Impact Entrepreneurship Initiative

A transformative $1.55 million gift from the Silverstein family established the Ignite Impact Leadership Program, directed by Dr. Kristin Joys, in January 2025. This multi-year gift enables the scaling of UF’s successful impact entrepreneurship programs while honoring the legacies of Drs. Janet and Burt Silverstein.

The Ignite Impact Leadership Program assists other colleges and universities across the nation in implementing offerings like Warrington’s Impact Consulting courses and Impact Internships, both of which help students earn Impact Leaders Awards. Through the Impact Leaders Award program, students study, practice, and create impact, in addition to sharing their stories and learning from local impact-focused entrepreneurs.

The initiative focuses on three core elements:

• Researching and defining best practices for high-impact entrepreneurship and impact leadership education.
• Developing resources and curricula informed by these practices.
• Partnering with organizations to disseminate these best practices and programs.

Undergraduate and graduate students who complete the core course and engage in experiential learning consulting projects in the greater Gainesville community are recognized as UF Impact Leaders, which formalizes and recognizes their education and experience in impact-focused entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership. 

Tracks are available for both undergraduate and graduate students to earn their UF Impact Leaders Awards. Students earn awards by fulfilling any of the following requirements:

1. Study Impact by earning a passing grade in the Intro course, ENT 3503/ENT 6506.
   1. In extenuating circumstances, students who are unable to enroll in ENT3503 or ENT6506 may be able to enroll in an alternative option to fulfill the Study Impact requirement. For more information, email Impact Leaders so we can ensure your successful completion of the Study Impact requirement.
2. Practice Impact by earning a passing grade in one of the Impact Consulting Courses (ENT 4934/ENT 6930) offered each Spring Mod 3, working as a consultant on an experiential learning project for a local impact-focused venture. Opportunities include:
   1. Completing a module-long consulting project while earning a grade of “B” or above in the Launch Florida: Strategic Impact Consulting course (ENT 6930/ENT 4934), the Impact Business Consulting Lab course (ENT 6930/ENT 4934), the Impact Venture Consulting course (ENT 6930/ENT 4934), or the Ignite Impact Philanthropy Lab: Collective Giving for Strategic Impact (ENT 6930/ENT 4934).
   2. In extenuating circumstances, students who are unable to enroll in one of the Impact Consulting courses may be permitted to engage in another substantive impact consulting project with approval from Dr. Joys prior to beginning. Examples include: Continue an Experiential Learning Consulting Project from a prior ENT class; complete a semester-long impact-focused consulting project with Enactus, GatorNest, or through the IA Internship Program; complete a MDP program Field Practicum; or serve as a consultant to one of the participants in the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program. Please email Impact Leaders regarding the options above so we can ensure your successful completion of the Practice Impact requirement.
3. Create Impact by engaging on campus and in the community by completing an Impact Internship or by developing an impact venture and competing in the Impact Award category of The Big Idea Business Plan Competition.
   1. In extenuating circumstances, students who are unable to do any of the three options listed above may be permitted alternative options to fulfill the Create Impact requirements with approval from Dr. Joys prior to beginning. Examples include: Start an impact-focused venture and join one of our local incubators/accelerators (the Gator Hatchery, Innovation Hub, StarterSpace, etc.); win a grant from the Brown Center for Leadership and Service; or serve on the leadership team of one of EIC’s student organizations. Please email Impact Leaders regarding the options above so we can ensure your successful completion of the Create Impact requirement.
4. Tell Your Impact Story by submitting an Impact Leader Report by the deadline prior to graduation.
   1. To do this: Apply to certify your status as an Impact Leader by submitting an online form with evidence that you completed the requirements and sharing your impacts by November 15 (for Fall), March 15 (for Spring), or July 1 (for Summer) before your graduating semester.

UF Impact Leaders will receive UF Impact Leaders Awards, which consist of a digital badge from Credly, a certificate for their achievement, and honors cords for commencement celebrations.

Each Spring, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center hosts the Big Idea Business Plan Competition.

Through the generous support of sponsors (Fire Neural Network, Study Edge, and Parisleaf), recent teams have each received a $1,000 award:

• 2025 — The Online Experience (Valeria Pinzon Trujillo)
• 2024 — Cordelia Bioscience (Jessica Tittl), also won first place
• 2023 — Coastal Resilience Solutions (Dr. Shelby Thomas), also won first place
• 2022 — Purposed Studios (Wanda Baez)
• 2021 — Upskill Talent (Erika Nang)

To enter, visit the Big Idea Business Plan Competition.

In Spring 2006, the second semester of his freshman year, while on track to follow both of his parents and his older sister in a career as a physician, Abhi Lokesh stumbled upon Kristin Joys’ Honors Introduction course. He took the class and, for his final project, worked with two classmates to start a nonprofit that sold art in order to raise money to help alleviate the health and poverty epidemic in Eswatini. 

Abhi credits his experience in Joys’ class as the catalyst that led him to get involved in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center. He joined the EIC Ambassadors and served as an RA for the first Young Entrepreneurs Summer Program for High School Students in 2007.

These experiences offered Abhi the opportunity to spend time with entrepreneurs who were changing the world. With help from Dr. Joys, Abhi and his two classmates applied for and won a $10,000 Projects for Peace Grant, taking them to Eswatini, where they worked with the Ministry of Health and WHO to pilot their ideas. 

It was in a small town in Eswatini, that Abhi and his partner Alex came up with Fracture, a revolutionary technology that takes photos directly from a smartphone (or any digital device) and beautifully prints them on glass to be displayed in people’s homes.

Abhi graduated from UF in 2009. Under his leadership, Fracture raised over $2 million in capital, processed over 2 million orders across 180+ countries, and reached $30 million in annual sales — all while maintaining 75%+ gross margins and 48-hour custom turnaround times. 

Fracture employed over 100 full-time team members and operated out of a 30,000-square-foot solar-powered facility in Alachua, FL. In 2021, the company was successfully acquired by Summit Partners, a top-tier private equity firm, delivering strong returns to investors and marking a milestone in innovative and impactful consumer goods.

Abhi continues to mentor and inspire the next generation of changemakers as the Impact Entrepreneur in Residence at UF. He frequently returns to campus to speak on entrepreneurship, innovation, and impact. In 2024, he launched Odyssey Ventures, a firm focused on advising founders, CEOs, and high-growth startups. You can learn more about Abhi on LinkedIn.