October 2022 Newsletter

Ideas Competition - Accepting Applications through 10/31!

Applications are being accepted for the 2022 Ideas Competition through October 31st! The Ideas Competition is a pitch contest for entrepreneurial Tufts students to choose a problem worth solving, come up with a great solution, and submit a 1-minute venture pitch for a chance to win up to $1,000 per team in cash prizes. Sponsored by Derby Entrepreneurship Center, the Ideas Competition welcomes early-stage ideas. No experience is needed. 

Join Ideas Clinics and Learn Tips on Applying to Ideas 

Get help with your application to the Ideas Competition. Join Professor Elaine Chen, Director of Derby Entrepreneurship Center, in a clinic where you can ask questions and get helpful tips. This event is sponsored by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts.

Montle Prize Competition-

Applications Open Nov 1 - 30

Paul Montle (Class of 1969) created the Montle Prize for Entrepreneurial Achievement to commend outstanding undergraduate Tufts students who demonstrate entrepreneurial skills. This award is intended for undergraduate students with an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset, acquired through entrepreneurship courses, co-curricular events, competitions, and/or from experience working either individually or in a team on a new venture. This award is offered through the Derby Entrepreneurship Center (DEC)

Entrepreneurial Speaker Series 

Hear real-life stories from innovators and entrepreneurs. Join one or several of these hybrid speaker events and receive insight from thought leaders. 

DEC Internship Program

Thanks to grants from the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts, students were given the opportunity to spend their summers working hands-on at new and growing ventures. Learn about the ENT Minor and the variety of events, workshops, and business plan competitions at Tufts. 

Faculty Spotlight

Julianne Zimmerman on Forbes 50 Over 50 List

ENT & Tisch faculty member Julianne Zimmerman is Managing Director at Reinventure, a fund that invests exclusively in U.S.-based companies that are led and controlled by historically excluded founders and are at or on the cusp of breakeven. Zimmerman teaches a course she designed called "Innovative Social Enterprises." She was recently recognized by Forbes in its "50 Over 50 List."

Upcoming Events at a Glance

Community Events and Opportunities

TOUGH TECH SUMMIT 2022 • OCT. 27

Join Invest Day at Tough Tech Summit 2022 at Hotel Commonwealth! Connect with Tough Tech CEOs and stakeholders across the capital stack to learn firsthand about cutting-edge technologies shaping the industries of tomorrow.

Learn more and register

AWS STARTUP COMPETITION • DEADLINE: NOV. 7

Enter your startup into the 2022 AWS University Startup Competition for the opportunity to win up to $20K in equity-free cash prizes and $100K in AWS credits. Startups focused on Fintech, Web3, HCLS, and Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning, and Consumer Packaged Goods have additional prize categories. Applicants automatically receive $1,000 in AWS credits! The top 10 finalists will pitch their startups to a virtual panel of investors and AWS Startup team members. 

Learn more and apply here

STARTUP CAREER FAIR WITH SCF • NOV. 11

Multiple universities will be partnering to host this virtual SCF event. Join universities from across the US for this free virtual event.

​Learn more and register

GLOBAL HEALTH INNOVATION CHALLENGE (GHIC)

This challenge will increase availability and access to capital for new and existing private companies, which are developing solutions for global health, mental health, and sustainability. 

Learn more and register

OFFSHORE WIND INNOVATION SHOWCASE - NOV. 14

SeaAhead will host an Innovation Showcase in partnership with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and Orsted at District Hall in Boston. The purpose of this Showcase is to give visibility to novel solutions and facilitate connections between startups and the key stakeholders that can harness innovation that will help secure a more resilient ocean future. Up to 8 startups will be selected to give 5-minute pitches to Blue Economy stakeholders and investors. 

Learn more and register

HAX TECH SHARE

This monthly event is led by HAX investment partners and founders focused on relevant knowledge for hard tech entrepreneurs. We'll cover lessons and best practices across a different technical topic each month (everything from best practices for low-fidelity prototyping to how to build a B2B sales pipeline for hard tech), and field questions from the audience. We welcome anyone who aspires to build hard tech and wants to learn from our experiences.

Learn more and register

Support the Derby Entrepreneurship Center!

Help us build and grow the next generation of Tufts innovators and entrepreneurs through a tax-deductible donation!

Derby Entrepreneurship Center