Ain Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Rochester

Big moment for the Ain Foundry 🚀

After an incredibly competitive application process, VivoFlux, led by Kaihua (Chloe) Chen, has been selected as one of just 42 student-led startups worldwide to compete at the Rice Business Plan Competition.

From April 9–11 in Houston, they’ll go head-to-head with the best of the best, pitching and pushing their venture to the next level.

This is what the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation - University of Rochester is all about. Real startups. Real traction. Real opportunities on big stages.

Let’s go, VivoFlux 👏

The Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition is back, and if you’ve been sitting on an idea, this is your moment.

This isn’t just another pitch event. It’s where engineering meets real-world impact. Where class projects turn into actual companies. Where students stop thinking like students and start thinking like founders.

If you’ve built something, designed something, or even just have the spark of an idea with real potential, this is your chance to take it further.

Develop the business side. Tell the story. Show what it could become.

💡 Practice Pitch Day: April 3 (Ain Foundry Friday – Learn about the competition)
🚀 Submission Deadline: April 10 (3 min video pitch & business model canvas)
🎤 Final Pitch: April 23 (6-8 min live pitch and slide deck)

We’ve seen ideas here turn into startups. No reason yours can’t be next.

https://www.rochester.edu/aincenter/forbes-pitch-competition/

*Teams must consist of half Hajim students.

⭐ March 20th, Foundry Friday - Save the date! Current students, alumni, and community welcome.

Excited to have Connor Peters, founder and CEO of Locke, joining us to share his journey in the cybersecurity space.

Connor founded Locke to tackle one of the biggest challenges in modern IT: digital identity. His work focuses on helping organizations better manage how people securely access systems, data, and infrastructure.

Before launching Locke, Connor was already deep in the world of building and running a web design company. These experiences have exposed him firsthand to the identity problems companies face every day.

In this session, Connor will also show something incredibly practical for founders and builders: how he created a functional website using Anthropic’s Claude AI.

He’ll walk through the prompts, workflow, and how AI tools can dramatically accelerate the process of turning an idea into something real.

If you're curious about AI-assisted development, cybersecurity startups, or how founders are building faster than ever, this is a session you won’t want to miss.

Founder Stories @ The Ain Founder
"Alumni Edition"
Meet Mazen Meziad, Ain Center Alumni
Computer Science BS
Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
University of Rochester

"Shoutout to the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation - University of Rochester, where I first learned that having an idea is fun, but figuring out how to actually sell it is the real game.

I’m now building TradeLane.AI, outbound field sales software for reps targeting SMBs, basically trying to drag one of the most old-school industries into the modern world.

What started as my curiosity about how small businesses buy and sell products somehow turned into an obsession with route planning, CRM chaos, and why so much field sales still runs on spreadsheets and vibes.

Safe to say the entrepreneurial bug definitely started in Rochester."

Founder Stories @ The Ain Foundry
Meet Victoria Belzile, Ain Foundry Member
Computer Science Major, Business Minor
Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences: University of Rochester

🌟 What made you interested in building something of your own?

I have always been driven by independence and the challenge of figuring things out on my own. I was drawn to building my own business with the Ain Foundry program because it would expose me to learning opportunities, allow me to turn my ideas into action, and give me a space to grow as a future entrepreneur.

🌟 What’s something you’re irrationally curious about?

I am irrationally curious about beauty in all of its forms. Whether that be beautiful things in the world or what makes people feel beautiful. This interest inspired the business that I am currently working on with Ain Foundry.

🌟 What’s a skill you’ve taught yourself outside of class?

Outside of class, I’ve taught myself how to use AI tools to become more efficient in my everyday life. I use them to streamline everything from making informed decisions, to strategically managing my time, to optimizing my gym routines. I’m really interested in how technology can amplify the way we think and work.

Foundry Friday TOMORROW! 💡

Join us for an hour of learning how to prototype with Irving Barron. Prototyping is one of the fastest ways to test an idea and prove your MVP. Whether it’s a sketch, mockup, or quick build, a prototype helps you move from concept to something real. Come build, experiment, and turn ideas into something tangible. See you there.

