A Spark of Curiosity

In 2017, faculty conversations began circulating about a new kind of capstone experience, one driven by student discovery and entrepreneurial thinking rather than predetermined client requirements. The idea intrigued Omojokun.

“I remember thinking, this is really different from anything I’ve ever taught,” he said.

In his previous courses, Omojokun took pride in providing the structured, rigorous framework students needed to master complex concepts. While those interactions were dynamic, the curriculum required a specific, focused trajectory. CREATE-X offered a different kind of challenge: the "X" of the program, representing undefined, endless potential.

“CREATE-X is full of unknowns. You don’t know what industry the students are diving into, what roadblocks they’ll run into and navigate out of, or what small- to large-scale successes they’ll achieve throughout the semester. It really had my blood pumping,” he said. As someone who loves the challenge of academia, it was an invigorating way to help the next generation apply what they’ve learned in a new context.

Omojokun co-taught the first CREATE-X Capstone section with College of Computing students in fall 2018 alongside Craig Forest, associate director of the Invention Studio. While the initial computer science cohort was small, the experience was immediately powerful.

“It was humble beginnings but deeply eye-opening,” he said.

In this new environment, students weren't just solving problems; they were seeking them and sometimes pivoting. Traditional client-driven capstones offer students invaluable experiences in delivering high-quality products, responding to clients’ often evolving needs, and adhering to professional standards. CREATE-X added a layer of venture-validation, requiring students to identify a gap in the market and build something with commercial viability.

As the semesters continued, CREATE-X grew from a program with an interesting capstone course Omojokun enthusiastically co-taught to a professional inflection point for him. He found himself talking about it frequently, with colleagues, with students, even with prospective undergraduates who may not see a capstone for years.

He began encouraging prospective and incoming students to take CREATE-X pathways. 

“I would tell students, down to first-year students, when you get that opportunity to engage with CREATE-X, take it. You don’t even have to wait until capstone, as there are multiple pathways; in fact, Startup Lab has no prerequisites. Whatever path you take, you’ll remember it for years to come. Whether you officially take a problem solution to market or not, the entrepreneurial confidence gained is priceless.”

Spreading CREATE-X Into the College of Computing

By 2020, when the first Jim Pope Faculty Fellowship cohort opened, applying felt natural. He had already become an unofficial ambassador for CREATE-X, helping students navigate options, promoting programs in classes, and rallying colleagues to engage.

“It was an opportunity to become more connected to this thing that I felt was changing the game on campus,” he said. “It cemented my affiliation with CREATE-X.”

The fellowship gave name and weight to the work he was already doing, while also expanding what was possible.

The Jim Pope Faculty Fellowship provides faculty with $15,000 in discretionary funding, which can support a one-semester break from teaching, along with structured training in evidence‑based entrepreneurship, dedicated mentorship, and the opportunity to work closely with students launching startups.

The fellowship also equips faculty to become entrepreneurial instructors and mentors through the CREATE‑X ecosystem, giving them tools to integrate entrepreneurship into their coursework and curricula. Each cohort of fellows is trained to embed entrepreneurial methods, develop new innovation‑focused assignments, and serve as advisors within programs like Startup Lab, Idea‑to‑Prototype, and Startup Launch.

For faculty across Georgia Tech, the fellowship offers something rare: institutional backing, resources, and formal recognition for bringing entrepreneurship into their teaching and shaping how students learn to become problem‑solvers.

Omojokun said he sees CREATE-X as the apex of applying technical fundamentals. 

As part of the fellowship, Omojokun brought the program’s ethos into his courses, even a foundational course like CS 1331: Introduction to Object Oriented Programming, where he created a CREATE-X–branded final project. Students built a “problem database” application as their final homework assignment, cataloging real issues they encountered in daily life, assessing their skills to solve them, evaluating markets and metrics, and then deciding potential pathways forward.

“It’s an innovation diary,” he said. “A tool that can get them closer to thinking like a founder.”

The response from students, including many non-computing majors who take his section each semester, has been overwhelmingly positive. While the project is challenging, the open-ended nature and real-world relevance motivate deeper engagement. 

“When students believe their work will solve a meaningful problem for a meaningful population, they bring passion to it,” he said. “They start observing the world differently.”

The more Omojokun saw, the deeper his enthusiasm grew.

Shaping the College of Computing

Even as he stepped into the role of inaugural chair of the School of Computing Instruction in 2022, CREATE-X remained at the forefront of Omojokun’s conversations. Interest in the program continued to grow significantly. Students stopped him in the hallways to talk about their ideas. Faculty reached out to ask about mentorship opportunities. And he continued championing the program in the many settings he entered.

“It turns out that the most engaged group of students in CREATE-X is computing undergraduates,” Omojokun said. “I wanted to make sure that high involvement continued, no matter what size we are,” he said.

Over time, Omojokun strengthened the partnership between the College of Computing and CREATE-X, weaving entrepreneurship deeper into the College's curricular fabric.

Last January, Omojokun was appointed as the associate dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Computing. One of his priorities was highlighting CREATE-X’s curricular impact. In coordination with key stakeholders — including Kelly Ann Fitzpatrick (computing), Craig Forest (mechanical engineering), and Raul Saxena (CREATE-X) — he nominated the program for the ABET Innovation Award.  The award honors programs that challenge the status quo in technical education and demonstrate a measurable impact on student learning in ABET-accredited disciplines, such as natural sciences, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. CREATE-X won.

The CREATE-X Advantage With Faculty 

When faculty are considering something like the Jim Pope Fellowship, Omojokun said the biggest barrier he hears about from them is time. With courses that can enroll 300 students per section and extensive responsibilities beyond the classroom, time is a scarce resource.
He could relate. 

“There are always lots of things on my physical and virtual desktop. I always warn people before they enter my office,” he said.

However, Omojokun argued that participating in the fellowship program was time well spent because it helps them rediscover the most exciting parts of teaching.

“It’s worth the time. One of the goals of teaching is to see students passionate about what they’re learning, and CREATE-X makes that happen consistently,” he said. 

The Future With Technology

As AI reshapes industries, Omojokun believes that CREATE-X equips students to navigate the unknown and forge new paths as existing ones shift, providing a versatile skill set that transfers to employment, potentially self-employment, and beyond. 

“There’s a lot of uncertainty with AI in the workspace, but CREATE-X gives students the confidence and skills to succeed at whatever comes,” he said. “We are putting students through this process of finding a problem that’s meaningful and matters to the world; mastering that allows them to lead in any environment.”

Applications Now Open: Become a Jim Pope Faculty Fellow

The 2026 Jim Pope Faculty Fellowship is now accepting applications. For faculty who want to explore integrating entrepreneurship into their teaching, mentoring student founders, and helping shape a culture of innovation across campus, this fellowship offers resources and a supported pathway to begin. Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply to the Jim Pope Fellowship. Priority deadline: July 1; final deadline: Aug. 11.
 

“It was frustrating, but it showed me how many people were being left out of the digital world,” Espinosa said. “In Colombia, only about two out of 10 people have a credit card. Cash is the main form of payment, but everything online requires digital access.”

That gap sparked the idea that would evolve into Loto Punto, a fintech startup building self-service kiosks to bridge the physical and digital worlds for unbanked communities. 

From a Single Problem to a Scalable Platform

Espinosa began his startup as an online platform for buying lottery tickets. He saw that customers didn’t trust the idea of a digital receipt because they were used to a printout, so he pivoted to a kiosk similar to the ones in U.S. grocery stores. Customers could walk up, insert cash, and print a lottery ticket instantly. 
“It worked, but it had a ceiling,” Espinosa said. “It only served people buying lottery tickets. We knew it wouldn’t scale.”

To address this, he expanded the kiosks to handle mobile phone top-ups, bill payments, and basic banking services. Then, in 2024, the company incorporated advanced technologies such as biometric recognition and blockchain. Stellar Blockchain, first a partner, later became an investor of the startup, which helped Loto Punto to enable low-cost, real-time digital transactions and remittances. 

Now, users can convert physical cash into digital value or withdraw cash from digital wallets through a single machine.

A Global Solo Founder

Espinosa is the sole founder of Loto Punto, supported now by a 10‑person team of highly specialized engineers, designers, and manufacturing experts. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in computer science at Georgia Tech while leading the company through its next chapter as part of the CREATE-X Startup Launch Spring 2026 cohort. 

