Tufts Consumer Product Fair - Fall 2024
2024-09-25 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Ave, Medford, 02155, United States
Did you know that many current Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni have businesses selling consumer products and services like hoodies, packaged snacks, bottled beverages, photography services and more? Come learn about the retail businesses that Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni are building. Become a customer and support a Jumbo!
If you are a Tufts student, faculty, staff member or local alumni who has a current consumer-facing business, complete this form to apply to become a vendor.https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu/vendorapplication
This event will be held in the Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Avenue, Medford, MA. No signup necessary. Just come!

Confirmed vendors to date:

In-Person CUSI (Cross University Student Innovator) Mixer @Tufts
2024-09-27 17:30 - 19:30 | Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Ave, Medford, 02155, United States
Are you making the most of this fantastic city? With 74 universities and nearly 250,000 college students, Boston’s unique student economy is the engine that drives innovation.
This is your chance to connect with other innovators eager to change the world, meet potential cofounders or team members, and chat with people who understand the in’s and out’s of new venture creation in all sorts of settings: startups, small businesses, non profits and more. Aspiring innovators, founders, and entrepreneurs from many New England universities will be there!
The Cross University Student Innovator Mixer is a multi-school collaboration among Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Tufts University, Babson College, Boston University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and many more. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet student innovators from other schools all in one place!

Frisbee giveaway!
2025-09-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Tufts Venture Lab (JCC301), 177 College Ave, Medford, MA, 02155, United States
Stop by the Campus Center, pick up a free frisbee, chat with our student ambassadors and learn about entrepreneurial and innovative resources for you at Tufts! No registration necessary.
This event is hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more:

https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu

Field Trip to Boston Ecosystem Fair, Hosted by Startup Boston Week
2025-09-09 17:30 - 20:30 | Suffolk University
Meet us at the 1st floor lobby of the Joyce Cummings Center near the front door at 5:30pm!
Looking for an accelerator? A networking group? Government support? Or just trying to figure out where you fit in Boston’s startup scene? Startup Boston Week is bringing the region’s most impactful startup support organizations together under one roof – live and in person. Meet the folks behind the accelerators, communities, agencies, and nonprofits that help founders and startup teams start, scale, hire, fundraise, and thrive. Whether you’re just getting started or already building something big, this is your chance to explore what the ecosystem really has to offer and connect with the people who are here to help you grow.
About Startup Boston Week
Startup Boston Week is the largest annual gathering for New England’s startup community — five days of connection, learning, and inspiration for founders, startup operators, investors, students, and the ecosystem builders who support them. Learn more at https://www.startupbos.org/sbw2025

Entrepreneurial Pizza Open House
2025-09-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Tufts Venture Lab (JCC301), 177 College Ave, Medford, MA, 02155, United States
Join us in the Venture Lab (Room 301, Joyce Cummings Center) and mingle with aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs at Tufts. Reconnect with old friends and make new connections. Meet recent alumni of the Tufts Venture Accelerator and hear their founding stories, and explore potential internships and other collaborations. Meet entrepreneurial alumni who have received internship grants, won prizes, or are building real ventures. Connect with current MSIM students to learn about the program. Learn how DEC can support you in your journey to become entrepreneurial leaders.
This event is hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more:

https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu

Date Change! Tufts Entrepreneurial Network (TEN): Boston Alum Event Remnant Brewing
2025-09-11 18:30 - 20:30 | Remnant Brewing, 2 Bow Market Way, Somerville, MA, 02143, United States
Please note the date change!
Join the Boston chapter of the Tufts Entrepreneurial Network (TEN) at Remnant Brewing , 2 Bow Market Way, Somerville, on September 11th from 6:30pm – 8:30pm
This is a great opportunity to reconnect with fellow alums and form new connections as we make our way into the summer season. Members of the Tufts community, such as Kevin Oye, Executive Director of The Gordon Institute, and Elaine Chen, Cummings Family Professor of the Practice of Entrepreneurship & Director at the Derby Entrepreneurship Center, will be in attendance as well.
Enjoy cool refreshments and great conversations with other Tufts alums interested in innovation and entrepreneurship!
This event is generously sponsored by Main Street Bank, a DEC Silver Sponsor for 2024-2025.

