What's Happening At Derby Entrepreneurship Center - July 2026

Venture Building at its best in the summer

Teams in the Tufts Venture Accelerator have been hard at work building their ventures, including Naru Matcha, which has been popping up all over Greater Boston. Judging by the line, we think they’ve found product-market fit!

Our entrepreneurs also took full advantage of the Greater Boston ecosystem, joining cross-university mixers and panel discussions hosted by Babson College and Boston University. Many thanks to Jumbo Alexandra Dunk and former Tufts Entrepreneurship instructor Tim Buntel for hosting!

Tufts Venture Accelerator Teams Demonstrate Venture Pitching to Pre-College Teams

The Tufts Entrepreneurship and Innovation Bootcamp wrapped up last week. Led by Luke Fraser, Program Instructor, this bootcamp immerses high school students in a two-week, hands-on experience where they tackle real-world challenges and bring ideas to life through new venture creation. In the spirit of paying it forward, Tufts Venture Accelerator cohort shared their venture pitches with the young aspiring entrepreneurs, along with real life insight. Great work all around!

The Entrepreneurship 101 Course Welcomes Two New Instructors 

We are thrilled to welcome two new instructors to our Entrepreneurship and Business Planning (ENT101) teaching team:

• Julie Meyer is Founder of Connection151. She will co-teach ENT101.02 with Elaine Chen in Fall 2026. There is still room in this section. Register now!
• David Chang is Cofounder of Via.ai. He will teach ENT101.02 in Spring 2027.

Julie and David are both Boston ecosystem builders who bring invaluable experiences and professional networks to students at Tufts. Welcome, Julie and David!

Entrepreneurship Minor Gains Ten Electives 

Starting in Fall 2026, we will add ten courses to our elective list, spanning data analytics, marketing, and impact investing. Check out two of these cross-listed electives, taught by Ron Lasser, Professor of the Practice in Electrical Engineering. 

• EE/ENT 181 Product Design & Innovation: Create market-ready products through iterative design.

• EE/ENT 185 Societal Aspects of Design: Use systems thinking and universal design to tackle complex societal problems.

Alumni News

Jumbo Win! Two Tufts Teams Join Activate 2026 Cohort

Congratulations to Deco Lab cofounders Natalie Rubio and John Yuen Junior and EntoCellular cofounders Sophie Letcher and Michael Saad, all Tufts Ph.D. alumni, on being selected for the prestigious Activate 2026 cohort.

EntoCellular won first place in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track of the 2025 Tufts New Ventures Competition and participated in the 2025 Tufts Venture Accelerator. We are proud to have supported the team from the very beginning.

Upcoming Events and opportunities at a Glance

Check out upcoming Derby Entrepreneurship Center Events!

Fall is just around the corner and there are already lots of events planned. Bookmark this link below to keep up to date on our entrepreneurial events.

Derby Entrepreneurship Center Events

Sign up to learn more about Break the Barrier, a new healthcare innovation competition launching this fall

Break the Barrier by Inventacare is a national, venture-backed healthcare competition for students, clinicians, engineers, and self-taught builders solving healthcare's problems with AI. Turn your ideas into a real solution. Finalists receive resources and a path to investment.

Get notified when the competition opens

AI + Healthcare in Boston- July 27

An evening bringing together the leaders shaping the future of healthcare in Boston to honor PathAI's acquisition by Roche. 

Learn more and register

Pitch Lift Reality Gameshow - July 29

Boston's first reality game show where founders step into an elevator and pitch their company in 30 seconds flat. The cage locks. The doors close. Now perform

Learn more and register

Robotics Startup Pitchfest - Applications open through Aug 20

The Robotics Pitchfest is an exciting opportunity for early-stage robotics startups to showcase their innovations at an international conference to a panel of experts. 

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