Finding CREATE-X and Finding a Community

Espinosa learned about CREATE-X during his first semester at Georgia Tech. In 2024, CREATE-X widened its Startup Launch program to include a spring cohort to give founders, particularly graduating seniors, another chance to go all-in on developing their startup.

Espinosa admits he didn’t expect much when he first learned about the program.

“I didn’t know universities had programs like this. In Colombia, we don’t have accelerators embedded inside universities with venture support and dedicated staff,” he said. “So, I assumed CREATE X would be small, maybe one office helping a few students.”

What Espinosa found was different.

“They’re leveraging every resource that Georgia Tech offers. They can help with any challenge by tapping the doors of the network they already have established,“ he said. “It’s an ecosystem.”

As a part of the Startup Launch program, CREATE-X brings in founders from its ecosystem to speak to participants and give them actionable insights — founders who have raised funds, been acquired, and have had other successes as entrepreneurs. 

“That’s different,” Espinosa said. “They’ve brought successful founders who have walked the talk. It’s different to interact with somebody who was already successful in doing what you’re doing.”

Testing, Measuring, and Learning Through Startup Launch

Even as a remote participant, Espinosa has connected well with his mentor, who meets with him weekly, and his mini-batch. During the program, startup teams are grouped together. They share their strategies, successes, and struggles as they develop throughout the program. Teams have weekly sprints where they focus on one or two activities and then measure those activities, which Espinosa said is helpful for maintaining focus and actually executing on ideas.

“If you, as an entrepreneur, start thinking of the whole world of activities that you must do to get somewhere with your startup, you won’t start,” he said. “By creating attainable goals, step by step, that’s how it compounds to reach bigger goals. But, you have to begin with something.”
Teams are also encouraged to take calculated risks.

“CREATE-X gives us a safe environment to test ideas,” Espinosa said. “As an entrepreneur, it’s a lonely road, but having someone who has been in your shoes before, it makes you brave to try things.”

One of the first major tests he shared with the cohort was an ad campaign timed around the Super Bowl. In Startup Launch, Espinosa learned how to structure the experiment: defining KPIs, iterating audiences, and evaluating performance compared to industry benchmarks.

“We got around 45,000 views and above-average click-through rates,” he said. “But the biggest lesson was that brand awareness alone can’t be our only marketing strategy.”

Espinosa said his mentor helped open doors for him and kept him accountable, and the program itself kept him from being overwhelmed by all that a founder has to do.

“In Startup Launch, you see how different approaches fit different phases,” he said. “They’re creating a path to grow and execute on your goals as a founder.”

Why Now Is the Easiest Time to Build

Espinosa also emphasized that the tools to build and test ideas have never been more accessible.

“When I started, we didn’t have AI. You had to do everything by hand. It was harder, and it took more resources,” he said. “Right now, it’s a matter of prompting. In one hour, you can file for a grant. Before, it took at least a week to get your documents together.”

He said the ability to test quickly and learn has also become inexpensive.

“You don’t need millions of dollars to do this,” Espinosa said. “It's very cheap to fail, right? If that doesn't work, you can just try again in the morning.”

Above all, Espinosa encouraged budding founders to take advantage of the opportunities around them.

“As a founder, you must tap every door that you have available to you. You have to explore different paths,” he said. “Some of those are networking, some are physical space, some are interest. Get your hands on every single resource that comes your way.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of Payments

As he thinks about where the finance world is going, Espinosa said the payments industry is rapidly converging toward blockchain, stablecoins, and faster, frictionless user experiences.

“We’re seeing a lot of movement around stablecoins. We’re seeing resource flow from one country to another. We believe things are converging to leverage blockchain and driving down the cost of moving money,“ he said. “That’s how we see the future of our industry.”

Meet Loto Punto and the Spring Cohort at Startup Launch Showcase

Espinosa will travel to Atlanta for the first time in May to present Loto Punto at the CREATE-X Spring Startup Launch Showcase, where the public can meet founders and see their ventures firsthand. The event will be held in The Biltmore Ballrooms on Thursday, May 21, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The showcase will feature dozens of startups built by Georgia Tech students and alumni. Tickets are free but limited. Register for the showcase today to grab your spot.
 

Applying what she’d learned along the way, Sizer started Growth Impact to support startups and stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem. As a part of her business, she created partnerships and networks between the U.S. and South Africa, bridging the gap between startups and corporations to encourage co-creation and pilot projects. During this time, she saw how much early‑stage founders needed clear frameworks, honest guidance, and hands‑on support. 

“I started Growth Impact to support startups and stakeholders such as venture studios, investors, and accelerators. I support early-stage startups in finding product-market fit, customer understanding, go-to-market strategy, and business model development,” she said. “I also help startups with fundraising readiness and enterprise readiness. I support stakeholders by helping to assess viability, and de-risk new ventures, as well as connecting startups to enterprises.” 

Eventually, her work brought her in contact with Georgia Tech. She was working with a South African innovation lab to enable pilot projects between startups and enterprises with the goal of facilitating the co-creation of digital solutions, which led her to Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X. 

Sizer said she reached out to see if any potential CREATE-X startups or enterprises would want to connect to the companies she was working with in South Africa.

“Over the last few years, there's been quite a lot of interest in Georgia Tech and Atlanta in terms of a tech and innovation hub in the U.S., and there's a lot of investment happening too, in both the city of Atlanta and in Georgia Tech, in entrepreneurship and innovation and technology,” she said. “I think it's an interesting market.”

Once connected, she kept meeting Georgia Tech founders, many from CREATE‑X.

Quietly, she began helping where she could, making introductions for CREATE-X founders outside of Atlanta. For Augment Health, she made investor and potential partner introductions. For the founder of Strapt, she made introductions to investors, shared market insight, and highlighted the company in her own newsletter, which has an audience of innovation ecosystem stakeholders, including more investors. And for ZenVR, she made a connection to WeFunder for funding, which resulted in $250,000 raised.  

Collaborating with CREATE-X on a webinar, Sizer also taught Startup Launch alumni about customer understanding and segmentation, value proposition, and other topics for health and wellness founders. Beyond connecting, Sizer shaped mindsets. 

In her business, one founder she worked with was building non‑toxic performance apparel for women — a product selling through Amazon, REI, and even the U.S. military. The founder had ambition but struggled to balance DTC (direct to consumer) sales, retail, and B2B opportunities. Sizer helped her analyze her data, identify her real early adopters, and rebuild her value proposition and messaging. With a clearer customer understanding and stronger brand direction, the founder revamped her website and refined her pitch.

“I love that thrill of them being excited about implementing some of the ideas and things we talk about, seeing the growth in their business, and the positive change in their business. That really excites me,” she said.

Atlanta is an enterprise-heavy city with Fortune 500 companies, SaaS (Software as a Service) companies, and a growing biotech sector. The startup ecosystem is growing in Atlanta, and with that comes advantages. 

“I have noticed that there's a lot of strong support for Atlanta and Georgia entrepreneurs from other Atlanta and Georgia entrepreneurs,” she said. “They all support each other.”

Over the years, Sizer has advised or mentored over 100 startups and built investor connections.  

“My business is Growth Impact, because growth and impact are part of my core values. I'm glad to give back and support early entrepreneurs, sharing knowledge, tools, and resources,” she said.

As a founder, Sizer went through her own learning curve. When she first launched her company, she assumed her target customers would be venture capital firms and spent months talking to pre‑seed and seed investors, only to discover that VCs either didn’t fund the kind of operational support she offered or they expected founders to pay for it themselves. Meanwhile, the founders she spoke with said they needed her help but didn’t have the budget. She said it was a classic chicken‑and‑egg problem.

“I said, OK, this is not my target customer. The target customer is the startup,” she said. “That's where the pivot point was for me.”
That shift reshaped her entire business and reinforced the same advice she now gives students: Talk to customers, listen deeply, and don’t be afraid to adjust when the data points you in a new direction.

She officially joined the CREATE‑X mentor community last year to help more founders, guiding them in finding product-market fit, and understanding who needs this solution and why.

One thing Sizer emphasized, however, is the need for founders to continue to take initiative and be resilient in the face of challenges.
“A mentor can guide you or ask the right questions, but the founder has to find the path,” she said.

