University of Connecticut startup AccessFlora won the Wolff New Venture Competition, held on Oct. 13. The win came with a $40,000 check and $5,000 in pro bono services according to Wolff Venture website.
AcessFlora was founded by UConn graduate student Keegan Jalbert, who told UConn Today that the win made him emotional.
“When they announced that I had won the top prize, I was calm at first and then I was crying. And I’m not a crier. The recognition is so powerful,” Jalbert said.
Jalbert created AccessFlora to produce Omega-3 aquafeed to increase the quality of the oysters he sells. These oysters are “safe, rich in Omega-3s, and fully controlled in flavor – meaning year-round consistency,” according to AccessFlora’s website.
The company’s SureSweet oysters will ensure that chefs, restaurants buyers and distributors have a steady year-round supply of the proprietary stock, according to the AccessFlora website.
“We want to be the Angus of Oysters,” Jalbert told UConn Today.
This innovation is one of the newest to break into the $327 million aquaculture oyster industry in the United States, not including the $240.5 million wild harvest market as well as around $200 million for imported oysters, according to NOAA.
AccessFlora was one of the five UConn-affiliated startups that competed in the Wolff New Venture Competition. The competition is hosted by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
According to the center’s website, the competition began in March when 10 startups were selected to join its Summer Accelerator.
During this eight-week summer program, these ventures “refine their business models, validate their markets and build real traction,” according to the center’s website. The “most promising” companies are chosen to compete in the Wolff New Venture Competition, according to the website.
Other startups that competed in the Wolff competition include Build-A-Brush, started by UConn alumnus Dr. Dante Paolino and his business partner Dr. Zachary Gelber.
At the competition, Build-A-Brush won second-place and a $15,000 award in addition to winning the Audience Choice Award with an additional $5,000, according to UConn Today.