{"595238":{"#nid":"595238","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Supporting Students\u2019 Entrepreneurial Spirit","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe students believed their ideas could solve problems that people and businesses face every day. The question was how to transform their ideas into startups.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe answer is \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/startupsummer.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EStartup Launch\u003C\/a\u003E, a two-semester program to help teams of students form startups based on their ideas, inventions and prototypes. The program is part of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/create-x.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECREATE-X\u003C\/a\u003E, a Georgia Tech initiative to enhance and support entrepreneurship programs for undergraduate students\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 27 teams participating in this year\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/demoday.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EStartup Launch will demonstrate\u003C\/a\u003E their products and services Wednesday starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Fox Theatre.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECREATE-X has helped launch nearly 70 startups since 2014. Graduates have completed prestigious nationally recognized accelerators and incubators and have been recognized among the country\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2017\/01\/13\/georgia-tech-lands-seven-yellow-jackets-2017-forbes-30-under-30\u0022\u003Etop entrepreneurs under the age of 30\u003C\/a\u003E. These companies employ dozens of Georgians and hire Georgia Tech students as interns.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHere\u0026rsquo;s a look at four CREATE-X alumni.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFIXD\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen John Gattuso arrived at Georgia Tech his post-graduation goal was to work for a car manufacturer in Detroit. Instead he co-founded \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fixdapp.com\/\u0022\u003EFIXD\u003C\/a\u003E, a startup that allows drivers to better understand and maintain their vehicles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFIXD was part of the 2014 inaugural class of Startup Summer, which later became Startup Launch. Today the company has 23 employees and has sold more than 200,000 units this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It has been a wild ride,\u0026rdquo; said Gattuso, who graduated in 2015 with a degree in mechanical engineering. \u0026ldquo;I think when I was a freshman, my wildest dream was to pass Calc II.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe company\u0026rsquo;s other founders are Frederick Grimm, an industrial engineering major who graduated in 2014, and Julian Knight, who graduated in 2015 with a degree in electrical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBesides CREATE-X, the company went through VentureLab, the Institute\u0026rsquo;s technology commercialization incubator. FIXD is now part of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Advanced Technology Development Center (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/atdc.org\/\u0022\u003EATDC\u003C\/a\u003E), which is the state\u0026rsquo;s technology incubator.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe company\u0026rsquo;s distribution allows it to work with parts retailers and car dealerships to help drivers get needed parts and services.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFIXD includes a sensor that is plugged into a car\u0026rsquo;s diagnostic port. It relays problems to an app via Bluetooth. It provides a simple definition of what is wrong, explains the severity of the issue and warns of the consequences of driving without repairs. The device will also keep track of the vehicle\u0026rsquo;s diagnostics and let owners know when their car is due for maintenance.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGattuso said the company is still using the lessons it learned from CREATE-X. They are hoping to launch a new product and completing the customer discovery process.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFireHUD\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EZack Braun and Tyler Sisk weren\u0026rsquo;t looking to launch a startup when they signed up for CREATE-X. The two friends just wanted to develop their idea to help keep firefighters safe.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey signed up for Idea 2 Prototype, which is part of CREATE-X. The for-credit class provides students with up to $1,500 and mentorship to transform their idea into a working prototype.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey developed \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.firehud.co\/\u0022\u003EFireHUD\u003C\/a\u003E, a real-time wearable system and heads up display that provides biometric and environmental data to firefighters on the job and officials on site. The device measure heart rate, body temperature and external temperatures that can help predict fatigue and prevent injuries.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe class led them to 2016\u0026rsquo;s Startup Summer. They\u0026rsquo;ll graduate in December and are currently running the company out of Sisk\u0026rsquo;s basement.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBraun, a computer engineering major, and Sisk, an electrical engineering major, brought on board Chris Ward, who earned an MBA from Georgia Tech. They are finalizing a first production run of 30 units and will conduct pilot tests at four metro Atlanta fire departments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore launching the startup, Braun and Sisk entered the 2016 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inventureprize.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInVenture Prize\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s annual innovation competition for undergraduate students. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2016\/03\/17\/firehud-wins-2016-inventure-prize\u0022\u003EFireHUD won first place\u003C\/a\u003E and $20,000.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat exposure has led other Georgia Tech students to ask them if it\u0026rsquo;s worth signing up for CREATE-X over other classes, clubs or internships.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We tell them that it is because the chance to bring their ideas into the world and truly leave their mark is an incredible opportunity,\u0026rdquo; Braun said. \u0026ldquo;Anyone can do CREATE-X -- all they need is an idea.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETEQ Charging\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDorrier Coleman and Isaac Wittenstein solved a main source of frustration for drivers of electric vehicles. Their startup, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.teqcharging.com\/\u0022\u003ETEQ Charging\u003C\/a\u003E, makes charging easier by allowing multiple drivers to plug their cars into a charging queue.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe company connects electric vehicle charging stations to the cloud at low cost. This allows for affordability and profitability for property owners and guarantees availability of charging stations for drivers. Seven hotels in Florida and Georgia are piloting the product.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EColeman, a computer engineering major who graduated in 2015, and Wittenstein, a mechanical engineering major who graduated in August, completed Startup Summer in 2015.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;CREATE-X introduced us to the world of startups and a new path that wasn\u0026rsquo;t on our radar at Georgia Tech,\u0026rdquo; Wittenstein said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe company\u0026rsquo;s name is short for The Electric Queue and pays tribute to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EToday the company is part of ATDC and has three full-time employees and three Georgia Tech interns.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EColeman and Wittenstein also completed the Techstars IoT (Internet of Things) Accelerator in New York City.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWittenstein said there are a few lessons from CREATE-X the company still follows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Never be afraid to ask others for help,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Always be open to advice and input from others, but know that you ultimately have to make the final decision. And continually listen to your customers and what their needs are.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGimme Vending \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGimme Vending has come a long way since 2014\u0026rsquo;s Startup Summer program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn just three years, the company has become a funded startup with 10 employees. More than 10,000 vending machines use the company\u0026rsquo;s products and thousands more are in the process of coming online, said Cory Hewett, CEO and one of the company\u0026rsquo;s founders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gimmevending.co\u0022\u003EGimme Vending\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;builds hardware and software mobility tools that allows companies to easily monitor the status of their cash and inventory in real-time. The company\u0026rsquo;s technology replaces cumbersome handheld devices and allows for better unattended retail management.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHewett, an electrical engineering major, left Georgia Tech in 2014 to focus on the company full-time. Evan Jarecki, the company\u0026rsquo;s chief technology officer, graduated in 2014 with a degree in electrical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELarger vending companies have noticed Gimme and formed partnerships to work with the young startup.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn March, Gimme partnered with Cantaloupe Systems, the vending industry\u0026rsquo;s premier provider of cloud-based mobile technologies. And in April the company announced an alliance agreement with USA Technologies, a payment technology provider of cashless and mobile transactions in self-serve retail.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHewett said one key lesson from CREATE-X still resonates with the company today.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;GOOTB \u0026ndash; \u0026lsquo;get out of the building\u0026rsquo; \u0026ndash; and talk to real people to find out their pains before you start building anything,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s trendy to say \u0026lsquo;customer discovery\u0026rsquo; but that really means getting outside of your normal area, your normal social group, to challenge your understanding of the problem and learn what real people really think.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has helped launch nearly 70 student startups since 2014 through CREATE-X programs. These companies employ dozens of Georgians and hire Georgia Tech students as interns.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech has helped launch nearly 70 student startups since 2014 through CREATE-X programs. 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