Ready to build something real?

Meet mentors like Alison Sizer in Startup Launch, where you can develop a startup to solve real-world problems and build entrepreneurial skills. Apply to Startup Launch today; applications close Tuesday, March 17.
Interested in mentoring?

Want to mentor and support the next generation of Georgia Tech founders?

Fill out our engagement form to join CREATE‑X’s mentor network. 

Co-founded by Daniel Forcade and Hanna Bodnar, recent graduates of Georgia Tech’s Master of Science in Analytics program, Politheon is designed to overcome the limitations of standard artificial intelligence in providing businesses and other organizations with accurate and actionable information about legislative activity.

Bodnar credits the team's collaboration with Associate Professor Omar Asensio’s Data Science and Policy Lab in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy for helping shape the platform.

"Collaborating with Professor Asensio’s lab was pivotal," Bodnar said. "As engineers, we had to expand our perspective beyond the technical implementation and deeply understand how public policy researchers and practitioners interpret legislative data. That interdisciplinary feedback helped us design a system that is both technically rigorous and policy-aware."

Forcade agreed, saying it took the combined resources of CREATE-X and the collaboration with Asensio’s lab to make Politheon what it is.

“CREATE-X gave us the business foundation to build and scale, while our collaboration with Professor Asensio’s lab helped us strengthen the scientific rigor behind the system. In policy, it's incredibly important to have testing, validation, and empirical grounding behind what you build.”

When it comes to understanding the potential impact of sometimes obliquely written legislation, precision and insight are vital. Publicly available large language models often struggle in these environments, sounding authoritative but often hallucinating in place of facts and failing to reason out the hidden impacts of legislation. Politheon, however, offers a potential solution, Asensio said.

"This is a very exciting use case for agentic AI in the context of evidence-informed policy," he said.

The project originally started as the final project for Bodnar and Forcade’s analytics program. Forcade said their instructors encouraged them to apply to CREATE-X to take the project further.

Forcade said CREATE-X liked the idea but asked them to talk to more experts. Forcade and Bodnar then reached out to Asensio.

Asensio was enthusiastic and invited them to present at his lab, where his team spent two and a half hours offering Forcade and Bodnar intensive constructive feedback. The duo has been collaborating with the lab ever since.

Asensio noted that this kind of cross-pollination is an embedded feature of his lab.

"We often start with data or policy solutions to guide technical development, and not the other way around," Asensio said. "This means our technologists learn to do causal inference and policy impact evaluation, and our policy scholars learn to code and train models and algorithms as part of their work."

That focus on critical evaluation aligns seamlessly with the founders' technical training.

"My background in mathematics and Georgia Tech’s Analytics program gave me a strong foundation in statistical modeling and machine learning systems," Bodnar said. "The program emphasizes not just building models but evaluating them rigorously. That mindset shaped how we designed Politheon, especially how we validate outputs and measure accuracy in a space where precision really matters."

The platform is already demonstrating its capabilities. Recent agent outputs include a large-scale scan of more than 25,000 Oregon bills, drawn from a broader searchable database of over 1.6 million state and federal bills, identifying emerging trends in artificial intelligence regulation. The system has also delivered validated, cross-jurisdictional analysis of “buy-now-pay-later” legislation in New York and Congress, with findings reviewed by senior government affairs professionals, tracing how the issue emerged and how it evolved over time.

The startup recently secured $100,000 in funding which helped build complete, and near real-time, data coverage across the federal government and  all U.S. states.

“The raise enabled us to bring in the live data stream,” Forcade said. “With real-time coverage in place, we’re now advancing pricing discussions and pilot rollouts with multiple organizations.”

Ultimately, the platform is designed to provide clarity amid the noise of modern governance.

"Policy moves quickly, and missing a compliance date or legislative shift can be costly," Bodnar said. "Our goal is to surface what’s relevant, explain why it matters, and provide clear citations to the original bills so teams can make informed decisions with confidence.”

That opportunity is here again. Applications for the 2026 Summer Startup Launch cohort are now open.

If you’ve identified a meaningful problem, have begun talking to real users, or feel a pull to build something bigger than a class project, this is your moment. Startup Launch gives you the structure, support, and ecosystem to take your idea further than you ever thought possible.

A Launchpad With a Proven Track Record

In the past year alone, CREATE‑X founders have:

• Led their startup to successful acquisitions.
• Raised six-figure funding rounds.
• Gained acceptance into highly selective Y Combinator.
• Built products used by customers, communities, and companies across industries.

The ability to identify a problem, validate real user needs, build something that works, and communicate that value — that combination makes students stand out in a competitive job market. Employers notice it. Graduate programs notice it. And investors notice it.

This is why Startup Launch isn’t just a summer project.
It becomes a defining career asset.

What You Get in Startup Launch

Startup Launch is intentionally built to give students every advantage while they build their venture. This year, we’ve expanded support even further.

Participants receive:

• $200,000 in-kind services like accounting and cloud credits.
• Dedicated coaching and mentorship from experienced founders and startup experts.
• Exclusive workshops and founder-focused programming.
• Access to the CREATE-X network, a community of builders, investors, and potential customers.

You’ll spend the summer fully immersed in your startup, surrounded by peers also tackling ambitious problems.

And you’ll leave with something real to show for it.

Applications for the Summer 2026 cohort close March 17. Apply to Startup Launch today.

The showcase featured a diverse mix of innovators: Startup Launch alumni, returning I2P students refining earlier concepts, and first-time participants stepping into the entrepreneurial arena.

Top Three Teams

First Place: Gorginea Care

• Shalom Ejiwunmi – Applied Biotechnology, Fourth-Year, University of Georgia
• Rakeb Tesfassellasie – Industrial and Systems Engineering, Third-Year, Georgia Tech
• Sophia Bereket – Mechanical Engineering, Fourth-Year, Kennesaw State University

A cross-institutional team from Georgia Tech, UGA, and Kennesaw State introduced an at-home cervical cancer screening kit, designed to give women privacy and control over their health.

Taking the Leap

Team Gorginea Care started their journey at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College, where they participated in the MESA program (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) — a dedicated study and research space located on Perimeter College’s Clarkston campus. The team was sparked by a simple question: Why isn’t there a better way to test for cervical cancer? The founders were planning on getting pap smears themselves, but they had heard about painful experiences from other women.

“We were hesitant to go through the process since it seemed uncomfortable,” Tesfassellasie said.

So, Tesfassellasie, Bereket, and Ejiwunmi decided to consider alternatives to the plastic speculum used during standard exams and develop a tampon-like device.

“It's just giving women a choice basically to be able to take the samples and solve without having to be so vulnerable and uncomfortable,” Tesfassellasie said.

The team joined the summer I2P and continued to develop their prototype in the fall semester course. Bereket said CREATE-X gave them resources and space without taking ownership.

“The point of us being engineers is to make a difference in the world,” Tesfassellasie said. “CREATE-X gives you the chance to do that, and they don't take any intellectual property. You might be really passionate about whatever you're majoring in, but this is where you can start implementing what you learn in classes in real-life projects. CREATE-X is allowing you to do this without limiting you by Schools or where you're coming from.”

Initially, the team hesitated to enter the InVenture Prize competition, worried they weren’t ready.

“We thought we could work on more things and find more ways to improve,” Bereket said. “We can give ourselves a year. By next year, maybe we'll be ready to do Inventure Prize.”

But I2P changed that. Bereket said she was shocked by the win, as the team had thought they’d try Startup Launch first.

“Now it's the other way around,” she said. “We're excited to be part of the InVenture Prize, and we're going to see how everything works out as well.”

“If you have an idea, or even if you don't have an idea but you feel very strongly about working on something, go to showcases like this and talk to teams and professors. Half the time, teams are looking for somebody to help,” Ejiwunmi said.

Additional winning teams include:

Second Place: PedalSwap

• Wylam DeSimone – Electrical Engineering, Third-Year
• Zephyr Smith –Music Technology, Third-Year

This team reimagined guitar effects pedals by creating one main pedal case with interchangeable magnetic parts, reducing cost and increasing flexibility for musicians looking to experiment with new sounds.

