Emboldened by a campus culture of exploring 鈥渨hat if?鈥� and the university鈥檚 support system of expertise and resources to back them, five Knights who started their companies while they were still students are making undeniable noise in their respective industries 鈥� so much so that Forbes just honored them on its annual 30 Under 30 list.

The 麻豆原创 engineering grads are recognized among peers from the likes of Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT, Yale, Princeton and Columbia.

Joe Sleppy 鈥�18 serves as CEO of Capacitech Energy, which is making supercapacitor technology practical by delivering plug-and-play, modular systems that eliminate power quality issues in data centers and microgrids responsible for downtime and equipment damage.

鈥溌槎乖� encouraged me to think outside of the box,鈥� he says. 鈥溌槎乖� is an innovative university because they鈥檒l ask, 鈥榃hy not?鈥� I think I share the same philosophy with running Capacitech. Let鈥檚 try it. The world is watching. Let鈥檚 use innovation and entrepreneurship to make it better.鈥�

Mason Mincey 鈥�23, Derek Saltzman 鈥�23, Matthew Jaeger 鈥�22 and Patrick Michel are co-founders of Soarce, which takes underutilized plant resources like hemp, seaweed and grass and transforms them into nanomaterials eight times stronger than steel.鈥淲e鈥檙e on pace to build what we feel is going to be the largest global nanocellulose production facility in the world,鈥� Saltzman says. 鈥淎nd we are not afraid to say that and stand behind it. That鈥檚 a big dream, but that鈥檚 kind of what we鈥檙e here to do 鈥� make big changes.鈥�

These grads all credit their rise in large part to the immense support and knowledge they gained from 麻豆原创鈥檚 and . 麻豆原创 invested $10-20,000 of alumni-funded awards from the annual competition and UpStarts program to support their venture development.

鈥淐apacitech and Soarce illustrate how investments in technology development and entrepreneurship education can work together to increase innovation diffusion and societal impact,鈥� says Cameron Ford, William and Susan Crouse Endowed Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Blackstone LaunchPad at 麻豆原创. 鈥淭hey also illustrate the arduous, fraught, years-long paths that entrepreneurs commonly travel when no one is watching to achieve 鈥榦vernight鈥� success. We are immensely proud of the example they are setting for current and future Knights by combining their disciplinary expertise with entrepreneurial knowhow to positively impact others.鈥�

To learn more about how these Knights are putting in the work today that is shaping the future around us, check out their stories (with video) on 麻豆原创 Today:

• Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Winner: Capacitech
• Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Winner: Soarce

鈥淔rom the moment I heard about cities being smart, it has always been on my mind,鈥� Agarwal says. The concept resonates for this engineering visionary because he was raised in a small town in India with unstable transportation, electric, water and drainage systems. 鈥淚 had a strong feeling that a 鈥榮mart city鈥� would benefit everyone living in it, for generations.鈥�

Little did Agarwal know at the time that in 2024 he would be in Orlando, The City Beautiful, as founding director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Urban Intelligence and Smart City Lab and coordinator of its innovative Smart Cities master鈥檚 program. He could have continued his blossoming career in any major city with a reputable university, but he came to Central Florida because he saw something fresh: under the umbrella of the Future City Initiative, researchers and students from a variety of departments who would soon be working with industry and city leaders toward a singular goal.

鈥淪martness,鈥� says Agarwal, an associate professor in civil environmental and construction engineering.

Let鈥檚 just pause for a moment and address a basic question: What exactly is a smart city? The Orlando area has smart people with smart ideas. We have a university with world-renown instructors and a history of groundbreaking tech research in AR, VR, digital twinning, modeling and simulation. Yet with all of these smarts, we still live on a finite piece of land with a finite supply of water, all shared by a rapidly growing population. It doesn鈥檛 take long for such a city to become less beautiful.

Unless it鈥檚 truly smart.

鈥淭he concept of a smart city is broad, but in general it means you integrate technology to remove the negatives of daily life,鈥� says Cameron Ford, founding director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and executive director of the Blackstone LaunchPad. 鈥淣o congestion. No sanitation issues. No excess air pollutants. No problems with reliable power or water. A smart city uses foresight to improve livability, sustainability and resilience so residents can enjoy today while preparing for the uncertainties of tomorrow.”

For an example, Agarwal鈥檚 latest research provides a moving picture of what mobility within a smart city might look like: Traffic moving with the harmonious speed and efficiency of a school of fish (as opposed to the stop-and-go crawl of a caterpillar). In this city, autonomous vehicles would use sensors to transmit messages to each other and to the infrastructure. Road travel becomes cooperative and quick. It鈥檚 stress-free, and yes, friendly.

鈥淭echnology is the connective tissue between every project in a smart city,鈥� Agarwal says, 鈥渁nd it requires a lot of small projects connected together. They become the digital infrastructure. You can鈥檛 necessarily see them, but they make the quality of daily life better.鈥�

Carol Ann Logue is director of programs and operations for 麻豆原创鈥檚 Innovation Districts and Business Incubation Program. She and Ford are involved in smart city initiatives because at some point every tech-centered project, visible or invisible, comes down to business. Without investment even the smartest idea will never see the light of day.

