SeaSol Technologies, a startup that is converting seaweed into compostable food packaging to replace plastic, was the grand prize winner at the Wolff New Venture Competition last week.

CEO Yidan Zhang, a UConn Ph.D. candidate, was exuberant at receiving the top award, which includes $30,000 prize and $5,000 in pro-bono services from Wolff Financial Group.

Zhang developed a simple process to coat paper with seaweed and is hoping that it will appeal to companies in the food service industry, initially as a wrapper for  sandwiches, donuts, and pizza. The coating is tasteless, scent-less and healthier for humans than paper wrappers coated in plastic. Because it is compostable, the packaging would also be better for the environment.

Competition Featured All Women-owned Startups

Zhang’s startup was one of five UConn-affiliated finalists competing in the Wolff New Venture Competition on Thursday at Parkville Market in Hartford. More than 250 people attended the competition, which awarded $152,000 in prize money. The event is the pinnacle entrepreneurship challenge at the School of Business. For the first time, all five of the elite companies were headed by women.

“I’m deeply honored to have been part of an all-women competition this year,’’ Zhang says. “Each of us has followed a very different path that brought us together: we are international students, working mothers, a chef, and an obstetrics doctor.’’

“I believe the diversity is what makes the startup community so welcoming and empowering for underrepresented groups,’’ Zhang says. “That spirit of inclusion and support is what draws me to entrepreneurship, and I look forward to seeing even more students benefit from this community in the future.’’

Competition Celebrates 10^th Anniversary

Jennifer Mathieu, executive director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI), noted that this was the 10^th anniversary of the Wolff New Venture Competition and says it has become an extraordinary event that represents “the best of UConn.’’

“I couldn’t be prouder of what the Wolff New Venture Competition has become. In 10 years, it’s grown into so much more than a pitch event; it’s a launchpad for UConn founders who are tackling real-world problems and turning their ideas into impact,’’ Mathieu says.

“Our entrepreneurs have raised nearly $700 million in follow-on funding, launched groundbreaking companies, and even sent technology to space,’’ she says. “This year’s celebration captured everything that makes this community special: incredible energy, bold ideas, and people coming together to celebrate innovation at UConn.”

Second and Third-Place Winners Focus on Health Improvement

The second-place, $15,000 winner was MLC Nutrition, which provides healthy meals to keep vulnerable people out of the hospital. Vanessa Sena, a food expert, and two colleagues from UConn Health, created the company to provide healthy and delicious meals to recently hospitalized patients, with the goal of optimizing their health and preventing rehospitalization. “If I won the Powerball jackpot I’d still keep doing this!’’ Sena has said.

The Prime Materials Recover Inc. third-place award, of $7,500, was presented to 404 Inc., a company developing a safer, plant-based alternative to contrast agents used in MRIs and CT scans. The company also received $15,000 in legal services from wiggin(x). The startup is led by Pragati Rout, a doctoral candidate, and her mentor, professor Greg Sotzing. The two chemists want to eliminate traditional contrast dyes which can cause allergic reactions and trigger kidney damage in some patients.

Maternal Health Care, Subscription Toy Company Impress Judges

Varda 5 LLC, led by Dr. Andrea Shields, equips multidisciplinary teams with the skills to effectively manage maternal medical and delivery emergencies. The Obstetrics Life Support training program includes a four-hour online course and a one-day, in-person session. The company won the FML Audience Choice Award and the Baystate Financial Disruption Award, for a total of $10,000. Shields is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UConn Health and program director for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the School of Medicine.

Meanwhile, startup Orbit Crates, a subscription toy-rental company founded by Kim Conti, a business executive and mother of three, was awarded the $5,000 Mark and Jamie Summer Innovation Award. The company offers 500 varieties of toys from classics to Disney princesses to Bluey. Conti developed her company after realizing many children have too many toys and they quickly outgrow them. Not only is she striving to help parents organize their homes, but also keep used toys out of landfills. “Like many parents, I’m looking for quality playthings for my children and to keep them off the screens as much as possible,’’ she has said.

The progress made by this year’s teams was and profound, said Michelle Cote, lead instructor and the new interim director of the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UConn. “They projected confidence, clarity, and most importantly, commitment to achieving milestones critical to their future success,’’ she said. “We couldn’t be prouder of what they have achieved.’’

Looking to the Future with Optimism

Preparation for the Wolff competition begins in March, when 10 UConn-affiliated startups are selected to participate in the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s Summer Fellowship Accelerator, where they develop their businesses to become market-ready or to grow.

Alycia Chrosniak, assistant director of Brand and Venture Development at CCEI, says her favorite part of the program will happen in a few months when the entrepreneurs will call to share the growth in their businesses since the competition.

“The Wolff New Venture Competition finalists reflect an extraordinary level of talent and entrepreneurial excellence,’’ she says. “Their commitment to innovation, thoughtful execution, and measurable impact elevates the entire UConn ecosystem, and CCEI is proud to champion their continued growth.’’

In addition to the competition, the event featured a showcase of prominent UConn startups, whose leaders displayed their innovations and competed for awards from Revyrie, Big Bang, wiggin(x), and Fiondella, Milone and LaSaracina CPAs.

Keynote speaker Steve Preda, who has helped 150 teams build their businesses and authored four books on entrepreneurship, also shared advice about how to fast-track a startup.

The Competition is named after the late alumnus Thomas John Wolff ’56 and his wife, Bette Wolff. One of their three children, Greg Wolff, says his father, a serial entrepreneur, would be proud of what the competition has become. During the event, Greg Wolff was presented a certificate from U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, honoring the family for its contributions to entrepreneurship at UConn, which extends back to the 1980s.

Because of CCEI, Zhang Never Felt Alone

Zhang co-founded SeaSol with seaweed farmer and packaging industry expert Jonathan McGee and with the guidance of professor Mingyu Qiao, an innovator in nutritional sciences at UConn, who shared his entrepreneurial experience.

“Yidan’s achievements highlight the vital role of entrepreneurship education in empowering scientists and engineers to bring university innovations to market. She embodies the creativity, determination, and vision needed to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact,’’ Qiao says. “I’m confident she will continue to push boundaries and drive meaningful change, improving lives through science, technology, and business innovation.”

SeaSol will use its first-place award to buy equipment for trials and make any improvements before going to market, hoping to make a significant dent in the $37 billion food-packaging industry.

Zhang says while company founders expect to struggle and to figure things out on their own, she says she felt fortunate to be surrounded by people who are always willing to offer their time, advice, and encouragement.

The Wolff New Venture Competition is an annual event supported thanks to the generosity of the Wolff Family Fund for Strategic Entrepreneurship, as well as wiggin(x), Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP, Sardilli Produce and Dairy Co., Revyrie, Prime Materials Recovery Inc., Baystate Financial, Webster Bank, Big Bang, Mark and Jamie Summers, Eric Marziali, Bob and Linda Delisle, Dick and Carol Stewart and Event Resources. Please contact alycia.chrosniak@uconn.edu if you are interested in supporting the 2026 event.