Technology Corridor Happenings

The recurring monthly XcellR8 business development session took place early Thursday morning within the Nerac business incubation environment. Small business leaders, specialized business consultants, IP Law practitioners, faculty and students from ECSU and UConn gather monthly to assess business plans and ideas, offering invited partcipants the collective wisdom of the group via a highly interactive Q&A format.

Numerous start up and existing small businesses have benefitted over the past several years. Affiliated with the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) and part of the effort to build a statewide network of high tech entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial talent, XcellR8 is a creative blend of mentorship coupled with a no holds barred assessment of new business strategy and survivability.

This week the group hosted the UConn student team developing Sharelogical, LLC.  The team described their business as a cash machine that does good for the world.  The business premise and concepts were presented to the group for review and discussion. The CEO, Maximilian Lekhtman (Max) is currently a University of Connecticut second semester senior. He graduates in a few weeks, but plans to stay in the Storrs area to work on his business. Max extensively studies and practices e-marketing and e-procurement. His idea for Sharelogical came from a combination of how he can create a way for people to give to charity (or anything they care about) for free while doing the things they already do (i.e. shopping online).

Daniel Hanley is the co-founder and CFO of Sharelogical, LLC.  Daniel is currently a University of Connecticut senior. He is majoring in Business Management with a concentration in International Business, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi – Professional Business Fraternity, where he serves as Executive Vice President of the chapter. He is also a Resident Assistant on campus and also serves as the Undergraduate Student Government Comptroller. 

Rochelle Baross heads up graphical design at Sharelogical, LLC. She is currently a University of Connecticut senior majoring in illustration. A member of UConn’s Honors Program, she is also President of the UConn Illustration Club, a Staff Photographer at the University of Connecticut Daily Campus, and a member of the NYC-based Empowered People of the Illustration Community. Rochelle has won several awards and scholarships for her illustration and design work and has had it featured in galleries as well as published online and in print.

All three are members of the Student Entrepreneurial Organization (SEO) at UConn and we hope they elect to remain in the state after graduation, building game changing companies and careers here in Connecticut.

They left the hour long session energized by the group's suggestions and comments which ranged over topics that included branding, technology, target audience, customers and the go-to-market strategy. The Sharelogical team is looking forward to a successful January launch. The XcellR8 group will continue to offer guidance and support.