鈥淭he cities that can pull this off have experts from every important sector intertwined into a singular ecosystem,鈥� Logue says. 鈥淔or Orlando, it鈥檚 healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, engineering and business. We have a pipeline of young talent, intellectual property, forward-thinking research 鈥� everything is here, due in large part to 麻豆原创, to be become fully integrated, and smarter.鈥�

Until recently, however, something crucial had been missing.

鈥淔or as long as I鈥檝e been in Orlando, there have been frustrations that the rest of the world didn鈥檛 know about the tech capabilities here, which made it challenging to attract outside investors,鈥� Logue says. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 changing quickly.鈥�

Logue is referring to the presence of Plug and Play, a global startup accelerator with a deep network of investors and companies able to supercharge emerging tech markets like central Florida. Plug and Play opened an Orlando office earlier in 2024 as part of a partnership with 麻豆原创, the city, Orange County, Duke Energy and Tavistock, with the goal of advancing Orlando as a smart city.

鈥淭his region鈥檚 identity as a tech market is unique,鈥� Ford says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have major corporate headquarters spinning out talent, like they have in Silicon Valley. However, we do have talented, ambitious students and researchers coming up with new ideas to improve urban life. They鈥檙e developing expertise learning how to turn that expertise into viable business. Plug and Play fills a critical gap by attracting corporate partners and risk capital so those tech startups can flourish.鈥�

Logue says she鈥檇 been aware of Plug and Play for years because she鈥檚 in the world of business incubation. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 just go anywhere. There has to be a culture of innovative technology for them to nurture into a smart-city ecosystem. That鈥檚 exactly what we have here.鈥�

Plug and Play developed its first smart city cohort for Orlando in April. They invited more than two dozen companies to pitch the innovation they would bring to the smart city initiative. Of the 14 companies chosen for the cohort 鈥� some local and some from outside the area 鈥� four were founded by students, graduates and researchers from 麻豆原创: CapaciTech, which builds flexible and high-energy storage solutions; the smart mobility company ConnectedWise; Precision Periodic, which uses nanobeads for water treatment; and Fluix, an energy-saving AI-based autopilot.

鈥淢any of the companies from outside the area that pitched said, 鈥榃e鈥檝e been interested in moving to Florida, but didn鈥檛 know about the tech capabilities here until Plug and Play came along,鈥欌�� Logue says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a 鈥榳ow鈥� for a lot of people.鈥�

They鈥檝e been wowed to find out about 麻豆原创鈥檚 aforementioned Smart Cities master鈥檚 program, the only such program that fuses technology with disciplines focused on water and air quality, transportation and land development and public policy. They鈥檝e been wowed to discover 麻豆原创 working on a $26 million NSF-funded Engineering Research Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3), and a transportation science and tech program ranked among the world鈥檚 best.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e also impressed with the collaboration between experts in different fields,鈥� Logue says, 鈥渂ecause everyone knows collaboration is the best way to make real progress.鈥�

Less than 10 years ago, Agarwal heard 鈥渟mart city鈥� for the first time. Today he鈥檚 helping one come together. Many students in the Smart Cities master鈥檚 program are professionals who are reskilling themselves. One is developing a smart parking system. Another is coming up with a method to ensure healthy water quality in pools. Yet another is researching a way to locate lead pipes underground so they can be removed without tearing up the landscape.

鈥淭hese people have always had ideas,鈥� Agarwal says, 鈥渁nd now their ideas have the potential to be grown into start-ups, then incubated, and perhaps supported through Plug and Play鈥檚 network. It鈥檚 still early, but that鈥檚 what makes this an exciting time. We鈥檙e just getting started.鈥�

To further tap into the hidden gems of research produced by faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, 麻豆原创 is initiating a new program backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) with mentoring from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The $6 million, NSF-funded interdisciplinary project, led by Ivan Garibay, an associate professor in the will create a 麻豆原创 Venture Lab that supports budding entrepreneurs through the commercialization process and establishes a newly organized research umbrella at the university.

The funding for the 麻豆原创 Venture Lab is provided through NSF鈥檚 Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program, housed in the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. 麻豆原创 is one of 18 U.S. universities to receive funding through this newly established program.

“NSF endeavors to empower academic institutions to build the pathways and structures needed to speed and scale their research into products and services that benefit the nation,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan in a release. “The Accelerating Research Translation program in NSF鈥檚 new Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate identifies, and champions institutions positioned to expand their research translation capacity by investing in activities essential to move results to practice.”

The 麻豆原创 Venture Lab will train and enable faculty, graduate students and postdocs to identify and launch viable businesses based on their novel research. It will provide guidelines on business development, match 麻豆原创 researchers with relevant industry partners and, for a select few, provide funding through the NSF ART grant. The entity will be modeled after the business startup program at Georgia Tech, which will provide mentorship during the development phase.

鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 world-class faculty are preparing students to work and lead in the industries of tomorrow, and we are grateful to the NSF for their support in enabling us to speed up research, discovery, and entrepreneurship,鈥� says 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright. 鈥淲orking with Georgia Institute of Technology, which will serve as a mentoring institution, we look forward to expanding pathways for ideas, products, and programs that make positive impacts on society and keep pace with the speed of innovation.鈥�

Garibay says after comparing notes with Georgia Tech, the project team realized they would benefit from a Venture Lab dedicated to the commercialization of 麻豆原创 research.

