A number of high-profile Connecticut startups have been acquired in recent months, raising some concerns about their future growth in the state, especially with new influences from out-of-state owners.
But beyond the jobs concerns, business experts and boosters say the deals offer proof that Connecticut is cultivating a strong innovation ecosystem that could hopefully yield more successful startups in the future.
Two years after the pandemic forced many to close or shift their operations, Hartford area startup accelerator and incubator programs are hoping to bounce back in a changed landscape spurred by the return of in-person events.
Hartford’s efforts to develop a startup ecosystem were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some accelerator programs going to a remote model, or simply shutting down altogether.
While no NBA records were broken nor player milestones reached during the Brooklyn Net vs. New Orleans Pelicans matchup on Jan. 15, the game may prove to be historically significant.
The Nets became the first American sports franchise to feature a live game in the metaverse. The immersive virtual experience was powered by 100 high-resolution cameras surrounding the team’s home court that were fed into a viewpoint system that created and streamed 3D renderings of the live on-court action within seconds.
In January 2020, when Melissa Melonson transitioned and rebranded her marketing agency Lumi Hospitality to focus almost exclusively on the leisure, travel and real estate industries, she could not have imagined the devastating impact the global pandemic would have two months later on those sectors and her young company’s bottom line.
“Close to 50 percent of my [client] contracts paused … overnight, which was very scary,” said Melonson, who founded her company in 2016.