Building Backwards To Tech: Three Robot Startup Stories
2025-09-12 10:30 - 11:30 | JCC170, 177 College Avenue, Medford, 02155, United States
As technologists, we often spend too much time inventing point solutions, and not enough time thinking about how to turn what we invent into practical, deployable, systems-level solutions that solve real problems and create real impact. In this talk, we will share stories of startups that failed by fixating on tech, and startups that are making a difference by building backwards from the impact they know they can have. You will come away with insights that will help you reframe your approach to research and development, so you can develop cutting edge technologies that matter.
We will have time at the end for an AMA (ask me anything) session where we can discuss anything from corporate innovation to career options for technologists in a variety of professional settings.
*The name of the talk is inspired by the book, “Building Backwards To Biotech” by Stephanie A. Wisner.
About Elaine Chen
Elaine is the Cummings Family Professor of the Practice in Entrepreneurship and the Director of the award-winning Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts University. She is also the Founder and Managing Director of ConceptSpring, a corporate innovation and entrepreneurship consulting company.
Elaine has served at the VP level at six companies, including Rethink Robotics, Zeo, Zeemote and SensAble Technologies. She has brought numerous hardware and software products to market and holds 22 patents. Elaine has been teaching startup and corporate entrepreneurship in higher education since 2011 at MIT and Tufts University. At ConceptSpring, Elaine leverages her rich entrepreneurial experience to help clients make their organizations more entrepreneurial via innovation consulting services and custom training programs.
Elaine holds a BS and an MS in mechanical engineering from MIT.
This event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center. Learn more at https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu

Entrepreneurial Taco Social
2025-09-16 17:00 - 19:00 | Patio Outside the Tsungming Tu Complex, 200 College Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Join us for a taco, meet and mingle with Tufts innovators and entrepreneurs, and learn how Derby Entrepreneurship Center can support your entrepreneurial journey. Faculty and staff will be available to answer questions on academics, business plan competitions, and co-curricular events. Watch lightening pitches on new ventures founded by Tufts students.

Cross University Student Innovator Mixer @Tufts (CUSI)
2025-09-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Ave, Medford, 02155, United States
Are you making the most of this awesome city? With 74 universities and nearly 250,000 college students, Boston’s unique student economy is the engine that drives innovation. This is your chance to connect with other innovators eager to change the world, meet potential cofounders or team members, and chat with people who understand #startuplife. Aspiring innovators, founders, and entrepreneurs from Babson, Olin, Wellesley, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Tufts, UMass Amherst, UMass Lowell, and more will be there!
Hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts University in partnership with other innovation and entrepreneurship centers in the Greater Boston area. Learn more:https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu

Makerfaire @ NOLOP
2025-09-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Nolop Science and Engineering Center, 200 College Ave, Medford, United States
Join us at NOLOP, Tufts’ premiere maker space, for an evening of maker fun. You will learn to make prototypes in one of the very best academic makerspaces in the greater Boston area. No experience is necessary!
This event is co-hosted by NOLOP, Autodesk, and Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more:
https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu

Fletcher D-Prize Launch!
2025-09-25 12:00 - 13:30 | Cabot 206, 160 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
The Fletcher D-Prize funds entrepreneurs who increase access to proven poverty interventions. The world has already invented ways to end poverty, yet the best interventions are not being distributed at mass-scale. Can you design a business or NGO that solves one of the Distribution Challenges like education or agriculture? If selected, The Fletcher D-Prize will award you up to $20,000 in cash to launch a pilot in any region where extreme poverty exists.

Visit us at the Career Fair
2025-09-26 11:30 - 15:30 | Gantcher Center, 161 College Avenue, Medford, MA, 02115, United States
Stop by the Tufts Gordon Institute and Derby Entrepreneurship Center tables at the Career Fair and learn about entrepreneurial internship opportunities and more!
This event is hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more:

https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu

Tufts Consumer Product Fair - Fall 2025
2025-09-30 11:30 - 13:30 | Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Ave, Medford, 02155, United States
Did you know that many current Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni have businesses selling consumer products and services like hoodies, packaged snacks, bottled beverages, photography services and more?
Stop by the 1st floor of Joyce Cummings Center and learn about the retail businesses that Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni are building. Become a customer and support a Jumbo!
If you are a Tufts student, faculty, staff member or local alumni who has a current consumer-facing business, submit the vendor application form by September 24, 2025.