鈥淲e plan to create that infrastructure here at 麻豆原创 and hope to accelerate the growth of these businesses,鈥� Garibay says.

Community and Societal Impact

Georgia Tech will serve as a mentoring partner for 麻豆原创鈥檚 Venture Lab development. Keith McGregor, the founder of the Georgia Tech VentureLab, will serve as one of the mentors to the 麻豆原创 team, which includes co-principal investigators Carolina Cruz-Neira, a professor in the ; Cameron Ford, an associate professor in the , Svetlana Shtrom, the director of the ; and Winston Schoenfeld, interim vice president for research and innovation. The University of Florida will also collaborate on the project, providing input that will help 麻豆原创 adapt Georgia Tech鈥檚 model to the Florida ecosystem.

Locally, the program is expected to have a positive impact on the Orlando area.

鈥淐entral Florida is mostly a service-based economy,鈥� Garibay says. 鈥淥ur median salary is below the nationwide average. The 麻豆原创 Venture Lab will foster creation of technology companies, which will generate high-paying jobs and will attract a lot of growth to this area.鈥�

The program will also provide pathways for local industry to partner with 麻豆原创 researchers. Organizations such as DeepWork Capital, the Entrepreneurs Alliance of Orlando and the National Security Innovation Network have already agreed to mentor the 麻豆原创 entrepreneurs and to participate in the ART project advisory board.

ART Seed Translational Research Projects

Multiple seed translational research projects will be selected for funding through the ART program. The first project, led by Professor Guifang Li of the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL), will establish a prototype receiver capable of high-speed space-to-ground laser communication that resists atmospheric turbulence. Once the prototype is developed, Li and his team plan to test the project at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Potential clients for the receiver include Blue Origin, OneWeb Technologies and SpaceX.

The second project is led by Center for Research in Computer Vision Assistant Professor Yogesh Rawat. He plans to develop a prototype software that can detect human activities shown in live video streams while ensuring that private information isn鈥檛 exposed. The software would be used in surveillance systems to identify emergency situations or potential threats to public safety so that law enforcement or first responders could act quickly to prevent harm.

Other seed translational research projects will be selected through a university competition that will commence next August. 麻豆原创 researchers from all disciplines will be encouraged to apply.

Education Through Action

麻豆原创 graduates like Wolfe, Drake and countless others were able to launch their businesses with the aid of the skills they developed at 麻豆原创 as well as the encouragement they received from 麻豆原创 researchers and business development programs. To keep the pipeline of Knight-trepreneurs flowing, the NSF ART grant will enhance 麻豆原创鈥檚 educational offerings in entrepreneurship.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Business Administration courses already offered in this topic would expand to allow graduate students and postdocs to take the courses, allowing for a greater diversity of knowledge, skill and perspective in the classroom.

The goal is to instill an entrepreneurial skillset in the next generation so they can better qualify for jobs in changing industries or launch and grow their own business ventures, says Ford, who is also the executive director of the Blackstone LaunchPad and the director for the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

鈥淭he careers that our students are going into are dynamic,鈥� Ford says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a lot of changes and disruptions to the industries they work in, so our students need to be adaptable and resilient. They can add value to the companies they work for if they can learn to solve novel problems and execute initiatives. It鈥檚 not enough to innovate solutions 鈥� the goal is to deliver innovations to those who need them, improving social and economic wellbeing in the process.鈥�

Garibay says that, for engineering students in particular, learning about entrepreneurship can change their whole mindset.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 life-changing,鈥� Garibay says. 鈥淓ntrepreneurship is something we鈥檝e done for a long time and the feedback that I get back from students is that it鈥檚 transformative.鈥�

麻豆原创 Innovate

The NSF ART program doesn鈥檛 just allow 麻豆原创 to create a business hub and enhance graduate education 鈥� it also establishes a new research umbrella for the university called 麻豆原创 Innovate. This enhanced infrastructure will bring together the Office of Technology Transfer, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Business Incubation Program along with the developing Venture Lab. 麻豆原创 Innovate will be overseen by Schoenfeld, who leads the Office of Research.

鈥溌槎乖� has been consistently ranked as a leading technology-generating institution with a strong entrepreneurial spirit among faculty and students,鈥� Schoenfeld says. 鈥淭he NSF ART program leverages this to drive new levels of technology translation that ensures strong societal benefit from the innovation across 麻豆原创.鈥�

Shtrom says that through the ART program, the Office of Technology Transfer will strengthen and enhance the university鈥檚 commercialization infrastructure to transform promising research results into products that solve pressing problems and improve people鈥檚 lives.

