On March 20th, 2024, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Rist DifferenceMaker Institute held its fourth workshop series session at the Alumni Hall Lounge, North Campus. The guest presenters for the evening were Professor Cathy Levey, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Professor Kevin Willett, Manning School of Business. 

Semi-finalist teams attended this session to learn about delivering their rocket pitch for the Preliminary Pitch-off on April 2nd. At this event, teams have a chance to advance to the $50,000 Idea Challenge Final event. The semi-finalist teams who will be pitching at the Preliminary Pitch-off are: 

ACE Difference Makers 

Bear Hugs 

Braille Ereader 

Comprehension Clicker 

Flix Toothpicks 

FreshStart 

Fridgie 

iPrep 

JC- Fit 

myHub 

Pawva Smart Pet Bed 

Pitch Pal 

ProVision.Ai 

RightsWatch 

SenseMakers 

Shay G Productions  

Shine in Academy  

Simple Cut 

SoundWaves 

UrbanX 

Vertical Solutions  

To start off the workshop, Rist DifferenceMaker Director , Richard Juknavorian provided a recap of the past workshop sessions, which addressed topics such as Identifying Problems, Assessing Opportunities and Value Proposition, and Developing Business Models.   

Then, Professor Cathy Levey opened and discussed the content that should be addressed during the DifferenceMaker pitch presentation: the problem, opportunity, solution, needed resources, as well as being prepared for judge questions. She also spoke about additional considerations to look out for during and after the rocket pitch session.  

She then showed videos of past teams, including Point Stick and BioBubbler pitching their idea so students would have an example to follow learning about what makes an effective pitch. This allowed students to compare what they just learned to an actual pitch presentation that occurred. Students can watch and learn from other past pitches that are on the DifferenceMaker YouTube page, which can be utilized while practicing for the Preliminary Pitch-off. 

To guide the students further, Professor Kevin Willett spoke about the challenge of presenting an idea. To tackle this, he discussed being confident and sharing your topic with lots of energy and passion. He also talked about having relevant pictures on each slide, as well as limiting the words per slide, which helps keep the audience engaged. 

Concluding the inspiring evening, DifferenceMaker Fellow David Vatalaro shared valuable insights and invited five teams to pitch their ideas. He then engaged the audience, asking for their thoughts on the pitches and how the experience boosted their confidence and preparedness for the big day. 

Thank you to everyone who attended Workshop 4! Good luck to all teams pitching at the Preliminary Pitch-off on April 2 at the O’Leary Library, Mezzanine. Register to support the student teams pitching for the Preliminary Pitch-off here. 

Additionally, the 2024 13th Annual DifferenceMaker $50,000 Idea Challenge will take place on April 16 at University Crossing, Moloney Hall, Room 260. Register to attend the $50,000 Idea Challenge here. 

To revisit the topics discussed, watch our video, Spring Workshop Series 4: Delivering Your Rocket Pitch. 

On Tuesday, February 25, DifferenceMaker held Workshop 3: Developing Business Models and Solutions at the Saab Center, Perry Atrium, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. This session helped student teams who applied to the $50,000 Idea Challenge to focus on their idea’s solutions by piecing together their business models.

To kick off the night, Richard Juknavorian, Rist DifferenceMaker Director, welcomed everyone. Next, he provided students with information on submitting their Idea Plan, announcements for semi-finalists, and reminders to schedule a meeting for one-on-one coaching with mentors.

Richard Juknavorian started off by providing examples of companies such as Gillette, FedEx, Zipcar, and Pill Pack. Each are successful companies in their own way, all from various industries in today’s market. For example, Gillette makes their profit by selling cheap razor handles that go along with expensive, high quality razor blades that attach to them. This allows customers to stay loyal to their brand, as they need to continually purchase specific Gillette blades that fit the handle that they already own. He then introduced David Vatalaro, DifferenceMaker Fellow. 

David Vatalaro, went further in depth and explained the multiple components needed to have a successful business model. He discussed factors such as the new venture timeline and each component of the business model canvas, such as customer segments, value proposition, revenue streams, and more. This allowed students to think deeply about details that will drive their ideas to success in the real world. After the detailed lessons, students were encouraged to work on their business models and solutions. They utilized business model canvas poster boards and solution worksheets to assist with this process. A business model canvas glossary was also provided to each student to help refresh their memory on the information that was provided. The students also received an Idea Plan template, and their final Idea Plans are due on March 5th by 5 PM.

Thank you to everyone that joined DifferenceMaker for Workshop 3! If you are interested in learning how to further develop your project for the $50,000 Idea Challenge, recruiting new team members, and gaining new skills, please register for the final workshop this semester. Dinner will be served! 

Workshop 4 – Delivering Your Rocket Pitch, March 20^th

Questions? Email us at DifferenceMaker@uml.edu. 

On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, DifferenceMaker held the second workshop of the series to prepare students for the $50,000 Idea Challenge this semester. The topic addressed was Assessing Opportunities and Value Proposition.