Apply to become a vendor

Confirmed Vendors for Fall 2025

Entrepreneurial Pizza Open House
2026-01-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Tufts Venture Lab (JCC301), 177 College Ave, Medford, MA, 02155, United States
Join us in the Venture Lab (Room 301, Joyce Cummings Center) and mingle with aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs at Tufts. Reconnect with friends and make new connections. Learn about the New Ventures Competition and other Spring opportunities. Meet recent alumni of the Tufts Venture Accelerator and hear their founding stories. Explore potential internships and other collaborations. Meet entrepreneurial alumni who have received internship grants, won prizes, or are building real ventures. Connect with current MSIM students to learn about the program. Learn how DEC can support you in your journey to become entrepreneurial leaders.
This event is hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more:

https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu

Innovation Month: Entrepreneurial Swag Giveaway!
2026-09-10 12:00 - 13:00 | MA
Stop by the Campus Center for some seriously fun swag (you’ll have to see it to believe it), chat with our student ambassadors, and discover the entrepreneurial and innovative resources waiting for you at Tufts. No registration, no pressure — just good vibes and cool stuff.
This Innovation Month event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Entrepreneurial Taco Social
2026-09-15 17:00 - 19:00 | MA
Tacos, tunes, and top-tier networking — what more could you ask for? Swing by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center’s Taco Social for a laid-back night of good food and even better connections. Mingle with fellow student innovators, swap ideas with faculty and staff, and get the inside scoop on academics, business plan competitions, and co-curricular opportunities. Catch lightning talks from alumni who’ve turned their Tufts hustle into real-world ventures, plus rapid-fire pitches from campus clubs looking for their next great member. Come hungry, leave inspired.

This Innovation Month event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Startup Boston Week Field Trip
2026-09-16 17:30 - 20:30 | MA
Meet us in the 1st floor lobby of the Joyce Cummings Center (near the front door) at 5:30pm!
Looking for an accelerator? A networking group? Government support? Or just trying to figure out where you fit in Boston’s startup scene? Startup Boston Week is bringing the region’s most impactful startup support organizations together under one roof — live and in person. Meet the people behind the accelerators, communities, agencies, and nonprofits helping founders and startup teams launch, scale, hire, fundraise, and thrive. Whether you’re just getting started or already building something big, this is your shot to explore what the ecosystem really offers and connect with the people ready to help you grow.
About Startup Boston Week
Startup Boston Week is the largest annual gathering for New England’s startup community — five days of connection, learning, and inspiration for founders, operators, investors, students, and the ecosystem builders behind them. Learn more at startupbos.org/sbw2025.

This Innovation Month event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Entrepreneurial Pizza Open House
2026-09-23 12:00 - 13:00 | MA
Come mingle, connect, and get inspired at our Entrepreneurial Pizza Open House! Join us in the Venture Lab (Room 301, Joyce Cummings Center) to reconnect with friends, meet fellow aspiring innovators, and dive into everything Tufts entrepreneurship has to offer — over pizza, of course. Learn about our upcoming cross-university hackathons and mixers, speaker events, and hear about the New Ventures Competition and other Spring opportunities on the horizon. Hear founding stories from recent Tufts Venture Accelerator teams, and connect with students and alumni who’ve landed grants, won prizes, or are building side hustles. Explore potential internships and collaborations, chat with current MSIM students about the program, and discover how the Derby Entrepreneurship Center can support your journey to becoming an entrepreneurial leader.
This event is hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Candy Chat @ Career Fair
2026-09-25 11:30 - 13:30 | Halligan
Need a break from the career fair hustle? Stop by our table for candy, swag, and a chill chat about what’s next for entrepreneurship @Tufts. Whether you’re curious about applying for a small grant to start a side hustle, joining a cross-university event to meet students from other universities, or just want to say hi, we’d love to meet you!
This Innovation Month event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Makerfaire - the 3D Printing Edit
2026-09-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Nolop Science and Engineering Center, 200 College Ave, Medford, United States
Ever wanted to bring your own ideas to life with 3D printing but didn’t know where to start? Join us for Makerfaire: The 3D Printing Edit and learn how to find cool designs online or create your own part — then get it ready to print at NOLOP. No experience necessary, just curiosity! Pizza included. Spots are limited to 20 participants, so register now before they’re gone!
This Innovation Month event is hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Hybrid Event - From PhD to Founder: Building (and Selling) a Startup
2026-09-29 17:30 - 19:30 | JCC 1st floor, 177 College Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155, United States
From lab bench to boardroom: what does it actually take to build (and sell) a biotech company? Join us for a fireside chat with Kristina Fontanez, PhD — a two-time founder who scaled her last startup, Fluent BioSciences, from 2 to 40+ employees, raised $19M+, and led it to an $85M acquisition by Illumina. Now she’s building Adept Scientific, an AI platform tackling a problem she saw firsthand: life science labs have no real-time visibility into how their products actually perform.
The conversation will be moderated by Idicula Mathew, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Derby Entrepreneurship Center and Cofounder & CEO of Hera Health Solutions, a biotechnology company specializing in the research, development, and commercialization of a proprietary nanotechnology-enabled platform for transforming existing therapeutics into more effective and long-acting therapies.
Whether you’re curious about science, startups, or the leap between academia and industry, come hear how Kristina turned a research gap into a growing company — and bring your questions.
Pizza served at 5:30pm, talk starts at 6:00pm.
About Kristina Fontanez
Adept Scientific is led by founder and CEO Kristina Fontanez, PhD (Princeton AB, Harvard PhD, MIT postdoc). Kristina co-founded Fluent BioSciences, scaling the team from 2 to 40+ employees, launching 7 commercial products, and raising $19M+ in funding. She played a pivotal leadership role in securing the company’s $85M acquisition by Illumina in 2024. Throughout her tenure at Fluent and later as Senior Director at Illumina, Kristina identified a systemic gap: life science companies lacked real-time visibility into product performance in customer labs. Support was anecdotal, field engineers didn’t scale, and product teams flew blind. This firsthand operator experience, spanning R&D, commercialization, manufacturer economics, and post-acquisition integration is exactly why she’s building Adept: an AI-powered platform designed to provide the “Google Maps” for lab workflows, finally closing the visibility gap in life sciences.
This Innovation Month event is jointly hosted by Auster Center for Applied Innovation and Research and Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts.
Learn more about the Auster Center: austercenter.tufts.edu
Learn more about the Derby Entrepreneurship Center: derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Tufts Small Business Fair
2026-09-30 11:15 - 13:45 | JCC 1st floor, 177 College Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155, United States
Did you know that many current Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni have businesses selling consumer products and services like hoodies, packaged snacks, bottled beverages, photography services and more?
Stop by the 1st floor of Joyce Cummings Center and learn about the retail businesses that Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni are building. Become a customer and support a Jumbo!
If you are a Tufts student, faculty, staff member or local alumni who has a current consumer-facing business, submit the vendor application form by September 28, 2026.
This Innovation Month event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Apply to become a vendor

