Create your own path. Be the driver of your future career. Combine your passion for creativity or desire to create change with your work in the classroom. Inspire others with your creative work or solutions to real world problems.

What are entrepreneurial and creative endeavors?

Students learn to set their own course by having experiences in early stage start-ups, advancing ideas to solve real world problems, or create artistic, written or performance-based projects. 

DifferenceMakers By the Numbers

  • $5M
    raised by teams
  • 40
    companies formed by teams
  • 11
    Number of teams patents filed or issued

Meet the DifferenceMakers

Team Solar Sails holding the 2023 Commitment to a Sustainable Environment Award.
Solar Sails
DifferenceMakers

Working to develop an efficient solar powered drone.

Solar Sails is working to develop an efficient solar powered drone.
Read More About Solar Sails 
Project Starfish is an effective, non-invasive, and cost-effective prosthetic hand for people with disabilities.
Project Starfish
DifferenceMakers

Project Starfish is an effective, non-invasive, and cost-effective prosthetic hand for people with disabilities.

DifferenceMaker has so many resources available to students which has really helped our project.
Read More About Project Starfish 
UMass Lowell Image
Lowell Sprouts '13
DifferenceMakers

Lowell Sprouts is an organization that utilizes school gardens as a way to educate middle school children about the importance of sustainable, organic agriculture. Lowell Sprouts entered the DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge and won first place in the “Sustainable Environment” category, a $3,500 award.

Lowell Sprouts utilizes school gardens as a way to educate middle school children about the importance of sustainable, organic agriculture.
Read More About Lowell Sprouts 
Team Sober Solutions pitching an idea to the audience and judges at the 2024 $50,000 Idea Challenge.
Sober Solutions
DifferenceMakers

An SMS Lifeline and smartphone application to prevent relapses in substance abuse.

Sober Solutions is working on an SMS Lifeline and smartphone application to prevent relapses in substance abuse.
Read More About Sober Solutions 
Tom Stranberg poses outdoors wearing a UMass Lowell sweatshirt
Tom Stranberg '22
Finance

Tom Stranberg rounded out his business degree with co-ops at the Boston Federal Reserve and Wayfair.

My co-ops were great work experiences that made my education so much more impactful.
Read More About Tom Stranberg