Third Place: Matareal

• Lily Chisholm – Computer Science (Media and Systems), Fourth-Year
• Nicholas Castles – Mechanical Engineering, Fourth-Year
• Megan Liu – Industrial and Systems Engineering, Second-Year
• Gloria Goudjinou – Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity), Second-Year

Tackling inefficiencies in mural painting, Matareal developed a paint estimation tool that cuts planning time from two days to two minutes, saving artists thousands of dollars in wasted materials.

What the Winners Take Home

Beyond recognition, winners earn a golden ticket into CREATE-X Startup Launch, Georgia Tech’s summer accelerator program. This includes:

• Priority admission to Startup Launch.
• $5,000 in optional seed funding.
• Access to $200,000 in in-kind services, including legal and accounting credits.
• Mentorship from faculty and industry experts.
• Visibility from Demo Day.
• Automatic advancement to the InVenture Prize semifinals.

Registration for Spring 2026 I2P is open. Whether you have a fully formed idea or just a spark, I2P offers a $500 reimbursement, mentorship, and research credit to support you in making your ideas real.

Greptile, founded by three current and former Georgia Tech students, has quickly emerged as one of Silicon Valley’s most promising young technology companies. The startup, led by Daksh Gupta, CS 2023; Soohoon Choi, CS 2023, MTH 2023; and computer science major Vaishant Kameswaran, builds artificial intelligence tools that help engineering teams review, analyze, and improve their code. 

A mobile fishing app created by Georgia Tech graduate Matthew Steele, CS 2025, has become an international success story, reaching the top of App Store charts in multiple countries before being acquired earlier this year. 

For hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs, including Raghav Balasubramaniam, founder and CEO of Overcast, and Shreyas Mavanoor, co-founder of Cortexa Labs, the gift helped turn ideas into action.      

"The incorporation gift genuinely shaped the future of my company," said Balasubramaniam, who graduated in the spring with a master’s in computer science. "It allowed me to formalize Overcast at a time when it was just an idea on paper, and that legitimacy changed our trajectory for the better. The network that comes with this opportunity played an equally important role, giving me the space, mentorship, and push I needed to learn quickly, refine the product, and accelerate the company in a matter of months."    

Now, Klaus’ offer, which includes access to GT Spark — a curated, community-driven experience with workshops, hands-on support, and mentorship from experienced founders and operators — will be extended to this semester's Georgia Tech graduates.   

Mavanoor, who graduated with a master’s degree in cybersecurity, and his co-founder viewed the gift as a "chance to supercharge" their startup's ability to engage with customers and potential investors, as well as a commitment to creating a collaborative and vibrant startup culture in Atlanta.    

A Boston Consulting Group study found that increasing the number of local startups and graduate retention are key components of the city's goal to become a top-five U.S. tech hub.   

"This type of support for graduates signals that they're serious about fostering a strong startup ecosystem within the Atlanta area and retaining the talent that graduates from Tech," Mavanoor said.    

As the leader of Fusen, a startup accelerator that connects students with founders, mentors, investors, and early-stage funding to launch new ventures, Klaus remains a driving force behind Atlanta’s technology sector growth. His philanthropic support helped establish CREATE-X, Tech’s flagship entrepreneurship program, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024 and has launched more than 500 student startups. This gift is made in memory of Klaus' son, Will, a fellow Yellow Jacket who was passionate about technology, startups, and helping others get started.    

"Take the leap," Balasubramaniam advises this semester’s graduates who will benefit from Klaus’ philanthropy. "Incorporating provides a legitimate structure to what would otherwise just be a whiteboard idea. The earlier you start, the more time you have to iterate, make mistakes, and discover what the company should become. The risk may seem large at first, but the upside of starting now outweighs it.”     

Mavanoor offered similar advice, telling graduates not to let uncertainty stop them from taking advantage of joining the GT Spark community.    

“Make use of it, because if not now, then when? I wouldn't worry about trying to solve every problem before incorporating because there is so much to learn when starting a business, and this is a great advantage to join this professional network that can help you along the way," he said.      

The priority deadline to apply for the gift is Dec. 19, and the final deadline is Jan. 13, 2026. For more information on the application, click here. 

Alade’s interest in computing began at Elite Scholars Academy, a magnet high school in Clayton County, Georgia, where she used Scratch to create an asteroid-avoidance game in her AP Computer Science Principles course.  

“Even though it was simple, figuring out the logic for randomness and movement was challenging for someone brand-new to programming. Building that game opened my eyes to what programming could do and sparked my curiosity about storytelling and building interactive things,” she said. 

At Georgia Tech, Alade embraced opportunities to explore research, entrepreneurship, and internships. Serving as a teaching assistant (TA) for the School of Computing Instruction shaped her problem-solving approach.  

“The better I understand the topics, the better I can explain them in ways that are simple and clear for beginners. Even though the course material stayed the same, I learned something new each semester,” she said. 

Alade emphasizes that the community she found in the College of Computing shaped much of her growth at Tech. She said the people she met as a TA and the broader College community “played a major role in helping me grow and enjoy my experience at Tech.” 

Her experience outside the classroom was just as formative. Internships at Reddit, JP Morgan, Verizon, and General Motors exposed her to machine learning, user experience, interface design, and global IT projects. Those roles, she said, taught her the importance of asking questions, seeking guidance, and adapting quickly to new technologies. 

Entrepreneurship became another key thread in her time at Tech. Through the CREATE-X program, Alade and her co-founders launched Sensible, a Chrome extension that helps users make more sustainable online shopping choices.  

“I was lucky enough to be part of the CREATE-X program at Tech and turned my junior design project into a real startup,” she said. 

“Going from idea to prototype to launch in a single school year, placing second at Demo Day, and gaining users internationally all reinforced my belief in our product and in myself as a founder. 

“My co-founders also helped me get through the rigor of Tech, build my confidence as an engineer, and flourish as a person.” 

Looking ahead, Alade will continue her master’s degree while interning at Datadog in New York City this spring. She then plans to join Bloomberg full-time and continue growing Sensible through the CREATE-X Startup Launch program. 

Reflecting on her time at Tech, Alade emphasizes the importance of community and mentorship. One person who has been particularly influential is School of Computing Instruction Interim Chair Mary Hudachek-Buswell. Alade TA’d for five semesters for Hudachek-Buswell’s CS 1332 Data Structures and Algorithms. 

“I've truly appreciated all of her work, effort, and commitment to us as TAs and the life she's breathed into me as a person,” Alade said. 

She also offers advice to current students, highlighting the value of mastering foundational concepts.  

“Practice is what makes perfect. Rewrite the algorithms, understand their steps, and know why their runtimes behave the way they do. It will make the rest of your time at Tech and in the workforce so much easier,” she said. 

Beyond academics, Alade encourages students to build relationships and take advantage of the Tech community. 

“Go to office hours, ask questions, and build connections. The confidence and support you gain will carry you far academically and professionally,” she said. 

Tech College of Engineering alumni Chad Pozarycki, Ph.D., CHBE, 2022, and José Andrade, AE, 2025, are on a mission to make biochemical monitoring more accessible — with a focus on preventing disease. Today, their startup Deleon, using NASA’s technology (originally designed to search for life on Mars) and metabolomics, provides a system that uses daily urine sampling to track metabolites related to overtraining, stress, and recovery. Future applications will be aimed at early disease detection.

“Something that frustrated me about metabolomics was its lack of focus on preventive care,” said Andrade. “We created Deleon by combining these ideas and tracking the human metabolome to optimize for healthy lifestyles.”

The Deleon founders began the company shortly after Pozarycki completed his graduate studies at Georgia Tech, with Andrade moonlighting and Pozarycki working a part-time job at Georgia Tech’s bike shop to keep the project afloat. In the beginning, funding was a major challenge. 

“I finished my Ph.D., was working on Deleon, and didn’t have any income. CREATE-X gave us $5,000 in funding, which motivated us to keep going on this project,” said Pozarycki.

CREATE-X, Georgia Tech’s campus-wide initiative to instill entrepreneurial confidence and help students launch startups, provided more than funding. Through the program, Deleon received guidance on finding potential customers. 

“The one-on-one advice from expert CREATE-X entrepreneurs and organizers like Rahul [CREATE-X director] and Margaret [LAUNCH associate director] was super valuable and helped us focus on launching our minimum viable product and getting our first customers,” said Andrade.