To start off the event, Rist DifferenceMaker Director, Richard Juknavorian opened by providing a brief recap of what occurred during the first workshop session, which highlighted Identifying problems. Then, he introduced the guest presenters for the night, which Included Professor Rae Mansfield, Honors College, and Professor Neil Shortland, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

After the introduction, Professor Mansfield emphasized the importance of assessing opportunities before investing time and resources into a product. While our ideas may seem incredibly valuable to us, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will resonate with potential customers. She illustrated this with the example of pickle-flavored toothpaste. This highlights the necessity of market research, which helps determine whether an idea is truly. 

Then, Professor Shortland presented the importance of value propositions. A value proposition demonstrates how a potential solution provides more value than what competitors are currently offering. Students broke out into groups to work on their value propositions on large notepads, then were given the chance to work in a 1-on-1 setting with faculty fellows. 

After which, students were given time to write down their opportunities on the “target market opportunity” and “competition opportunity” worksheets.

Thank you to everyone that joined DifferenceMaker for Workshop 2!

On Thursday, February 11th, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute held the semester’s first workshop session at the Coburn Hall, Room 255! The focus for Workshop 1 was on identifying problems. Around 15 students attended to learn and network with students interested in pursuing their ideas for the $50,000 Idea Challenge.

To start off, Richard Juknavorian, Rist DifferenceMaker Director, welcomed everyone. He provided a brief overview of the DifferenceMaker program, what to expect from the workshop series, and the agenda for the evening. He introduced the Faculty Fellows guest presenter: Professor Tom Wilkes, Kennedy College of Sciences. Joining them, Faculty Fellows John Palma and Cathy Levy were also present to offer guidance, helping students refine and develop their ideas throughout the session.

Firstly, Professor Wilkes showcased examples of problems presented by past DifferenceMaker student teams. Videos of their pitches were provided to give students clarity on how to move forward. For example, a team that was highlighted was the CAT Mat pitch, presented by students Katie Muise and Michelle Mailloux, both from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. The problem they identified is the inability of patients to practice relearning how to walk after experiencing a medical issue. Going outside to do so isn’t the safest option, while staying indoors does not fully prepare patients to go back to the real-world.

This is an example of a team who worked diligently during their time at DifferenceMaker, as they ended up winning first place against teams such as Harvard and MIT during the Beantown Throwdown competition in 2019!

Then, a brainstorming activity took place where students were able to discuss the problems they are looking to solve with each other.

Afterwards, students presented their ideas to everyone. The problems included challenges with adapting to the resources available, international students not knowing the resources provided to them, students feeling unprepared for college and its various services, and a lack of awareness about resources across campus.

This allowed students to network with one another and gain new connections for potential teammates. Each person/group utilized the “DifferenceMaker Problem Toolkit Worksheet” to help with narrowing the specifics of the issue at hand.

Thank you to everyone that joined DifferenceMaker for Workshop 1!

On February 3rd, the Rist DifferenceMaker $50,000 Season Kick-Off was held in the Saab Center, Perry Atrium from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Richard Juknavorian, Rist DifferenceMaker Director, opened the event by welcoming everyone and providing introductions.

Then, Provost Joe Hartman spoke about the importance of solving problems and having a social impact. Then, he encouraged all attendees to apply to the $50,000 Idea Challenge.

Next, Rist DifferenceMaker Director Richard Juknavorian, introduced the DifferenceMaker program. He explained details for the 13th Annual $50,000 Idea Challenge taking place this semester. The 2025 DifferenceMaker $50,000 Idea Challenge application Has been extended and is now due February 17 at 5 p.m.!

After the introductory presentation, the real-life DifferenceMaker Panel and Q&A session took place! The panel consisted of members from past DifferenceMaker teams who answered questions from Richard Juknavorian and shared their entrepreneurial experiences with DifferenceMaker. First up was Jacob Breen of RAVI, who won the 2024 Honorable Mention, a $2,000 award. The Q&A was then followed up with Deigo King of Quick Release Window Bars , who won the 2023 Honorable Mention, answered questions and provided advice to the student audience. The Panel session Q&A ended with Josh Landis of SparkCell Technologies, who won the 2024 Rist Campus-Wide DifferenceMaker, a $6,000 award.

Richard Juknavorian asked the panelists a series of questions which gave the student audience a better understanding of the requirements to be in the DifferenceMaker $50,000 Idea Challenge and more information about their startups. The audience then got the chance to ask the panelists valuable questions.

Following the panel discussion, guest speaker Stephanie Roulic, Founder & CEO of Startup Boston, took the stage. She shared insights on the startup ecosystem and how students can leverage resources to turn their ideas into viable ventures. Stephanie emphasized the importance of networking, resilience, and taking advantage of opportunities like the DifferenceMaker program to gain hands-on experience in entrepreneurship. Her talk inspired students to think creatively and take the first steps toward launching their own businesses.

Following the Q&A, David Vatalaro, Rist DifferenceMaker Fellow, led the students in the Idea Hack Activity to get students brainstorming potential ideas they could apply to the challenge. Students split into groups sat at tables labeled with specific industries that interested them.

The students started to brainstorm problems and then started to discuss possible solutions. They were able to collaborate with each other and with the DifferenceMaker Faculty Fellows. Towards the end of this activity, students shared their problems and solutions with everyone.

To close off this engaging event, Richard Juknavorian spoke about the next steps in getting involved in DifferenceMaker and participating in the $50,000 Idea Challenge.