Media Innovation Challenge

The Media Innovation Challenge (MIC) is an interdisciplinary class that brings students from the schools of business and communications together to create sustainable media products, services or entities featuring innovative business models, content and design.

The course addresses the fiscal and distribution challenges faced by journalists and media professionals and empowers student teams to construct sustainable business models. Students experiment with the latest technology, exchange ideas with some of the industry's most prominent thinkers and developers, and create content or products for viable media business ventures.

"Our students are driven and fantastic," said Brett Orzechowski, a journalism instructor who founded and runs the class with David Tomczyk, an assistant professor of management.

"The MIC Project is a great class lead by great professors. They have given us the tools we need to succeed," said Chris Thompson '12, whose MIC project was awarded a $25,000 grant by the state of Connecticut.

Thompson and three classmates conceived of "Snippet," a digital visual portfolio that connects employers and would-be employees.

Snippet was among a group of startup businesses that received seed money through the TechStart Fund. Open to Connecticut-based entrepreneurial or student teams, TechStart provides initial capital to help teams determine if a concept is viable and if future funding can be obtained to launch a business.