The program’s culminating event, Demo Day, gave Deleon a platform to present to investors and the public. Among dozens of student-led startups, Deleon’s data-driven approach attracted strong interest. The exposure led to an eventual $850,000 investment, partially funded by Georgia Tech's early-stage fund, GTF Ventures. This investment allowed the founders to work full-time on the company, hire a team, and build a lab space.

“I would recommend the CREATE-X program to anyone,” Pozarycki said. “Even if you don’t think you want to start a company, there’s a lot you can learn about commercialization in this program that may change your mind and give you more control over your own fate.”

Deleon’s path from concept to launch highlights the growing role of Georgia Tech’s entrepreneurial ecosystem in supporting student innovation. Programs like CREATE-X not only help students build companies but also contribute to regional economic growth by keeping talent and investment in the Southeast.

“CREATE-X is the best environment on campus to learn by doing,” Pozarycki said. “You are encouraged to build something real, not just talk about it. You’ll leave knowing how to talk to customers, how to pitch, and how to think like a founder.”

Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

Students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X’s Startup Launch. The early admission deadline to apply for Startup Launch is Nov. 17. Spots are limited. Apply now for a higher chance of acceptance and early feedback.

The event marks the culmination of the semester-long I2P course, where undergraduate students develop functional prototypes aimed at solving real-world problems. Prototypes this semester include a smart military drone, a gentler device for cervical cancer screening, a rotating espresso station, tools to keep AI safe, compact data centers, systems that simulate cyberattacks to help companies strengthen their defenses, and many more. 

The showcase is free and open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community. 

Winning teams will receive prizes and a “golden ticket” into CREATE-X’s Startup Launch, a summer accelerator that provides optional seed funding, accounting and legal service credits, mentorship, and more to help students turn their prototypes into viable startups.

This is a free event, and refreshments will be provided. Register for the Fall 2025 I2P Showcase today!

At Demo Day, founders bring solutions that tackle some of today’s most urgent challenges across industries. Expect to see startups tackling global challenges with bold new solutions, such as: providing mRNA therapies that could transform vaccine access, using ultra-efficient AI chips that run on a fraction of the power, and building innovative inspection tools that are already helping companies like Tesla catch defects in seconds. Demo Day provides attendees an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with new products, meet the founders behind them, and experience the momentum of a startup ecosystem in full swing.

Donnie Beamer, the City of Atlanta’s senior technology advisor, attended the last Demo Day and spoke about moments that impressed him most.

“The founders of NeuroChamp had a headband that reads brainwaves. It makes me call into question what I was doing in college!” Beamer said.

Founders showcasing at Demo Day have spent 12 weeks working on their startups during the CREATE-X accelerator, Startup Launch.

“Every founder in that room will have spent the summer chasing the right problem and building a solution to solve it,” Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X, said. “Demo Day is proof that entrepreneurship can be taught and developed, from ideation to customer discovery.”

Beamer said that the program pushes people to be creative.

 “Georgia Tech is a safe place to try and fail and innovate, which is invaluable. Instead of just telling students to do X and expecting them to execute on it, CREATE-X allows for creativity and discovery,” Beamer said. “That can be transformative for students, the Institute, and the city of Atlanta.” 

Unlike other startup exhibitions, there are no on-stage pitches — just direct connection in a casual, interactive format. Attendees and investors can test the tech out themselves. Past Demo Days have led to venture funding, strategic partnerships, media coverage, and more. It’s an energetic atmosphere with the exchange of ideas, an opening of doors, and a community building the future together. 

“There are a few kinds of naysayers; for example, some who think Atlanta doesn’t have much entrepreneurial activity and others who feel isolated from communities like this one,” Beamer said. “Demo Day lets them look behind the curtain and see the vibrant, innovative ecosystem that they can be a part of in our city as we look to become a top-five tech hub in the nation. Georgia Tech is a huge part of that.” 

Register for Demo Day today! The future is waiting for you to discover it.

When McCallum learned about the Jim Pope Fellowship, he saw it as a tremendous opportunity. “Biomedical engineering research has so much potential to be translated into products and solutions that tackle unmet clinical needs, that could be shaped to enhance society in general,” he says. “It’s a collaboration between biology, medicine, and engineering. The Pope Fellowship is a unique opportunity to explore new projects dedicated to entrepreneurship.” 

McCallum is one of five faculty members to receive the Jim Pope Fellowship, which supports faculty in becoming entrepreneurial instructors and mentors in CREATE-X. He hopes to leverage this fellowship to instill entrepreneurial confidence in biomedical engineering graduate students and faculty and help them translate their research into IP and healthcare-focused products to be used in and out of the clinic.

Since being named a fellow, McCallum has applied the funding to attend conferences to learn more about new methods for teaching commercialization and entrepreneurship, develop programming to enhance the student experience, increase student understanding and interest in entrepreneurship, and explore creative new projects he has envisioned while at Georgia Tech.

Establishing a New Commercialization Course

Beginning in the fall, he will teach a new course, Fundamentals of Biotechnology Commercialization, targeting BME graduate students. McCallum developed the curriculum, which begins with an overview of technology commercialization and the commercialization process, followed by modules on IP — how to protect one’s inventions; financing, with a focus on early-stage commercialization funding opportunities; and choosing a commercialization path.

“In the second part of the course, students will simulate a patent filing,” says McCallum. “It’s a really important step in the commercialization process. In future iterations of the course, I would love to have students file real disclosures and provisional patent applications with our Tech Transfer Office and have a licensing associate talk to them about managing the IP.”

BME Innovations Pivotal to Georgia Tech’s IP Ecosystem

McCallum sees Georgia Tech BME researchers as an important driver of innovation, and the Institute’s patent track record reflects their critical role: More than 21% of U.S.-issued patents to Georgia Tech have at least one BME inventor listed, according to the Office of Commercialization. 

In the past year, he has already seen the value of infusing an entrepreneurial spirit into his curriculum. Annabelle Singer (BME) and Levi Wood (ME) were mentored by McCallum while they were developing an audiovisual device to help stimulate brain activity in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. Through this mentorship, Singer and Wood recognized possible use cases and commercialization pathways for their technology.

“Their device has potential applications in a wide range of other neurological conditions — to lessen the impact of these disorders on people in their everyday life,” says McCallum, adding, “I’m excited about Georgia Tech and Emory’s commitment to developing programs to enhance neuroscience and neural engineering research. There’s so much potential in that space, especially for being able to significantly impact diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease, as well as strokes and epilepsy. We are moving in the right direction with being able to improve the efficacy of the modalities to diagnose and treat these conditions.”

According to McCallum, his close connection to CREATE-X has given him a unique opportunity to see the impact of the program on the entrepreneurial endeavors of students and even faculty members. 

“Previous fellows have been very successful with developing new educational programs and courses, as well as creating new spaces to spawn innovation, to instill entrepreneurial confidence in undergraduate students, and I want to use those successes as inspiration to make an impact on graduate student entrepreneurial confidence in BME, with much more to come,” he said.

As one of President Ángel Cabrera's four Big Bets, the drive for entrepreneurial education and opportunities has accelerated at Georgia Tech. In 2023, over a third of all Georgia Tech applicants selected entrepreneurship as an interest. Pope Fellows have a unique opportunity to help students tap into entrepreneurial pathways with CREATE-X, access an abundance of resources, and solve real-world problems. For faculty interested in joining, applications are open for the 2025 Jim Pope Fellowship until Sept. 2. For more information, visit https://create-x.gatech.edu/faculty/jim-pope-fellowship.

In 2012, Washington, a seasoned construction veteran with 25 years of expertise and a master’s degree in building construction from Georgia Tech, noticed a shortage of project managers. She oversaw capital improvements and construction buildouts nationally and was consistently getting asked by clients to oversee the construction buildouts. This would spark the idea to start her business and launch Cancave Management & Engineering. 

Over the next decade, Washington built a successful company and yet she continued to see this recurring shortage of project managers. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction sector still grapples with a significant talent shortage that extends beyond the skilled trades to include construction management positions, with a projected need for nearly half a million additional workers in 2025 alone.

“We have fewer people entering the industry. With the pandemic, we had a great exodus where a lot of people decided to get out of the industry and retire early, and then you have the emerging housing market and infrastructure needs, creating demand for construction in general — the perfect storm,” Washington said.

