2019 Swarm Starter Recap
Congratulations to WetWare Biosystems, who took home $20,000 in the Ain Center’s newest competition!
Find out about how Swarm Starter came to be and see the winners of the inaugural event here.
2019 Swarm Starter Recap
Each year, the University of Rochester hosts Meliora Weekend, a four-day celebration that includes reunions, workshops, concerts, lectures, and other events to showcase the best that UR has to offer. In recent years, the Ain Center has been stepping up its Mel Weekend game by hosting open houses and, in 2018, a panel session and reception to commemorate 40 years of entrepreneurship at the University. This year, though, we debuted a brand new competition – one with the biggest top prize we’ve awarded to date.
We created a Shark Tank-style challenge to showcase some of the top student startups at UR, inspired by the excitement of the our Ain Center Advisory Council. After an intense selection process, four teams were chosen to give a four-minute pitch in front of a panel of judges, a crowd of 200 people in Hoyt Auditorium, and an audience watching at home via a Facebook live-stream.
- EZ Water supplies access to clean drinking water by providing cheap, reliable and quality drinking water to Pakistanis through a hyperlocal network of micropreneurs who leverage the power of modern Hollow Fiber Membrane technology to filter, bottle, and distribute water from under one roof. Presenters: Kareem Abdelmaqsoud ’22, Afnan Ahmed ’21, and Claude Mulindi ’22
- Humans for Education develops affordable, rapid diagnostic tools easy enough for anyone to use. Presenters: Daphne Pariser ’20M (PhD) and Jeff Beard ’23 (PhD)
- WetWare Biosystems utilizes novel biotechnology to preemptively mitigate neurotrauma resulting from athletic, civilian, and defense-related traumatic brain injuries. Presenters: Andrew Kaseman ’21, Scott McKinney ’21, and Bradley Smith ’20
- Prosthesis for a New Syria provides amputees with low cost, customizable 3D printed prosthesis that can help them gain their independence. Presenters: Ibrahim Mohammad ’17, ’24 (PhD) and Omar Soufan ’17, ’18 (MS)
Teams also had to field 10 minutes of Q&A with the judges, who then decided whether or not they would invest and made recommendations to the crowd. That was the catch – for the first time ever, the audience was given the responsibility of choosing a winner.
Using a text-vote platform, 646 people (both in-person and at-home audience members) sent in their choice during a five-minute voting period. After tabulating the results, the $20,000 cash prize was awarded to WetWare Biosystems, a team of undergraduates who have been working on their venture since fall 2018. WetWare presented a solid showing in the Ain Center’s competitions in spring 2019 and then participated in RIT’s Summer Accelerator (made possible via a new partnership with UR). They continue to seek grant funding, new collaboration opportunities, and industry contacts to help move their venture forward.
Congratulations to WetWare Biosystems, winner of the $20,000 prize. Here team members Brad Smith, Andrew Kaseman, and Scott McKinney are presented the giant check by emcee John Moran.
The Ain Center would like to thank our fantastic emcee, John Moran ’89, who kept the competition running smoothly. We would also like to applaud our panel of judges – Quincy Allen ’93S (MBA), Alyssa Carrizales ’20S (MBA), Theresa Mazzullo, and Brennan Mulcahey ’09, ’11S (MBA) – for their insightful questions, enthusiastic support of student entrepreneurs, and, of course, their entertaining remarks. Another round of cheers goes to those who watched the pitches and sent in their votes. Our final thank you goes to all of the participants: the innovative, capable, and passionate students at the University of Rochester encourage us to pursue entrepreneurship ever better.
If you would like to learn more about the Swarm Starter Competition, please contact Heidi Mergenthaler or Natalie Antal. Interested in participating next year? Take advantage of our workshops, training programs, and upcoming competitions to get your team ready!
Hidden Talent: Underground Stone’s Industry Mixer
Last spring, student entrepreneur Lakeya Callaway hosted an event to celebrate her entrepreneurial peers and encourage connections on campus.
Learn more about Lakeya’s event and her plans for future collaborations.
Hidden Talent: Underground Stone’s Industry Mixer
By Lakeya Callaway
On Saturday May 4, 2019, the Founder and Designer of Underground Stone (a clothing brand), Lakeya Callaway, held an event called Hidden Talent: Underground Stone’s Industry Mixer.
The goal for the event was to allow entrepreneurs to be seen and to raise awareness about their business, network with likeminded individuals, and receive great advice from David Mammano, an adjunct professor at the University of Rochester and serial entrepreneur who has started seven businesses.
Six businesses were represented at this event: Underground Stone (Lakeya Callaway), DC Premium & Don Carvajal Cafe (Hector Castillo Carvajal), Rochester Artist Collaborative (Adam Eaton & Walta Leake), Una Business Cards (Shelley Chen), and Southside Studios (Eugene Nichols). In addition to that, there were over 30 people in attendance that were interested in learning about the businesses listed above. The feedback given about this event ensures that the goals were met. Here’s what a few of the entrepreneurs had to say:
Eugene Nichols, founder of Southside Studios, was one of the featured entrepreneurs. Southside Studios aims to enhance community through artistic expression in the South Side of Chicago. Following the event, Eugene said, “Lakeya’s event was extremely inspiring! She managed to provide an opportunity for other entrepreneurs to build their brands, all while providing us with the opportunity to connect with David Mammano. The event flow was extremely smooth and I’m looking forward to seeing this event continue!”
“I like the crowd. People are genuinely interested in learning more about startups and business – this was a great event that allows students to learn about startups on campus,” noted Shelley Chen. Shelley is the founder of Una Business Cards, a graphic design company that helps university students and business owners create personalized business card designs and logos.
Hector Castillo Carvajal utilized the showcase to feature Don Carvajal Cafe, his specialty coffee brand with a social entrepreneurship focus. He said, “the Hidden Talent event was successful. It was very helpful for my small business to gain exposure, and bringing the right form of exposure that student businesses and startups need.”
Overall, Lakeya was extremely satisfied knowing that Hidden Talent: Underground Stone’s Industry Mixer created a space where entrepreneurs could talk to students about their businesses, network and have a good time. Moving forward, she is considering making Hidden Talent an annual event.
Lakeya Callaway ’21 is a rising Junior from Washington DC. She had an entrepreneurial spirit since she can remember. She started her entrepreneurial journey as a middle school student selling handmade Waist Beads, Headbands and Snacks & Beverages. From that, she learned valuable skills that she still uses today! Her passion for entrepreneurship is something that she takes pride in.
2019 Swarm Starter Competition
We’ve got a whole new competition for Meliora Weekend 2019!
Learn more about the Ain Center’s newest challenge, Swarm Starter, here.
2019 Swarm Starter Competition
By Ain Center Staff
Are you ready to celebrate Meliora Weekend with the Ain Center? We’re hosting our first-ever Swarm Starter Competition on Saturday, October 5! This challenge will have the setup of ABC’s Shark Tank, with quick pitches and Q&A with our panel of distinguished judges.
The best part, though? The audience gets to decide who takes home the $20,000 cash prize! We’ll be sharing the voting info in real-time during the event, which you’ll also be able to watch via livestream video on our Facebook page.
Interested in learning more about the competition? Visit our Swarm Starter webpage – we’ll post the winner following the event!