Fall 2026 Vendors

Innovation Month: Cross-University FinTech Hackathon
2026-10-02 15:00 - 18:00 | Room 160, Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Avenue, Medford, 02155, United States
Ever wondered what it takes to build a fintech solution, but weren’t sure how to start? The Cross-University FinTech Hackathon is your chance to find out — no coding or finance background required.
Join students from Tufts and universities across the area to tackle a real problem: how can fintech make life easier for college students managing money? You’ll form a team, brainstorm a solution, and build it out with guidance from entrepreneurial coaches and subject matter experts who’ll show you how to use AI tools to solve real problems at warp speed— all in just a few hours. By the end of the day, you’ll pitch your idea to a panel of judges and fellow participants for a shot at cool snacks and swag.
Stick around afterward for a large cross-university Student Innovators Mixer — the perfect chance to keep the energy going, meet founders and innovators from other schools, and expand your network beyond the hackathon.
This event is open to Tufts students, alumni, faculty, and staff, as well as students from other universities in the area. Space is limited and this is an in-person-only event, so please only register if you can commit to arriving on time and staying the full duration.
This Innovation Month event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Learn more at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.

Innovation Month: Cross-University Student Innovators Mixer
2026-10-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Tsungming Tu Complex – Patio and Atrium, 200 College Avenue, Medford, 02155, United States
Save the date! Registration link coming soon!

Boston has 74 universities and nearly 250,000 college students — and the world’s next great companies are being built right here, right now. Are you in the room?

This is your chance to connect with the builders, dreamers, and doers shaping tomorrow — find your cofounder, grow your team, swap war stories with people who actually get #startuplife, and plug into a community that’s moving fast.

We’re bringing together innovators across the hottest spaces:
🤖 AI
🌱 ClimateTech & Sustainability
💳 FinTech & Embedded Finance
🧬 HealthTech & BioTech
📱 Social Tech

Plus dedicated sessions for:
🤝 Cofounder Matching — find your person
🐦 Birds of a Feather — connect with your tribe
🎤 Pitch 2 Match — pitch your idea, find your team

Aspiring founders and entrepreneurs from Babson, Olin, Wellesley, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Tufts, UMass Amherst, UMass Lowell, and beyond will all be there.

Boston’s student economy isn’t just an advantage — it’s a superpower. Come use it.

This Innovation Month event is hosted by Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts in partnership with Startup Boston.
Learn more about Derby Entrepreneurship Center at derbyecenter.tufts.edu.
Learn more about Startup Boston at startupbos.org.