鈥淭he NSF funding will allow us to dedicate resources toward cultivating the entrepreneurial mindset and culture at 麻豆原创, increasing the number of startup companies launched to commercialize university technologies, and growing funding and licensing revenue to support and expand the research enterprise,鈥� Shtrom says. 鈥溌槎乖� is committed to nurturing and sustaining this virtuous cycle of research and innovation to maximize impact for 麻豆原创, Central Florida, and the nation.鈥�

The first-of-its kind听certificate lets听students work hand-in-hand with industry professionals, such as Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Jordan Brand鈥檚听Reggie Saunders and Def Jam founding Director听of Publicity Bill Adler.听Assignments include everything from writing educational raps to analyzing music videos with theory and data. This semester听MC Serch听will join a听class to break down听the music video for the 1989 3rd Bass single 鈥淭he Gas Face,鈥� a provocative take on the business crossover of hip-hop.

C. Keith 鈥淒oc鈥� Harrison, who is the founding director of the certificate program and one of its professors, designed its four courses to bridge topics ranging from the innovation and evolution of hip-hop to sport business management and entrepreneurship. His goal is to generate an elite group of business-savvy students who think differently, think globally and hustle forward.听

While the courses focus on hip-hop, the goal of the certificate isn鈥檛 necessarily to provide students with a path to working in the music, entertainment or sports industries. It aims to challenge the way they think and approach situations and encourage thinking on a global scale. The certificate flips the script of hip-hop鈥檚 typical use in academia as a vehicle for religious, sociological, humanities or liberal arts learning by complementing these academic disciplines. The certificate program focuses on the business side of an industry that has been around since the 1970s and the impact it has had across music, entertainment and sports.

鈥淥ur goal is to make the certificate completion very, very selective,鈥澨齭ays Harrison, who serves as a Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow at Harvard University鈥檚 Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. 鈥淭he four courses are quite rigorous, so our approach since the launch is to keep the finish line for only an elite group. We want it to be like becoming a pro athlete or artist (e.g. ballers) 鈥� top 1% to 5%.鈥�

The Ballers

By this end of the Spring 2023 semester, four students will have finished the certificate program. Since its inception, the certificate鈥檚 marquee course, SPB4023 鈥� Business of HipHop Innovation and Entrepreneurship, has filled up each semester as students continue to show a growing interest in the certificate鈥檚 offerings.

One of the first to complete the certificate is Denis Perez, who says the program has made him appreciate music even more and gives him an advantage for the future.

鈥淭he certificate has opened my perspective on how the business of hip-hop came to be,鈥� Perez says. 鈥淕etting to learn about the beginnings of hip-hop and the major impacts it made have made me appreciate it even more. This is such a unique opportunity. It is a great opportunity to diversify your portfolio and make you stand out to employers when looking for post-graduate opportunities.鈥�

Harrison incorporates industry professionals to show students how hip-hop and business connect.

Last semester,听Grandmaster Caz, who has influenced artists such as听Jay-Z,听LL Cool J听and听Will Smith, spoke to 麻豆原创 students for the third time. Most recently, his visit focused on the role of innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity in his career, as well as a rap tutorial for those in attendance.

This August hip-hop celebrates its 50^th听anniversary. In preparation, Harrison听is planning a number of special guests and moments for students to celebrate the last half-century at the intersection of music and business. Grandmaster Caz, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, MC Serch, Adler and Saunders have all been invited back to听speak. Photographer听Johnny Nunezwill听talk with听students about his career shooting some of the industry鈥檚 biggest names, including Jay-Z,听NAS,听Queen Latifah,听MC Lyte,听Beyonce,听Drake,听Justin Bieber听and听LeBron James.

The Faculty

麻豆原创 faculty members听Scott Bukstein, associate lecturer in the undergraduate sport business management program, and听Cameron Ford, associate professor of management and founding director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, lend their talents to the curriculum as well as lecturers from African and African American Studies, who contribute to a course on the evolution of hip-hop. Harrison has also enlisted help from outside the university from Adler,听Brandon Martin,听Tuma Basa听and Saunders, who all work in and around the entertainment industry. Martin serves as the athletic director of University of Missouri-Kansas City; Basa is the director of Black Music & Culture at YouTube. Basa was also the certificate鈥檚 first guest lecturer back in 2019.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment (CREATE)听also has been听an integral part of the certificate, providing both students and faculty.听CREATE director听Stella Sung and adjunct research animation instructor听Ronald Hargrove听helped Harrison create visual content for the certificate.

鈥楾he Napkin鈥�

This summer听Harrison will release听The Napkin: An Annual Report on HipHop Academic Programs听online on Aug. 11. Started by Harrison,听The Napkin听will focus on content that highlights positive world news听in hip-hop听and higher education curriculum related to the genre. Contributors to听The Napkin听include recent 麻豆原创 grad and ESPN+ sideline reporter听Hannah Jo Groves 鈥�22, current radio/television student听Joshua Hammer听and Adler. Groves graduated from 麻豆原创 in 2022 with a journalism major and sport business management minor.

Thanks to the forward-thinking professors, guest lecturers and students, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Business of HipHop and Creative Industries certificate is primed to stick around as long as hip-hop has with the culture鈥檚 tradition of innovation and reinvention. As Caz said, 鈥淗ip-hop didn鈥檛 invent anything, it reinvented everything.鈥�

The collaboration involves , a direct support organization at 麻豆原创, 麻豆原创鈥檚 (MVS2) and 麻豆原创鈥檚 (CEL). Together, they will focus on increasing access to internship opportunities located at 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus, providing better access to training opportunities for advanced manufacturing equipment, and augmenting support for the entrepreneurial aspirations for students with a veteran status.

