fund investing in small business and consumer finance debt opportunities. Spring previously worked as a managing director at Deutsche Bank in the Global Principal Finance and the Structured Transactions groups, focused on complex debt financings from the propriety trading desk. Spring serves on the Board of Directors for the BOMA Project, an international non-profit focused on economic empowerment of women in sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Hollis has a J.D. from New York University and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Brenda Lewis
Brenda Lewis is the owner of Transactions Marketing, Inc. (TMI), a venture management firm focused on the launch and funding of enterprise mission critical software, systems, and services. On a pro bono basis, Brenda is a charter organizer of One Million Cups Stamford. She is a judge for the annual Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs at Smith College and serves as a judge at TechStars Startup Weekend and the CT New Venture Challenge. Brenda served on the steering committee for Innovate Stamford, which won a $2 MM CT NEXT Innovation District grant and was a finalist in the Connecticut Technology Council's 2018 Women of Innovation awards. She holds a BS in Economics from Smith College and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. Brenda attended Harvard Business School's Program for Management Development and earned a Certificate in Telecommunications Management from NYU.
Mark Selinger ’90
Mark Selinger is currently an Advisor for multiple B2B software companies across a number of verticals helping executive teams with strategy and operations. With over 30 years of experience in the US and abroad he’s been on both sides of M&A and appreciates the nuances of the software industry. Mark believes very strongly in finding a career you can become passionate about and creating your own destiny. Prior to his current role, Mark was the Chief Operating Officer of Exago, Inc., responsible for driving operations, including strategy, GTM, human resources, product development, quality assurance, customer experience and professional services.
StartUp Host
James Naughton, Actor and Director
From Broadway and regional theater to television and films, James Naughton has won critical acclaim in dramas, comedies and musicals. Naughton is the winner of two Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical, for his portrayal of media-savvy lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway hit “Chicago” (1997) and for his role as a film-noir era detective in “City of Angels” (1990), which also earned him a Drama Desk Award. He won the 1999 MAC Award as best male vocalist for his one-man concert show, “Street of Dreams,” presented by Mike Nichols, and recorded his CD, “It’s About Time,” for DRG records. In 2014, Naughton recorded his Live From Lincoln Center Special for PBS, James Naughton Sings Randy Newman. A graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, he made his New York debut in Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, with Robert Ryan and Geraldine Fitzgerald, winning immediate recognition with Theatre World, New York Drama Critics and Vernon Rice Awards. On Broadway, Naughton also starred as Willy Brandt in Democracy, and in Whose Life Is It Anyway, and I Love My Wife.
Team Mentors
Team Quantify, Team Village and Team Present Pass
Winston DeMartini ’20, Founder and CEO, PhysiSens
Contact WinstonTeam Quantify and Team Right Hand Apprentice
Jeff Hendrickson, Managing Director of Greenfield Hill Group
Contact JeffTeam GreenIRR
Richard Hyman, Adjunct Professor and Distinguished Visiting Professional, Fairfield University
Contact RichardTeam Present Pass
Adrian Rusu, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Fairfield University
Contact Adrian