Location: Lam bizHub (Carol Simon First Floor)
Time: 2pm - 3pm

*Open to everyone, not just foundry members :)

Simonthon is coming up soon!
1-Week Business & AI Problem-Solving Experience Exclusive to Simon Students

Registration Deadline: April 9 | Spots Limited
Kick-Off (Zoom): April 10 @ 2pm
Final Presentation: April 17 @ 3pm

Ready to solve real business problems with AI?
The Simon Hackathon is a one-week, consulting-style innovation sprint where students from Simon Business School team up with a real company to tackle live challenges using data, analytics, and AI.

This isn’t your typical hackathon. It’s fast-paced, hands-on, and designed to mirror how modern organizations actually solve complex problems.

💡 What you’ll do:
• Work directly with an industry partner on a real business challenge
• Apply AI, data analytics, and strategy to develop solutions
• Turn insights into actionable recommendations
• Present your final solution to company leaders and faculty
If you’re looking to sharpen your skills, build real-world experience, and make an impact in just one week, this is it.

🔗 Learn more & apply:
https://www.rochester.edu/aincenter/simonaithon/

Founder Stories @ The Ain Foundry
Meet Suchitra Kini, Ain Foundry Member Since 2025
Full-time MBA, Strategy & Brand Marketing
University of Rochester - Simon Business School

🌟 How would you describe yourself to someone who doesn’t know you?

I am a true Gemini. Professionally, I’m quite extroverted I love building ideas, working with people, and being in collaborative spaces. Personally, I’m more introverted and reflective.

In both roles, though, I take time to trust.

I’m also a huge dog lover, I’m a dog-mom of three. I’m surprisingly competitive too… I once got Wordle on my first try, and I still talk about it.

🌟 Who has been most influential in your journey so far?

Definitely my grandparents, and of course my parents.

I spent much of my formative years at my grandparents’ house. My grandmother is 93 and a true force of nature. She was the Head of Home Science at a university, and my grandfather founded the German language department there.

Beyond their professional achievements, they were deeply kind people. Growing up around them taught me that people remember how you make them feel. That lesson shaped how I approach leadership, work, and relationships.

🌟 If you had unlimited resources, what would you build — and why?

Over the past few years, my grandmother has been living with dementia. Through that experience, I saw systemic gaps in elder care and community infrastructure. Many older adults end up feeling isolated once their children move away. There aren’t enough community-driven spaces built around connection and purpose. If I had unlimited resources, I would build an integrated living and community space for people 60+, focused not just on care, but on belonging.

I would also create support systems for caregivers, because they carry an emotional and physical load that often goes unseen.

Founder Stories @ The Ain Foundry

Meet Reward Mulauzi, Ain Foundry Member Since 2025

🌟 How would you describe yourself to someone who doesn’t know you?

I’m someone who is restless in the best way. I don’t sit comfortably with “good enough.” Whether it’s an engineering problem, a startup idea, or a social issue, I’m constantly looking for structural improvement. I’m analytical by training, but purpose-driven by instinct. I love equations and models, but I care most about what they unlock for people. If I commit to something, I pursue it intensely. I don’t build casually, I build deliberately.

🌟 What have you learned about yourself that surprised you?

I’ve learned that I thrive under pressure more than I expected. In high-stakes environments, competitions, research deadlines, and leadership moments, I become clearer, not overwhelmed. I’ve also learned that I’m more patient than I thought. Building meaningful things takes time, iteration, and failure. I used to think progress had to be fast. Now I understand that progress must be
durable. You win some and lose some.

🌟 What problem in the world genuinely makes you emotional?

Waste…. in every sense of the word. Wasted talent. Wasted potential. Wasted food too. Wasted energy systems. Wasted time due to broken processes. As an engineer, inefficiency bothers me. As a human being, inequity bothers me. When those two intersect, when inefficiency sustains inequity, that’s where I feel most compelled to act.

Foundry Friday on Feb. 20th! Get the inside scoop on New York Business Plan Competition, and we have a special guest, Samiya Yesmim, who will be discussing Customer Discovery 😀