At 麻豆原创, the student-veteran and military-affiliated student population is estimated to be 1,900 strong on campus. Additionally, 麻豆原创 received a military friendly silver award for the 2022-23 school year, recognizing the university’s ability to help veterans succeed in the classroom and the real world.

“Advanced manufacturing continues to grow at a rapid pace throughout Central Florida,鈥� says MVS2 Director Michael Kepner 鈥�19MA. 鈥淭his collaboration is the perfect next step in developing a talent-pipeline of student veterans to meet the workforce needs of our partners. This partnership with Limbitless provides our student veterans with the technical skills they need to unleash their potential and fill this critical requirement.鈥�

Kepner is an U.S. Army retiree and joined 麻豆原创 in July 2022.

Limbitless Solutions has partnerships with key industry partners for advanced manufacturing 鈥� including Autodesk (design software) and Stratasys (3D printer manufacturing) and Tormach (CNC machinery manufacturer).

Last year, Limbitless Solutions opened a new research facility dedicated to bionics research, advanced manufacturing and undergraduate student research development in Research Park. The facility has more than 5,000-square-feet of space near 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus, making it accessible for students by the Pegasus Express campus shuttle.

The machinery at the advanced manufacturing facilities includes computer numerical control (CNC) milling and lathe machines, large 3D printers, laser cutters, vacuum thermoforming, and a full range of automotive painting equipment.

鈥淟imbitless Solutions is excited to announce this new collaborative effort with MVS2 and CEL to provide opportunities for advanced manufacturing and entrepreneurship for student veterans,鈥� says Limbitless Solutions Executive Director Albert Manero 鈥�12 鈥�14MS 鈥�16PhD. 鈥淣ot only will this support advancing our work for pediatric and adult focused bionic arms, but it will also provide opportunities that can unleash the potential of our students.鈥�

麻豆原创鈥檚 Blackstone LaunchPad program, an initiative offered by 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, is transforming students from all backgrounds and majors into entrepreneurial leaders who understand how to create and deliver new solutions to important problems.

Students who are interested in pursuing any venture 鈥� social or otherwise 鈥� are encouraged to visit the Blackstone LaunchPad on the first floor of the Student Union to get free, confidential, one-on-one coaching from an expert startup mentor.

“We support students from all majors who are freelancers, side-hustlers, innovators or future founders, and we are excited about supporting student veterans who are interested in creating their own economic opportunities,鈥� says Cameron Ford, founding director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

An estimated 500 to 600 students have met with startup mentors in the Blackstone LaunchPad annually since it opened in 2013. Volunteers from the business community help students learn how to create opportunities, design solutions, develop business models, and launch startup ventures.

For more information on how to access these resources, visit and .

The organic worm tea fertilizer is made by soaking worm-accelerated compost in fresh water to absorb valuable nutrients.

鈥淐ontaining all the vital nutrients for your garden, the resulting leachate is highly effective at encouraging plant growth,鈥� Baker said during his proposal. 鈥淯sing Wriggle Brew in your garden will guarantee that your plants are endowed with all the necessary macro and micronutrients that may have depleted from your soil. Just a capful of undiluted Wiggle Brew added per plant can rapidly speed plant growth and boost the young immune system.鈥�

What makes this fertilizer so unique? It also doubles as a pesticide.

Baker led Wriggle Brew to the top prize at the Joust New Venture Competition, 麻豆原创鈥檚 version of Shark Tank. Wriggle Brew beat out three other student businesses April 7 to take home a $15,000 check and over $50,000 in essential business services.

鈥淭he struggle that went into getting here is years鈥� worth,鈥� shared Baker, just moments after his win. 鈥淭his means everything to me right now.鈥�

In a similar fashion to NBC鈥檚 hit show Shark Tank, Baker pitched Wriggle Brew to a panel of judges representing companies such as Echelon Fitness Multimedia, Addition Financial, Voloridge Investment Management, VMD Ventures and VMD Global Health, and ICI Homes.

Baker advanced Wriggle Brew to first place out of 16 semifinalists. His team plans to use the competition winnings to get in front of as many businesses as they can to develop their product further.

鈥淣ext steps for me from here will be, first and foremost, a little bit of rest. Then my teammates and I are going to hit the ground running,鈥� Baker says. 鈥淢y goal is to try to get into as many business opportunities as I can with this win, and hopefully do well with the expectations that have been placed on me.鈥�

The Joust is 麻豆原创鈥檚 premier startup showcase event, hosted by the 麻豆原创 College of Business鈥� Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and features students of all majors. Competitors present their models for a viable business venture and compete to win money and other resources to pursue their venture. This event celebrates student entrepreneurs, introduces them to community leaders and provides key resources to help launch their ventures.

Before the winner was announced, John Santo `鈥�01, co-founder and CPO of Echelon Fitness Multimedia shared a message with all four contestants.

