Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 23, 2026 13 Escape Velocity co-founders (left to right) Mike Heiser, Danny Mendoza, Rob Zielonka, Jacquelyn 'Jax' Higgins and David Logan, at The Hartford Club. HBJ Photo | Steve Laschever From Invention Hartford venture firm aims to help startups avoid the 'valley of death' five-year-old company that converts craft beer growlers into portable refrigerated dispensers. Zielonka said he and his partners spent several years preparing to launch the venture. They pooled their own savings to fund the first round of investments. They plan to use incoming revenue and outside capital to fund a larger cohort in October, with plans to invest $250,000 in five to 10 companies and provide a year of mentorship. New cohorts would launch each October. 'Valley of death' Jacquelyn "Jax" Higgins, an Escape Velocity co-founder and startup consultant, said her team realized several years ago that early-stage companies needed more than mentor- ship — they also needed capital to survive the "valley of death," the period between developing an idea and attracting investors. "That's kind of how Escape Velocity Partners came to pass," said Higgins, now the firm's chief operating officer. The company is headquartered on the third floor of The Hartford Club's Georgian Revival mansion on Pros- pect Street in downtown Hartford. While Escape Velocity will consider investments anywhere in Connecticut, Higgins said they hope to serve as a catalyst for economic development in Hartford and the surrounding region. Other Escape Velocity co-founders also have experience supporting startups. David Logan, for example, is CEO of Umergence, a Southington-based financial firm that helps companies find investors and raise capital. He previously served as Connecticut chair of the accelerator program for Entrepreneurs' Organization, a global business network. Logan spent about a decade working in IT at UConn before leaving in 2015 to launch Umergence with a partner. Each contributed $400,000 from retire- ment savings as seed money. Today, the company has built a network of about 50 contract represen- tatives, closes dozens of deals each quarter and generates roughly $10 million in annual revenue, Logan said. Logan met Zielonka in 2018 at The Hartford Club, where the two bonded over a shared interest in helping startups. Logan now serves as Escape Veloc- ity's chief experience officer, leading technology design and helping port- folio companies navigate pathways to raising capital. He also helps match startups with volunteer mentors. "There's a lot of people that want to give back," Logan said. "So that's the beauty, there are opportunities to give back." Zielonka said he hopes Escape Velocity will encourage others to combine mentorship and investment to support early-stage startups in Connecticut. "We would love to be the catalyst for the ecosystem," Zielonka said. "But if not, we're prepared to help bring the flow of private capital into this ecosystem." Escape Velocity has established By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com I n the basement of a home in Chicopee, Massachusetts, two small-scale prototypes of a flying machine sat in pieces for years — the unfinished dream of inventor Richard Zielonka. Zielonka, who worked as a field services manager for Pacific Bell before retiring to Chicopee, spent decades trying to develop and market the concept of a rotor car — a personal flying vehicle. His son, Robert Zielonka, grew up watching that dream struggle to get off the ground. After earning his MBA from UConn in 2007, Robert Zielonka tried to help bring the invention to market, pitching the technology to drone companies, aerospace manufacturers and investors. The effort never found a backer. Richard Zielonka died last year at age 91. "I grew up with this innovation as a kid," said Robert Zielonka, now 44 and CEO of Hartford-based Escape Velocity Partners. "He wanted to change the world. He wanted to create a Jetsons flying car where everybody's flying. But he was not able to execute on that dream because he didn't know all of the investors. He wasn't able to grow his network. "So, that's what caused me to want to make sure other inventors had the support they needed, so they don't end up like my father and his dream." That experience helped drive Zielonka to co-found Escape Velocity, a new company that combines venture fund investments in early- stage startups with an entrepreneurial mentorship program. The idea is for Escape Velocity to invest time and money in fledgling Connecticut startups, helping them grow while taking a percentage ownership stake. Early bets In early March, Escape Velocity selected its first three startups for its inaugural program, which includes a $100,000 investment in each company and six months of mentorship from the firm's five co-founders and their network of advisers. About 50 companies applied. The selected startups include: • SingleTimeMicroneedles, a seven-em- ployee biotechnology company devel- oping microneedle patches to deliver drugs without traditional injections; • Cena Health, which is developing medically tailored nutrition programs for healthcare treatment; and • Swipestorm (operating as "Huddle"), a company building an application to help fast-service restaurants manage daily operations. Zielonka said Escape Velocity grew out of Partners on Prospect, a nonprofit he helped found in 2019 to connect Connecticut entrepreneurs with investors. Over time, he realized many startups struggled to secure funding because they were too early in their development. "I learned it wasn't as easy as just getting more investors," Zielonka said. "The investors wanted companies to be a bit more mature, have their stuff together in terms of market understanding, being more polished in presenting. They weren't quite up to par with what the investors were expecting." Escape Velocity's program is designed to bridge the gap between early-stage startups and compa- nies mature enough to attract larger-scale investment. The firm takes a 5% to 10% owner- ship stake in the companies it backs, and is developing other revenue streams, including referral fees from service providers such as marketing or staffing firms. The founders also plan to raise funds on behalf of other companies and investors. Zielonka worked as a logistics manager for Collins Aerospace for nearly 10 years before leaving in November 2024 to focus on launching Escape Velocity. He is also co-founder of Growler Power, a Continued on next page

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