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24 n e w h a v e n B I Z | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m From Classroom to School of Hard Knocks Ambitious college students skip the corporate ladder on the climb to entrepreneurial success By Melissa Nicefaro L ong gone are the days of college students earning their degree, starting in an en- try-level position and slowly navigating the laborious path up the ladder of cor- porate success. ese days many students are skipping straight to the top of the heap by starting their own businesses — while still in college. Tackling Blockchain University of New Haven 2018 graduate Nathan Pitruzzello is already his own boss — or chief executive officer, to be precise. While still in college, he and four other students co-founded a company called Solutech Inc. To- day the firm has 23 employees and operates out of District New Haven, a creative workspace for startups in a former industrial building on James Street. Solutech was born aer the massive Equifax data breach where someone attempted to steal Pitruzzello's identity, forcing him to place a freeze on his credit. With a background in cod- ing, he set out to develop an alternative storage option that would protect data better than server- and cloud-based storage options. Solutech is a B2B data-distribution compa- ny that uses blockchain technology to create distribution ledgers for other companies, while focusing on supply chain, data management and data storage. To date Solutech has one consumer product, an app called Slide Drive, which helps fortify network security. e remainder of the com- pany's product line is designed for enterprise applications. e company currently has two beta clients. ey've also partnered with one of the top hacking firms in Silicon Valley, a firm called Hackerone, which is outsourced by the Depart- ment of Defense. "at's one of our big partnerships," Pitru- zzello explains. ey're also part of the Linux From SAT to CEO: Newly minted UNH grad Pitruzzello co- founded Solutech, a B2B data-distribution firm in New Haven. F O C U S | H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n