鈥淚f you believe in your product and what you鈥檙e doing, don鈥檛 let 鈥榥o鈥� stop you,鈥� Santo says. 鈥淏e relentless in what you do. No matter what happens today or tomorrow, that doesn鈥檛 determine the success of your business.鈥�

All four finalists in this year鈥檚 competition included elements of a social venture 鈥� a business idea that aims to incorporate business skills and techniques to solve societal problems. Cameron Ford, director of the 麻豆原创 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, called this year鈥檚 Joust an incredibly close competition.

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited by the strength of each of our competitors鈥� presentations,鈥� Ford says. 鈥淚 have never been as proud of a group of students as I am for this year鈥檚 Joust competitors.鈥�

The Joust runners-up were Daniel Trimble, Michael Troisi and Ryan Carnovsly with Trosk, a company that aims to provide a range of education on cybersecurity and related topics. They took home $7,500.

Shelsee Joseph earned third place and $5,000 for her company, Curethco, a wellness tea company that aims to inspire consumers to take care of their health with accessible and effective teas.

ToolCharm and the team of Mark Rbuckert and Owen Burns earned $2,500 for their fourth-place finish and their idea to empower support teams to accomplish daily administrative tasks without software development teams.

The students鈥� venture proposals were assessed by a panel of business executives representing a wide range of corporate partners, local businesses and alumni.

This year鈥檚 judges were Linh Dang 鈥�93, chief development officer at Addition Financial, Sean Hayes 鈥�95, Chief Marketing Officer at Voloridge Investment Management, Forough Hosseni 鈥�98, EVP of Information Systems at ICI Homes, Harold Mills 鈥�98, CEO of VMD Ventures and VMD Global Health and Santo, co-founder and CPO of Echelon Fitness Multimedia.

The 2022 Joust New Venture Competition was presented by Echelon Fitness Multimedia. Supporting sponsors included 321 The Agency, BDO, Blezoo, Legal Shield, Insurance Office of America (IOA) and Nperspective LLC.

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing in here is what you鈥檇 find Ph.D.s doing in expensive labs,鈥� Mincey says about his three business partners and himself. 鈥淲e鈥檝e learned to work with whatever resources we have available.鈥�

Mincey, who鈥檚 on track to graduate from 麻豆原创 in 2023, studies plant-based fibers at the nanoscale on one side of the garage. On the other side, the fibers are used for the research and development of high-performance athletic clothing. That鈥檚 the differentiator for Mincey and his co-founders of Soarce USA: Their shirts, socks, underwear, and headbands will be derived from plant materials.

鈥淲ith our research,鈥� he says, 鈥渨e can make high-quality performance-wear and feel good about protecting the environment.鈥�

Mincey enrolled at 麻豆原创 as an aspiring aerospace engineer. During his freshman year, he discovered the university鈥檚 Blackstone LaunchPad program and a path to entrepreneurship.

鈥淢ason exemplifies the kind of student who comes into the program,鈥� says Cameron Ford, founding director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. 鈥淏lackstone is the investment company behind our LaunchPad. They share my belief that people who develop an entrepreneurial mindset will be better prepared to take risks and adapt, no matter what they do for a career.

鈥淭hink about it. One student takes classes, graduates, and interviews for a job. Another student takes the same classes, but also had an idea for lip balm, developed a prototype and a website, and tried to market the product. If I鈥檓 an employer, that second candidate has me spellbound, whether they succeeded or not.鈥�

Ford has seen 500-600 students in the LaunchPad center every year since it opened in 2013. Volunteers from the business community mentor students in skills like accounting, marketing, and how to apply for patents.

鈥淭his is real-world business development,鈥� says Ford, 鈥渂ut it isn鈥檛 just for business students. You can see that from the alumni who have used the LaunchPad.鈥�

Chemistry alum David Nash 鈥�11 鈥�14MS 鈥�17PhD helped launch IDem Systems in 2015 to help law enforcement agencies quickly detect the presence of illegal drugs. Health sciences grad Victoria Weiss 鈥�16 co-founded Rope Lace Supply in her dorm room with industrial engineering grad Eric Delgado 鈥�16 and sold $250,000 of shoelaces online in their first year. Managementalum Jesse Wolfe 鈥�15 created O鈥檇ang Hummus, received mentoring in the LaunchPad, pitched his product on Shark Tank, and is one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 most recognized entrepreneurs.

鈥淎nd now,鈥� says Ford, 鈥渉e comes into the LaunchPad to mentor other students.鈥�

Like Mason Mincey.

Mason Mincey, co-founder Soarce

Soarce is the fourth idea that Mincey and his partners hatched. They learned valuable lessons from each swing and miss. As freshmen, they developed a drone to help farmers locate patches of dying crops in massive fields, and even took it into the semifinals of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Joust competition.

鈥淥ur pitch didn鈥檛 go well,鈥� says Mincey. 鈥淲e went back to LaunchPad and began to understand that creativity and drive aren鈥檛 enough to build an actual business.鈥�

Next, they built a 13-foot rocket as vehicle for organizations without NASA-size budgets to collect scientific data. At a demonstration in Alabama, the rocket blew up at takeoff. Small portions of their own carbon fiber stayed intact, however, and would inspire number-three: a racing drone.