Determined to find more ways to address the problem, she joined Georgia Tech’s School of Building Construction as a part-time instructor and, in 2024, began pursuing her Ph.D. at Tech, where she learned about the Jim Pope Fellowship.

“Being a Pope Fellow has been transformational to my experience as an entrepreneur,” Washington said. “When I started my company, I wish I had something like this. Through this fellowship, I was able to dig deeper into my idea, validate assumptions, and shape it into a solution that addresses the pain points of labor shortages and compliance bottlenecks in the underutilization or over-utilization of resources.” 

As a fellow, Washington was also awarded $15,000 in discretionary funds to support her teaching and entrepreneurial efforts. With the resources from Jim Pope, Washington has been able to make meaningful impacts for students and her company. 

Over the last year, she has worked on the next evolution of her business by building Extend the Ladder®,  a workforce resource and compliance platform built around an industrywide shared resource model for construction professionals. One application of her platform would allow general contractors to share resources by enabling them to find and coordinate talent from a single database.

In addition to helping her pursue a construction job-matching platform, the fellowship has reinforced her love of teaching and mentoring entrepreneurial-minded students. As a part of the fellowship, Washington taught CREATE-X’s Startup Lab, which teaches the fundamentals of evidence-based entrepreneurship.

One student, Vivianne Akerman, a rising junior in industrial engineering, became Washington’s mentee after her spring Startup Lab class. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, Akerman decided to continue her entrepreneurial journey in CREATE-X’s Idea-to-Prototype (I2P) course. She turned an idea into action with guidance from Washington, building a solution for a problem she identified during Startup Lab.

“Candace is an amazing mentor who pushes students to be their best selves,” said Akerman, who is developing a makeup platform designed “to make makeup practical and less overwhelming.” The platform will enable consumers to compare and review products and ultimately find what brands work best for them, given their skin type and desired look.

“I love how positive she is,” adds Akerman. “This is new for me — it’s very exciting but also very overwhelming. She helps me stay focused on my priorities and what’s most important.”

Washington emphasizes that there is no guidebook to becoming an entrepreneur; rather, the path must be discovered through conversations, relationship-building, and learning from the experiences of others.

“This experience deepened my appreciation for the spirit of entrepreneurship — it’s been invaluable for me,” she says. “I would tell anybody who's trying to start a business, you need to go through this process.”

Now, as a mentor herself, Washington credits her fellowship in CREATE-X for giving her the confidence and framework to help others. And she credits her path as a mentor and teacher of entrepreneurship to the home she’s found at Georgia Tech. 

Drawing from her own experiences, both the challenges and the triumphs, she offers a piece of advice that she believes aspiring entrepreneurs should carry with them. 

“Start now — you don’t need all the answers. Focus on the process, stay committed, and be open to real-world feedback.”

Applications are now open for the 2025 Jim Pope Fellowship until Sept. 2. Interested faculty can learn more at https://create-x.gatech.edu/faculty/jim-pope-fellowship.

CREATE-X was established to instill entrepreneurial confidence in Georgia Tech students and provide them with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to create their own future. From its humble beginnings with eight teams, the program has expanded to include three distinct branches: Learn, Make, and Launch. These branches cater to the multifaceted needs of entrepreneurial students, offering courses, mentorship, seed funding, and opportunities to develop and launch startups.

Through our value pillars of experiential education, entrepreneurial confidence, and real-world impact, we strive to enable our students to solve the problems they are passionate about solving. And as we look to the future, CREATE-X aims to become the nation’s top startup campus, launching 300 startups each year. 

Our commitment to nurturing student innovation and expanding entrepreneurial education remains steadfast. We invite all Georgia Tech students, faculty, alumni, and the public to join us in this exciting journey. Together, we create the future.

Download our report.

Interested in creating your own startup?

Georgia Tech students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X’s Startup Launch. The program provides $5,000 in optional seed funding, $150,000 in in-kind services, mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops, networking events, and resources to help build and scale startups. The program culminates in Demo Day, where teams present their startups to potential investors. The deadline to apply for Startup Launch is March 19, 2025. Spots are limited. Apply now for a higher chance of acceptance and early feedback. 

For students interested in taking a CREATE-X course, consider exploring Startup Lab, Idea to Prototype, and CREATE-X Capstone Design. These courses can be taken in any order to fit your schedule, and they offer opportunities for funding and other resources. The deadline for applications and registrations for these courses is Jan. 6 for Spring 2025 and May 12 for Summer 2025. 

And as always, we invite you to attend our CREATE-X events. CREATE-X hosts workshops and events throughout the year, focusing on brainstorming and receiving feedback on startup ideas, networking and building a team, understanding the legal landscapes of startups, hearing founder insights, and witnessing the latest innovations at Georgia Tech. We hope to see you there.

Interested in supporting CREATE-X?

Faculty members interested in getting involved with CREATE-X can participate as teachers or mentors in various programs such as Startup Lab, CREATE-X Capstone, Idea to Prototype, and Startup Launch. Faculty can also apply for the next cohort of the Jim Pope Fellowship when it opens in the spring. For additional information or inquiries, contact the director of CREATE-X, Rahul Saxena, at rahulsaxena@gatech.edu.

For those interested in donating to or partnering with CREATE-X, your generosity and collaboration is greatly appreciated. Donations to CREATE-X can be made through Georgia Tech’s Give Campus portal. For questions and requests to collaborate, please email create-x@groups.gatech.edu.

CREATE-X appreciates the unwavering support from our community, donors, and partners. Your contributions have been instrumental in shaping the entrepreneurial landscape at Georgia Tech. 

To our students, we encourage you to continue being bold, creative, and fearless in your pursuits. CREATE-X is here to support you every step of the way, providing the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to turn your ideas into reality. 

This year’s cohort spans a wide range of industries, including artificial intelligence, defense, healthcare, gaming, sustainability, media management, agriculture tech, fashion tech, education, and more. 

“These founders are in the messy middle and that's a beautiful place to be. There’s a lot of freedom in that,” said Margaret Weniger, director of Startup Launch. “We’re all going to be in this together. It's a safe space to try new things. It’s OK if it doesn't work out because what we want founders to learn is an entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial spirit — something you take with you no matter what you do after this.”

Over the next 12 weeks, teams will validate ideas, build products, and acquire customers with the help of dedicated coaches, a robust founder community, and a network of mentors and alumni. 

Raghupathy "Siva" Sivakumar, Georgia Tech’s inaugural vice president of Commercialization and the faculty founder of CREATE-X, spoke about the core of CREATE-X and what it would take for founders to succeed.

“Startup Launch is not about Georgia Tech gaining from your success. We are here just for one reason, which is to make you successful,” he said. “You need to hold yourself accountable. You need to be ambitious in terms of how big a problem you solve. You need to be emphatic that the customer matters. The successful teams are 100% behind what's going to make the lives of customers easier and better.”

In 2014, CREATE-X was co-founded by Sivakumar, Steve McLaughlin(who is now the president of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art), and other Georgia Tech faculty, including Ray Vito, Craig Forest, and Ravi Bellamkonda (who is now the executive vice president and provost of The Ohio State University). The program received its initial major philanthropic support from Chris Klaus, a Georgia Tech alumnus and tech entrepreneur, whose gift helped launch the initiative, and , played a key role in building out the program's maker courses. Over the years, CREATE-X has continued to grow, thanks largely to the philanthropic support of alumni and foundations who believe in its mission.

In the last decade, the program has produced over 650 startups, $2.4 billion in portfolio valuation, and had eight founders named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30. Wagner shared stories of past teams who pivoted dramatically — from a glucose-monitoring pillow to a sobriety app now valued at over $350 million, and from a camping gear delivery service to a billion-dollar logistics platform. 

“We don’t know which ideas will become the next unicorns,” Weniger said. “But we’re betting on you.”

At the kickoff event, McLaughlin and Klaus were honored for their contributions to Georgia Tech’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. McLaughlin encouraged the founders through the story of CREATE-X.

“From the very beginning, we challenged CREATE-X to be a startup as well. To this day, CREATE-X has raised its own money to do this. It's a reminder of what it takes to make this happen,” he said. “This is the most difficult challenge you have ever taken. I think at the time, we were probably skeptical about whether students could do it. Now we know that you can.”

Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera reflected on the impact of McLaughlin, Klaus, and others who saw the vision of Georgia Tech being an entrepreneurial campus. 

“Ten years ago, this was a crazy, absurd idea,” he said. “Now, 150 teams are working on their own crazy ideas. Even though sometimes there's this idea of the entrepreneur as a loner, what you learn very quickly is entrepreneurship is a team sport.”

Klaus spoke about people collaborating and helping solve problems together. 

“I'm especially inspired by Georgia with its complex history,” he said. “It continues to be a place where peace can be envisioned and pursued. I think this recognition strengthens my commitment to building bridges, resolving conflict, and lifting up voices that seek unity. As you build your businesses, you'll be building collaborations and partnerships, and hopefully make the world a better place.”

As the summer progresses, founders will be guided by CREATE-X’s core values: experiential education, entrepreneurial confidence, and real-world impact. Weniger encouraged teams to “show up uncomfortable” and “leverage every single resource” available.

The journey will culminate at Demo Day, where teams will showcase their startups to investors, industry leaders, and the broader community. The event is free, open to the public, and promises a front-row seat to the next wave of Georgia Tech-born innovation.

Demo Day 2025 will take place on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 5 p.m., in the Exhibition Hall. For more information and to RSVP, visit the CREATE-X Demo Day Eventbrite.

Second place was awarded to Team Sensible, made up of juniors Oluwatooni Alade, computer science; Brandon Parker, computer science; Angela Duodu, computer science; Jesus Sierra Jr., computer science; and Hadley Williams, computer engineering. Sensible is a browser extension that rates the sustainability of products users find online and offers alternative products for items that score low. 

Third place went to Team Onyc, which includes Yasmine Green, a first-year mechanical engineering student. Onyc replaces the computer mouse with a wearable alternative that allows users to control computer navigation with the movement of their fingertips and fingernails.

Dozens of teams competed at the showcase, which is the culmination of I2P, a CREATE-X course focused on supporting students in creating solutions. The course offers research credit (for undergraduates only), up to $500 in reimbursements for physical material expenses, the opportunity to work collaboratively across majors, and faculty mentorship. It is held in the spring, summer, and fall, and it’s open to undergraduate and graduate students from all majors.  

Read our Q&A with the winner and stay tuned for our interviews with the other winning teams.

Team Carchive

Jack Rose, Junior, Computer Science

Why did you pursue your startup? 

Rose: I’ve been into cars my whole life. Trying to track cars is my hobby. There are always edge cases, and how are you planning to attack them? Because I spent so much time, especially working with other people, getting this data, and trying to figure this out, I became very adept at understanding the data. The dealers, collectors especially, were trying to understand the whole story, so they would come to me. But the way I had to do it was spreadsheets all over the place, and I was trying to find a solution to keep it all in one spot. I couldn’t find a way to do it, so I said, “Well, I’ll build it.” And then I got into I2P.

What was challenging about building your prototype over the semester? 

Rose: This semester, it was mainly trying to come up with the schema and how to physically account for the edge cases. It’s not easy; it took a lot of deep thought, discussions with other people who are into these niche cars, and understanding what details we needed. I’m still trying to add more things and figure it out. It’s not perfect, but it’s enough.

What was your favorite part about I2P? 

Rose: Adding features that I was looking for. For example, let’s say I was looking for a car. Filter all the cars over 25 years old and imported to the U.S. — I can easily search my database.

What would you say to students who are interested in entrepreneurship? 

Rose: It’s always, “You should have started sooner.” I’ve always thought about it. My biggest advice is to just start doing it, even if it’s a little bit here, a little bit there. If it doesn’t work out, at least you’ve tried.

A photo gallery from the Spring 2025 I2P Showcase can be viewed on the CREATE-X Flickr page.

Students interested in the I2P program can register for the upcoming summer and fall semesters. The deadline for Summer 2025 is May 14, and the deadline for Fall 2025 is May 16.

CREATE-X's next event, Demo Day, will take place on Aug. 28 at Exhibition Hall, where more than 100 startups will be on display. Attendees can experience the newest batch of founders leveraging the latest technology to solve pressing challenges. The event offers an opportunity to network with entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and passionate enthusiasts, and supports the next generation of innovators. Register for Demo Day today and be a part of these founders’ journeys!  

“You can’t go it alone,” said Yunker, an associate professor of physics at Georgia Tech. 

In January, Yunker co-founded the biotechnology startup TopoDx LLC, with David Weiss, an Emory University School of Medicine researcher and director of the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, and Yogi Patel, a Georgia Tech alumnus with a background in business development and bioengineering. 

“Researchers often think that they have a good commercialization idea to help people, but that alone does not guarantee success,” said Yunker. “Look for partners with complementary skills who understand aspects of the commercialization process that you don’t. Find mentors with business and scientific backgrounds in the specific industry you want to enter.”

TopoDx has developed a microbial test to identify antibiotic resistance and susceptibility rapidly and accurately. Current tests produce a result in three to five days. TopoDx’s approach can gain a result within four hours. Every hour counts in treating serious infections. Delays in accurate treatment can increase antibiotic resistance, which is a global challenge, causing up to 1 million deaths a year. 

The company’s testing method was inspired by a fundamental biophysics project in Yunker’s lab. His team was interested in understanding how bacterial colonies behave. They tested white-light interferometry, a technology that can measure bacterial colonies down to the nanometer level. 

“White-light interferometry allowed us to identify changes in the topography of a colony that indicated larger changes in the volume of cells in the entire colony,” said Yunker. “We thought this might have practical applications.” 

The next step was giving research talks at meetings and looking for collaborators. “I wanted to find someone with expertise on the bacteriology side, and I was very fortunate to meet David Weiss,” Yunker said, noting his proficiency in heteroresistance, a phenomenon where a small subset of a bacterial colony resists an antibiotic. 

“If you have just one antibiotic-resistant cell in a hundred cells, it can cause treatments to fail,” said Yunker. 

The two collaborators hoped to commercialize their technology, identifying heteroresistance in microbial samples. However, they needed guidance in creating a business model. They consulted Harold Solomon, an entrepreneur with Georgia Tech VentureLab and a principal in the Quadrant-i program, a specialized program helping Georgia Tech faculty and students commercialize research.  

Solomon became a key mentor. He guided them away from an ill-advised partnership and instead introduced them to Yogi Patel, who became a co-founder and the company CEO. 

This new collaboration provided the team with an important lesson — one that Yunker passes along to other researchers looking to commercialize their discoveries. “Seek expertise outside your field, be humble about your knowledge limitations, and view collaboration as a strategic partnership,” he says.

When Patel came on board, he conducted extensive interviews with more than 15 clinical professionals.

“You need to interview end users or purchasers of whatever solution you want to build,” said Patel. “Ask them if the problem you think you may have solved is a problem with scale, with a market need.” 

Clinicians, Patel learned, did not see heteroresistance as a significant issue. Instead, the slow pace of antibiotic testing was identified as a major problem. Faster testing could allow clinicians to prescribe targeted drugs more quickly and accurately, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and the risk of multi-resistant infections. 

With this survey information, Patel asked Yunker and Weiss to rethink how their technology could be commercialized. 

“A company must solve a real-world problem,” said Patel. “I recommended that we switch from heteroresistance to solving slow antibiotic testing. We could keep heteroresistance as something we can still do as a second or third priority.” 

TopoDx’s new technology can measure, with single-nanometer accuracy, how bacterial colonies are responding to antibiotics in real time. This method could revolutionize how antibiotics are tested and prescribed. Testing would be conducted on a countertop device about the size of a large microwave. The co-founders envision the device as eventually being used by urgent care facilities and hospitals. 

“We want to make microbial testing susceptibility accessible anywhere and everywhere,” said Patel.   

Adam Krueger, once a Ph.D. student in Yunker's lab, has continued to refine the technology. Now a post-doctoral researcher, Krueger joined TopoDx in a technical leadership role to expand the technology’s capabilities for microbiological diagnostics.

“We will keep pushing the envelope forward scientifically while we try to commercialize the accomplishments that we have already made,” Yunker said. “We hope that some fundamental studies we are doing now out of scientific curiosity could lead to further commercial applications.”

