As we do every semester, the ECenter held two nights of our Idea Creation Bootcamp. This semester, our flagship event featured facilitator Mike Maddock, serial entrepreneur and best-selling author of Plan D, copies of which were given to every UNH student participant. Mike guided participants through a fun and simple process that his companies use to help Fortune 500 executives and hungry startups disrupt their industries.

Mike tasked the participants with getting into groups and discussing a problem they really hate and ideas to solve those problems. Mike calls it, "embrace the hate to innovate."

"Embrace the hate to innovate" really means, "solve the problem that really annoys you and you could have a million dollar idea!" Mike fondly refers to avid problem solvers as "idea monkeys." In fact, he gave out "Idea Monkey" t-shirts to the students who shared their ideas with the group. Another fun exercise Mike led was, "How would you solve this if I gave you $10 million dollars." The student ideas were wide-ranging and creative!

"The Idea Creation Bootcamp made me feel like I can take my creativity and combine it with my degree to be useful and profitable in the real world," said Olivia Bessemer '21.

Added Anthony Sanville '24, "I enjoyed this experience because it inspired not only myself, but many students that we have the power to innovate and have a positive impact on the world."

Thank you to ECenter Premier Sponsor, Bottomline Technologies, for making the Idea Creation Bootcamp possible for UNH students!