鈥淲e had fun and sold some drones, but there wasn鈥檛 a big market,鈥� Mincey says. 鈥淧lus, it was a toy. I didn鈥檛 see it as a business that would make a positive impact.鈥�

In the LaunchPad, Wolfe shared some entrepreneurial wisdom from his trials and errors during the early days of O鈥檇ang. For example, you can鈥檛 build a business on passion alone.

鈥淗e said, 鈥榊ou need to think from the customer perspective, a product perspective, and a business perspective. That鈥檚 the three-legged stool. And you need to be willing to adjust your original idea,鈥� Mincey says.

Mincey says without those lessons, and without pro bono help from attorneys, designers, and marketing specialists, Soarce wouldn鈥檛 have made it past three months, and he wouldn鈥檛 be wearing booties in his garage or using plants to perfect textile fibers a million times smaller than a human hair.

鈥淟aunchPad got us on the right track,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd now we鈥檙e onto something cool.鈥�

Brandon Naids 鈥�14 鈥�16MS , co-founder Talon Simulations

It鈥檚 been said that the Blackstone LaunchPad is a great program for 麻豆原创 students who have always dreamed of starting a business or those who never could have imagined it.

Brandon Naids 鈥�14 鈥�16MS is among the latter group.

鈥淚 was just a na茂ve engineering student trying to come up with something interesting for my senior project,鈥� he says of the virtual reality flight simulator he and four other 麻豆原创 students created. 鈥淎nd I thought it would look good on my resume.鈥�

At the Senior Design Showcase in April 2014, local industry leaders and 麻豆原创 faculty saw the compact nature of the simulator and heard about the lower cost to make it. Their feedback sparked a fire that changed Naids鈥� career path before he鈥檇 taken his first step on it.

鈥淓very person at the showcase told us to check out the LaunchPad,鈥� Naids says. 鈥淚 planned to look for an engineering job, but once we met with an advisor at LaunchPad and heard about the help available to turn our project into a product, we thought, 鈥榃ow, we鈥檙e really doing this.鈥欌��

Instead of pursuing job interviews, Naids pursued his master鈥檚 degree while shifting from an engineering mindset to an entrepreneurial ethos.

鈥淲e learned that as business owners you can鈥檛 just submit plans and wait for results,鈥� Naids says. 鈥淵ou have to set goals and then be accountable to meet each one of them. A mentor also told us that passion alone isn鈥檛 enough to build a business, but it will help you through the tough times 鈥� because those time will come.鈥�

During those times, Naids would nervously sit in parking lots for up to an hour before meeting with prospective clients of Talon Simulations. Now, with a real business sitting firmly on a three-legged stool, he sees his team鈥檚 simulators used in arcades, malls, 150 Dave and Busters locations, and for U.S. Army recruiting events.

鈥淚 never imagined this until we went to 麻豆原创鈥檚 LaunchPad,鈥� Naids says. 鈥淯ntil then, I thought I鈥檇 be doing 3-D modeling behind someone else鈥檚 desk. I鈥檓 grateful everything turned out this way instead.鈥�

Senior photonic science and engineering major Rafaela Frota beat out six other finalist companies with her concept for Wawwe (We Are What We Eat.) The mobile app uses data and algorithms to help people decide whether they should eat something based on their personal dietary needs.

The competition rewards students who develop solutions intended to impact society鈥檚 biggest problems.

In under seven minutes, finalists had to present the problem they intended to solve, the solution they planned to offer, and a sustainable and scalable business model that could deliver the solution. Then they had up to three minutes to answer questions from a panel of three judges, who selected winners based on criterion such as concept, social impact, context, performance measures and presentation.

鈥淭he inspiration for Wawwe came from my desire to help give confidence and support to people diagnosed with a diet restrictive illness and were feeling lost and overwhelmed,鈥� says Frota, who came up with the idea at 14 after watching food documentaries such as Food Inc. 鈥淢y dream is to work with hospitals across the nation to bring Wawwe to as many patients as possible and increase their health through easy access, easy to understand personalized nutrition.鈥�

Frota was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from State Farm Insurance, which sponsors the contest. Second-place finishers took home $1,250 and third-placed earned $500 in scholarship funding.

About the Competition

麻豆原创鈥檚 Social Venture Competition differs from other business contests because at the core of each business is a greater purpose to serve individuals or a community. Cameron Ford, director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Blackstone LaunchPad, created the competition in 2015 to provide a platform for students to learn how to utilize entrepreneurship to address complex, social problems.

鈥淥ne of the challenges with social ventures or enterprises is evaluating their success,” Ford says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit different from a standard corporate [measurement,] like sales, revenue, number of customers and stuff like that. Here you鈥檙e looking at things a little more broadly, like impact, which can be pretty difficult to measure.鈥�

鈥溌槎乖� has really paved the way for us to have access to so many more opportunities … and we鈥檙e incredibly grateful for that.鈥� 鈥撎�David Thomas Moran 鈥�14MFA

Last year, texts and technology doctoral student听David Thomas Moran 鈥�14MFA听and听art major听Nathan Selikoff 鈥�04,听a Burnett Honors Scholar,听were able to overcome this challenge. They won the competition with their transportation tech startup Omnimodal. The platform merges real-time public transportation information with already existing navigation apps so users can use their phones to get around easier. Their win at 麻豆原创 led them to even greater success in the local community as they went on to win Central Florida鈥檚 Rally Social Enterprise Accelerator.

