Upward Partnership Means Bright Future Ahead for UHart Interns
University of Hartford and Upward Hartford Forge Partnership, Provide Unique Opportunities for Young Interns and Growing Startups
UHart is proud to announce its parnership with Upward Hartford, along with the inaugural cohort of six interns that will offer support to and learn from several Upward startups. This group of interns consists of both undergraduate and graduate students from the Barney School of Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture.
Upward is a Connecticut-based social enterprise with a mission to reinvigorate our nation's cities by transforming them into thriving hubs of innovation, community, and co-creation. The partnership between UHart and Upward Hartford aligns perfectly with the University’s goal of supporting and contributing to Hartford’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape. The collaboration with Upward Hartford will provide students with learning experiences in many areas, including data analytics, computer science, insurtech, advanced engineering (robotics, AI, cybersecurity), digital media, marketing, and healthcare, among others. It will help inform scope and direction for the University’s existing programs, and assist in identifying the need for new programs.
“We are excited to partner with Upward Hartford in launching a University of Hartford internship cohort to support both Upward Labs and Upward startups,” UHart's Senior Director of Strategic & Corporate Engagement Lynn Baronas says. “These internships will give our students a first-hand glimpse into the world of innovation and equip them to supplement classroom learning with hands-on experience, while contributing to Hartford’s growing innovation ecosystem.”
Ultimately, this partnership will also help to establish the University’s new Center for Advanced Engineering & Health Sciences as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship in greater Hartford and beyond. The University of Hartford and Upward Hartford are collaborating on several other promising initiatives, including recruiting a second cohort of UHart interns in early 2021.
Shana Schlossberg, Upward Founder & CEOUpward could not be more thrilled to partner with University of Hartford to bring best-in-class talent to our startups. A core element of our mission is to facilitate this very type of collaboration between new companies and locally sourced personnel from universities within our target cities, with the ultimate aim of creating more jobs and retaining top talent. The launch of this internship program is just the beginning of actionable partnerships to come between startups, academia, and industry leaders here in Hartford. Our portfolio companies could not be more excited to continue growing from Hartford with the help of these bright and talented interns.
Learn more about Saya Life, Softhard.IO, or Upward.
More About Upward Hartford (The Local Space)
In the fall of 2017, Upward launched in Connecticut’s capital city of Hartford: home to the nation’s leading insurers, healthcare organizations, and manufacturing giants. Despite its unique location between two innovation hotspots - Boston and New York - and a rich history of entrepreneurship, Hartford had long struggled to reactivate its own culture of innovation. Over the last 2.5 years, Upward has been responsible for driving startup successes and building Hartford’s innovation ecosystem. More than 45 startups and 175+ regional corporations have launched their innovation efforts from their state-of-the-art workspaces and community innovation initiatives, such as industry delegations, hackathons, and cross-industry business development events.
More About Upward Labs (The Program)
Upward Labs is a venture fund that has developed an ideal ecosystem to fast-track AgeTech and PropTech startups in the U.S. market. The program matches each startup with decision-makers from leading Fortune 100 and 500 companies in healthcare and real estate industries. The startups and their corporate advisors work together for six months to first identify the most commercializable use cases and then test them in the Labs' numerous sandbox buildings and facilities. As the pilots deliver data and results, each Lab and its advisors work with the startups to refine their product and offering, thus enabling rapid growth and commercial traction.