CCIS Alum Introduces the Jelly Incubation Fund
There’s always productivity in the air at CCIS, with students taking on passion projects whilst juggling their coursework load. And while the College has many student organizations designed to help foster creativity and innovation, students may feel there are few resources for technical mentors that support self-directed student projects, particularly in the incubation phase.
Drawing upon his own experience as a student who sought resources for such projects, CCIS ‘14 alum Christopher Jelly seeded the funds to create the Jelly Incubation Fund for CCIS. Jelly’s generous $25,000 commitment allows for annual grants of $5,000 over the next five years, empowering students with funding to support unique, out-of-classroom projects and initiatives within the Northeastern community. Recipients will be selected by a selection committee made up of faculty, staff, and alumni, evaluated on the scope of project and its relevance to CCIS and the University.
Jelly’s motivation for the fund was driven by his personal experiences as a student while at Northeastern, “I had a lot of ideas for unique projects that were met with friction because they didn’t have an obvious home within the College or University,” Jelly said. “My fund aims to provide a conduit for unique student ideas and projects, and some initial funding to help them be realized.”
Grants from the Jelly Incubation Fund will be available to full-time CCIS undergraduate students, and applications are set to open this November. The grants can be used for whatever the student chooses including additional hiring, purchasing of resources, or personal remuneration.
Eligible projects are related to Northeastern or CCIS: prototype development of software projects that benefit the Northeastern community, unique research efforts led by students, or creation of a new organization within CCIS are just a few examples. “The funding criteria is intentionally vague to encourage innovative and eccentric ideas,” Jelly said.
“The Jelly Incubation fund is a wonderful resource for our entrepreneurial students,” said CCIS Dean Carla E. Brodley. “Although other funds exist in the University, it’s exciting to have our first dedicated CCIS fund! I’m incredibly inspired by Chris’ philanthropy as a young alum.”
Jelly has spent the last year growing Jelly Consulting, a Boston-based company that builds and iterates on early-stage software products. He recently joined Edmit – a software startup that provides college-bound students with price and value transparency – as Chief Technology Officer. Jelly is also interested in serving as a mentor to Jelly Incubation Fund grantees, and being involved in the student project development process.