鈥淭he [Social Venture Competition] reminded Nathan and I that it鈥檚 so important to break out of our innovation silos and actively engage with all the incredible opportunity spaces across the Central Florida startup community here at 麻豆原创 and beyond,鈥� says Moran.听鈥溌槎乖� has really paved the way for us to have access to so many more opportunities since we won last year and we鈥檙e incredibly grateful for that.鈥�

This Year鈥檚 Winners

About thirty minutes before this year鈥檚 competition, two finalists realized they had similar ideas for their long-distance ride sharing app 鈥� down to the same statistics used in their presentation.听 Rather than compete against each other, senior information technology major Eliecer Vera and junior computer science major Breezy Baldwin recognized an opportunity to be more successful through partnership

鈥淚t was really bizarre how identical they were. We both realized that neither of us would be likely to win the competition if we had the exact same pitch, but that it applied to our companies as well. We both can鈥檛 go head-to-head in the exact same market,鈥� says Baldwin.

鈥淲e both realized that neither of us would be likely to win the competition if we had the exact same pitch.鈥� 鈥撎鼴reezy Baldwin, 麻豆原创 student

Within minutes Baldwin, who has been working on her idea for 18 months and Vera, who developed his four months ago, managed to successful merge their presentations and companies under the name Hchhkr (pronounced 鈥渉itchhiker鈥�.) So much so that they earned second place. They plan to continue working together.

Third place was awarded to Connected Wise, a smart onboard device that aims to improve safety in rural areas by allowing drivers to communicate with one another about road conditions. The company鈥檚 founders, Enes Karaaslan and Burak Sen, developed the idea from the areas of focus in their civil engineering doctoral studies.

The Food Exchange, developed by junior finance major Aurora Pavlish-Carpenter and first-year environmental engineering major Talia Gratz, earned an honorable mention and received $250. The app focuses on reducing food waste by allowing users to trade their unwanted food with other users nearby.

Other Finalists

Three more companies qualified to present at the competition:

Students who are interested in pursuing any venture, social or otherwise, are encouraged to visit the Blackstone LaunchPad on the first floor of the Student Union to get one-on-one coaching from someone with experience or expertise.

White鈥檚 company, Mainland Tow, won with a new piece of beach gear called the 鈥淪kimvest.鈥� It allows the wearer to run along shallow water while towing a person behind on a skimboard. The electrical engineering major modeled the device after a baby carrier he found at a garage sale.

鈥淎t first, my friends and I tried to tow someone on a skimboard with a bunch of T-shirts tied together, but that didn鈥檛 really work,鈥� White said. 鈥淥ne day, I was at a garage sale and came across a baby-carrying harness, bought it for $2 and thought I could definitely use this to tow someone down the beach.鈥�

The full-time student plans to use the winnings from the competition to cover manufacturing costs for the first 100 units. After creating several product revisions and patenting the Skimvest in the United States, White set up a distribution deal with Ron Jon Surf Shop following a chance encounter with the company鈥檚 general merchandise manager at a beach in 2015.

鈥淚 met him while putting on sunscreen during an event on Cocoa Beach,鈥� White said. 鈥淎fter months of phone calls, he agreed to meet with me and was really excited about the Skimvest.鈥�

The competition, which was organized by the Roundtable of Entrepreneurship Educators of Florida, featured outstanding student venture proposals and gave competitors the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of qualified professionals. Cameron Ford, director of the 麻豆原创 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, described the competition as a showcase for the best collegiate startup proposals in the state.

鈥淢atthew worked extraordinarily hard on multiple startup venture ideas over the past few years with our staff at the Blackstone LaunchPad and Upstarts Student Venture Accelerator,鈥� Ford said. 鈥淲e chose him to compete to reward his hard work and achievement.鈥�

听

Through this partnership, the 麻豆原创 Blackstone LaunchPad will gain access to Techstars鈥� network of more than 10,000 mentors, worldwide entrepreneurial events, and content and startup services. 麻豆原创 Blackstone LaunchPad director Cameron Ford called the partnership a game-changing opportunity for 麻豆原创.

鈥淭echstars has built a global community of innovators, entrepreneurs and investors that has achieved remarkable success launching companies and enriching communities,鈥� Ford said. 鈥淥ur partnerships with Blackstone and Techstars will offer 麻豆原创 students unrivaled access to expert advising, startup resources, and experiential learning opportunities to support their personal development and the development of their new venture ideas.鈥�

The 麻豆原创 Blackstone LaunchPad welcomes hundreds of students from across campus each year, accepting more than 3,000 appointments and launching dozens of start-ups annually. 麻豆原创 student and Capacitech Energy CEO Joe Sleppy advises other students at the Blackstone LaunchPad and used its resources to launch his business.

鈥淭his partnership with Techstars is a major added value to 麻豆原创鈥檚 ecosystem and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership,鈥� said Sleppy, who won 麻豆原创鈥檚 version of Shark Tank 鈥� the Joust New Venture Competition with his business idea in 2016. 鈥淭he resources that will be shared are internationally desired, will give 麻豆原创 students a major advantage, and will help them execute their visions.鈥