Introducing The 2014 Social Enterprise Challenge Finalists! Purchase your Tickets HERE!

ewalsh • August 27, 2014

2014 Social Enterprise Challenge Finalists

  • Evan Dobos, Civic Lift: An online platform promoting civic engagement.
  • Amanda Rinderle, A&J Public Benefit Corp: Organic Cotton and fairly sourced shirts.
  • David Rubin, ElectroSpinU: A Fitness company with a passion for electronic dance.
  • Linda Neaton, The Verge Awards: An online high school talent competition that funds art education.
  • Candice HugesAdaptTac Games LLC: Mobile Games that help children with behavioral health issues.
  • Vishal Patel, A Happy Life: Fair trade coffee roasting company; 100% of profits go back to farmers.
  • Spencer Curry, Fresh Farm Aquaponics: Food justice-oriented aquaponics farm.
  • Arati Sureddi, LOTUS Alliance: An online travel agency that helps to fund job training opportunities for victims of human trafficking.
  • Marianne Pantalon, Step Stones Jewelry: Stylish activity monitors that reward users with contributions to charity.
  • Joseph DeRisi, Urban Miners, LLC: Salvage and resale of architectural and building materials.

After months of multiple rounds of vetting, judging, and coaching, these ten finalists have been selected from dozens of social enterprise applicants to the Social Enterprise Challenge, and now move onto the judging phase of the competition. An independent panel of business experts will select the 4 award recipients who will be recognized at reSET’s Awards celebration on October 28th at The Society Room in Hartford, CT. The theme of this year’s event is “Superheroes of Social Enterprise.”

The 4th Annual Social Enterprise Awards recognizes Connecticut social entrepreneurs with the most viable, sustainable, market-based solutions for some of our state’s most pressing social problems. Winners will receive prizes of unrestricted capital to advance their business to the next level, public recognition, and valuable business advisory services provided on a pro bono basis by prominent local businesses. This year’s top prize is $15,000, and the total pool exceeds $30,000

During the awards ceremony, Will Haughey, co-founder of Tegu Corp., will accept reSET’s Social Innovation Award on behalf of himself and his brother Chris Haughey, co-founders of Tegu Corp. Will Haughey will also provide keynote remarks. Each year, reSET recognizes a prominent social enterprise that has harnessed the power of business to make a social impact and whose corporate conduct has inspired others. Past winners of the Social Innovation Award have included Warby Parker and Honest Tea.

 

Be sure to cast your vote for your favorite finalist! Starting September 15th each of the finalists videos will be posted on our website. Take a look and vote for your favorite ! The video with the most votes will win this year’s People’s Choice Award. Voting is open from September 15th – 30th!

Join us on October 28th   at The Society Room in Hartford to hear the powerful stories of entrepreneurs who have committed to creating businesses that combine both purpose and profit.

Purchase your ticket HERE

By awalsh February 13, 2026
Dear reSET Community, The Board of Directors today announces the departure of Sarah Bodley as Executive Director of reSET in a planned transition later this year. The Board has immense gratitude for Sarah and all her contributions over the years. Over the last seven years, Sarah has built an amazing foundation for the organization and she leaves reSET in a strong position for continued growth and service. Sarah joined reSET in 2018 and over the past seven years has solidified and expanded reSET’s mission of supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut. Here are a few key highlights from Sarah’s time here: Facilitated the acquisition of Collab New Haven, expanding reSET’s footprint to a statewide geography and further enhancing our mission Developed and implemented new core programs including the award-winning Food Incubator, as well as the Food Accelerator, Retail Incubator, Measure What Matters, and Digital Marketing Mastermind Established reSET as a founding partner of the Hartford Culinary Collaborative, enabling greater connectivity and cooperation among food-centric support organizations in our region Doubled the organization’s budget to over 1 Million Dollars, securing multi-year State government grants Won the prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award from Bank of America, and the Leadership Greater Hartford Polaris Community Award in 2022 Established an endowment fund thanks to support from the Zachs Family Foundation to support the long term sustainability of reSET’s mission Over the coming months, we will be continuing our search to find reSET's next Executive Director. Sarah will stay onboard through June to ensure a smooth handoff to our next leader, and will be available as a resource throughout 2026. It is the Board of Directors’ priority, along with Sarah's, to make this transition as smooth as possible to continue the great work Sarah has helped us do over her tenure. The Executive Director’s Job Posting can be found at this link, and we invite you to keep in mind any potential candidates in your community or network that you think might be a great fit. The Board of Directors wishes Sarah the best of luck in her future endeavors. We are appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm she has given to reSET over the last seven years, particularly navigating our organization seamlessly during the historic times of the pandemic, changes in administration, and an ever-evolving landscape of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We are confident that with Sarah’s support, this transition will be a smooth one for our Connecticut entrepreneurs, partners, and generous supporters. We look forward to continuing our growth and to serving our mission of supporting the social enterprise sector. If you have any questions or concerns during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out via contacting admin@resetco.org to get in touch with the board. Sincerely, Ali Lazowski + Dave Menard, co-chairs, reSET Board of Directors
By awalsh February 10, 2026
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Listen in to the replay of John Voket of Connoisseur Media's interview of reSET Food Program Manager Katrice Claudio and Program Manager Ndubisi Okeke that aired on Sunday July 6, 2025. They talked about the reSET programs that are enrolling for the fall--the Food Accelerator for food businesses looking to scale, and the Retail Incubator for early stage product-based businesses looking to ramp up for holiday markets in Connecticut. Listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8745230-reset-fall-program-preview The interview aired on the award-winning "For the People" show on Sunday, July 6 on WEBE 108 FM, STAR 99.9, WPLR FM and THe VOICE of Connecticut and on the podcast.
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