A dozen Manning School of Business students shared their entrepreneurial ideas and networked with students from across the region at the Harvard Innovation Labs’ Cross-University Mixer.

UMass Lowell’s Innovation Hub in Haverhill hosted the Digital Equity Challenge, where entrepreneurs and nonprofits pitched their ideas and projects for increasing digital access and literacy in Essex County.

Amara, a social media platform designed to create a more positive experience for users, took top honors at the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute’s 10th annual $50,000 Idea Challenge, held recently at Moloney Hall.

Local college-minded high school students discovered how UMass Lowell supports entrepreneurship, innovation and creative problem-solving during recent campus events hosted by the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute.

For many students, a bond with a professor, an advisor, a coach or another person on campus can make all the difference in their college experience and set them up for future success. We checked in with several River Hawks who talked about their mentors on campus and the impact they’ve had.

Students in Asst. Prof. Denise Dunlap’s New Product Development course gained pitching and presentation experience in a semester-ending Idea Showcase at Alumni Hall.

A device to assess the body’s core alignment and an app for buying and selling stock opinions took home top prizes at their respective Rist DifferenceMaker Institute engineering and business pitch contests at University Crossing.  

Alumni of UMass Lowell’s Rist DifferenceMaker Institute returned to campus to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program, which has spun off 40 companies that have generated over $4 million in revenue.

As the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute celebrates its 10th anniversary, Director Holly Lalos discusses why there’s been a resurgence in entrepreneurship during the pandemic, and Assoc. Prof. Li Sun shares research on how new ventures can survive a crisis.

The DifferenceMaker program has provided training, mentoring and other resources to UMass Lowell student entrepreneurs who wish to address social, environmental and economic problems in the community and world for 10 years.