BROOKLINE, Mass. – The Boston Friends of the Ukrainian Catholic University sponsored an innovative informational event on October 16 at a private reception in Brookline, Mass., hosted by Vera Trojan and Mark Carthy. The evening, which attracted some 50 guests and UCU donors, featured a forceful, dynamic presentation by Ivan Petrenko, executive director of the UCU Center for Entrepreneurship, who outlined an ambitious program designed to teach and promote entrepreneurial skills to UCU business school students to prepare them for the fast moving, competitive start-up world.
Mr. Petrenko was accompanied by two students, Oleh Smolkin and Yaryna Lyba, who were the winners of the best business plan pitch competition that was held at UCU earlier this year. The students, smart, motivated nascent entrepreneurs, presented their business plan: a breakthrough wireless, AI based contact and motion-sensing system for optimizing training and coaching of fencers, which is already being evaluated by the Ukrainian women’s national fencing team. The presentation was followed by very active discussions with members of the Boston business community.