Tyler Griffin ’26 got his first taste of entrepreneurship at the age of 11, helping to pitch his father’s startup — Geni- Can, a “smart” wastebasket attachment that could read barcodes and create a shopping list — at trade shows. Some- thing in him came to life in that atmosphere, he says. “I wasn’t a big talker, and I definitely wasn’t a public speaker before then, so this was a completely new experience,” Griffin, the president of Bryant’s chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO), recalls. “It really taught me a lot and it got me out of my shell.”
A native of Newtown, Connecticut, a town that came together in the aftermath of a horrific school shooting, Griffin learned at a young age that “without community, you have nothing,” he says. Born with a slight speech impediment — strangers are forever trying to place his unique “accent,” he laughs — he also grew to understand that everyone has something to give and deserves a place at the table.
At Bryant, Griffin found a supportive environment that reminded him of home, as well as opportunities to uplift others. Student-run organizations like the Multicultural Student Union, Bryant CEO, and Bryant Ventures (CEO’s startup accelerator) allowed him to pursue his passions and help shape communities. Once quiet and intro- verted, he found an opportunity to reinvent himself as a leader.
In Ventures and CEO, Griffin, a Leadership and Innovation Management major, found students — some entrepreneurs, others just hoping to develop entrepreneurial skills — who were as supportive as they were driven. “There is no one in CEO or Ventures who doesn’t want every other member to be successful,” he states.
“We’re hoping to continue to build the community, and then build a lot of other cool things together, too.”
Last fall, Bryant CEO was named Best Global Chapter for the ninth time in the last 18 years. It’s an impressive track record — but not a surprising one if you know the group, says Griffin, who served as president of Ventures that award-winning year.
He points to last year’s Entrepreneurship Expo, a mini trade show where students displayed their developing startups — from Lifted Blends, a CBD-infused energy drink company, to LEGO brick reseller Summerfield’s Bricks — as an example. “We had a lot of great students with a lot of great ideas there. But we also had so many professors, and other students, and even alumni who came out to support them.”
This year, Griffin is especially excited for the opening of Bryant’s new Center for Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking, which will inspire, assist, and connect student disruptors through educational programming and events, resources, and funding. Like everything else in Bryant’s startup ecosystem, he notes, it’s the product of a group effort. “Bryant’s allowed members of CEO to be a part of the whole process, from helping to interview the director to providing feedback about what should be in the new maker space,” he says.
Griffin aims to use the new center to help Bryant’s entrepreneurial culture reach new heights. “We’re hoping to continue to build the community,” he says, “and then build a lot of other cool things together, too.”
He's also taken to mentoring in other venues as well. He recently delivered a TEDx Talk titled "Breaking the Silence: How I Found Confidence in My Voice," where he discussed his personal transformation from silence to self-assured leader and offered advice on how others can discover their own strength. It was a privilege and an honor to share his journey, he noted.
