Fellow:Matt Finley

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Matt Finley is a 2015 candidate for the University Innovation Fellows program. He attends the University of Minnesota where he studies Computer Science, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurial Management.
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 For electives, Matt likes to take classes from the Center for Spirituality and learn about personal growth from a non-traditional perspective. Matt enjoys helping others find their inner peace and bring out the best in themselves. In his free time, Matt likes snowboard out west, cycle, read, and practice yoga/mediation.


Matt is also involved in a variety of extracurriculars and projects on campus. He is in the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, where he is both webmaster and tech chair. Matt is also working on a few startups, one of which is geared towards educational collaboration and is called theClassPulse. This interactive web app allows students and professors to connect in real time real time via a Facebook type messenger.

Aside from entrepreneurial ventures, Matt also has experience in the corporate environment. He interned at UnitedHealth Group his freshman year where he worked on a corporate strategy team, providing executive solutions to ad hoc issues. Just a week ago, Matt finished his internship at Cargill, where he worked IT Infrastructure and coded an interactive application to aid in cotton trading.

This coming school year, Matt will be taking a year-long course called Entrepreneurship in Action, where he will work with a team of students to create a business from start to finish. Matt also created the 10,000 Makes hardware make-a-thon website and will be assisting in documentation day-of logistics.

All in all, Matt is passionate about innovation and is determined to make the University of Minnesota a more cohesive environment. He enjoys sharing his story and hearing others discuss their passions. Matt is able to shed on light on any problem and influence others to think about it in a different way. Matt is what one would call a divergent creative thinker. He enjoys networking with new people about potential start-up ideas or just life, and can be reached by Email or LinkedIn.

Related Links

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Student Priorites

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Matt Finley

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