Georgia Tech faculty members and graduate students, join the Quadrant-i Startup Launch Program to commercialize your research this summer: Over 12 weeks, you'll receive comprehensive support including guidance from experienced mentors, a $10,000 commercialization grant, and $150,000 worth of in-kind services. Showcase your innovation at Demo Day, where you'll have the opportunity to present to over 1,500 attendees, including industry leaders and investors. Apply today! Applications close April 11.

The weeklong, all-expenses-paid program offers university-affiliated innovators the chance to refine their innovations, engage in customer discovery, and network with industry leaders and peers at SXSW. The annual festival celebrates technology, film, music, education, and culture. Students participated in a competitive application process, which involved submitting applications, meeting specific evaluation criteria, and being selected by a panel of industry experts, mentors, and SXSW organizers.

Yolanda Payne, the students’ Startup Lab instructor, presented the SXSW opportunity in class.

"My goal is to be their biggest cheerleader,” she explained. “I had great teachers who helped me get to where I am today, and I strive to emulate their support. I’m always willing to guide students toward new opportunities."

She learned about the SXSW immersive cohort from Nakia Melecio, director of the National Science Foundation I-Corps Southeast Hub. The $15 million initiative crosses nine major research universities in the southern U.S. and accelerates the translation of deep tech research into commercial ventures. The hub works closely with entrepreneurial faculty, students, and researchers to equip them with the tools, networks, and support to bring their innovations to market.

Melecio plays a central role in identifying and advancing strategic opportunities for university partners and their entrepreneurial teams. “When the opportunity to participate in SXSW arose, I recognized it as an ideal platform to showcase the talent and innovation coming out of our region.”

Melecio added that Startup Lab is ideal for amplifying NSF I-Corps’ goals because of the course’s proven track record of fostering hands-on learning and commercialization readiness. “Startup Lab helps prepare students not just to think entrepreneurially, but to act on their ideas with confidence and a structured path forward. It was a natural fit for this opportunity.”

Payne says the experience students gained in Startup Lab helped prepare them for the immersive cohort. “The knowledge is being solidified by an experience you’re having in my class and the real world.”

Chopra agrees that Startup Lab teaches essential business development fundamentals and customer discovery principles, skills that are relevant to the SXSW program. She recommends the course to other students and emphasizes the value of combining engineering or technical backgrounds with entrepreneurship skills.

“We take a lot of classes that are directly related to our major, and they're very technical. But when it comes to wanting to start something of your own or even understanding how startups work, it's completely different than the rest of our coursework.”

Startup Lab is a three-credit course that focuses on evidence-based entrepreneurship. This hands-on class covers ideation, teamwork, customer discovery, minimum viable products, the business model canvas, and other topics. Students learn how to launch a startup by integrating in-class lectures with practical, out-of-class activities, including interviewing potential customers and refining their startup ideas based on real-world feedback. 

The program provides access to valuable resources, mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs, and a supportive community to help students develop their startups. Startup Lab and NSF I-Corps are also exploring other industry showcases for student entrepreneurs like SXSW. 

Chen chose Startup Lab to pursue his entrepreneurial interests. “I knew that Georgia Tech had a really good startup culture, so I researched what they had to offer, and Startup Lab was the first step." He also noted Payne's impact as an instructor. "The best part is how much she cares about the topic. She has a lot of background knowledge and is passionate.”

Startup Lab is unique because it "de-risks the business model,” Payne says. Many entrepreneurs first build their products and then talk to potential customers. However, Startup Lab students perform customer discovery, sharing their ideas with potential end users, listening to their needs and feedback, and then building the product. 

Peng recalls a powerful moment of pitching an idea for an app to streamline MARTA operations. “I had a fun time coming up with this idea. We learned a lot about interviewing, coming up with possible solutions, and refining our idea,” she says. "Being surrounded by so many brilliant individuals at Georgia Tech makes it easy to get idea formation or networking connections you need for your idea to succeed."

Aridgides has ambitious post-program goals, envisioning creating change through entrepreneurship. "I want to start a company to change the world for the better and make a big impact. That's my life goal. I think through a company, I can achieve that."

Payne reminds students that they possess something many adults lack: time to explore different ideas. She also says Startup Lab can help students value and see their ideas in new ways. 

“They don't recognize that the product they're working on could be pursued through entrepreneurship or think of themselves as entrepreneurs. And even if they don't pursue it, it helps them in all aspects of life because business and capitalism are part of what we do every day.”

If you’re a student interested in adding entrepreneurship to your course schedule, registration for the summer and fall semesters opens on April 15. In addition to Startup Lab, students also have the opportunity to build a prototype with support through Idea to Prototype and CREATE-X Capstone Design. 

Founded by John-Wright Stanly, a fourth-year computer science major, SuperStream addresses companies’ audience engagement problem by enabling video previews through shared URLs.

Q&A With SuperStream's Sole Founder, John Wright Stanly

What made you want to pursue this idea?
Stanly: I did a startup three years ago, and we failed miserably. While doing that, I was trying to build in-house and share videos through links.  I realized that nothing currently on the internet that I could find was actually solving this issue. Basically, the standard around sharing videos and links is very complicated, and we simplify that process for companies. Even though it's very small and particular, I wanted to be the first person that would solve this problem.

What surprised you about the I2P process?
I did I2P last semester, and I've already pivoted once in the idea. I don’t have all the answers. I’m just starting, and I think it's really cool that a course like this exists at George Tech, where you can be supported and figure things out in the first stages, maybe in three months. 

What was your favorite part of I2P?

I think it's the meetups. We get to see what everyone else is working on.

 What was the most challenging part of I2P?
I think the most challenging part was being a solo entrepreneur. Honestly, just finding the time in my day. 

What advice would you give to other students considering entrepreneurship?
I think entrepreneurship is not as scary as it seems. We're really lucky that we go to a university where it’s supported. I think that Georgia Tech students take it for granted how enriched the ecosystem is here. My friends at other schools don't really have the same support. So, when you go to a school that is as supportive as that, I think you should totally take the leap of faith.
 

Want to be part of the next wave of technological advancements? Register for the Spring 2025 I2P Showcase to see our latest cohort of I2P inventors and their prototypes. The event takes place April 21, 5 p.m., in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building Atrium.

For those interested in taking I2P, course registration opens for the summer and fall semesters on April 14. The I2P course offers undergraduate students research credit, up to $500 in reimbursement for physical material expenses, faculty mentorship, and the opportunity to compete in the I2P Showcase. Winners receive golden tickets to CREATE-X’s Startup Launch program, a summer accelerator that provides $5,000 in optional seed funding; $150,000 in in-kind services (including accounting and legal support); mentorship; entrepreneurial education; and more. Winners also advance directly to the semifinal round of the InVenture Prize, a faculty-led innovation competition.

The I2P course opens three times a year: in the spring, summer, and fall. Both undergraduate and graduate students can take the course, and undergraduate students can take it up two times. For more information, visit the I2P program website. 

How did you first hear about CREATE-X?

We did the CREATE-X Capstone with an initial team of seven people, later transitioning to Startup Launch in the summer. Capstone required a hardware product, but for several reasons, we pivoted to software. By that point, we already had a grasp on the problem that we were working on but didn't have the resources to start working on a large hardware product.

Why did you decide to pursue your startup?

One of our close buddies was an emergency medical technician (EMT), and we also had family connections to EMTs. When we were doing our customer interviews, we found out that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had multiple problems that we thought we'd like to work on and that were more accessible than the broader medical technology industry. 

What was Startup Launch like for you?

Startup Launch seemed to transition pretty seamlessly from the Capstone course. We came to understand our customer base and technical development better, and the program also led us through the process of starting and running a company. I found it very interesting and learned a whole lot.

What was the most difficult challenge in Startup Launch?

Definitely customer interviews. We spent a lot of time on that in the Startup Launch classes. It's a difficult thing to have a good takeaway from a customer interview without getting the conversation confused and being misled. We didn't mention the product, or we tried to wait as long as possible before mentioning the product, so as to not bias or elicit general, positive messaging from interviewees. 

We're working in EMS, and the products we are building affect healthcare. EMS is a little informal and a little rough around the edges. Many times, people don't want to admit how bad their practices are, which can easily lead to us collecting bad data. 

What affected you the most from Startup Launch?

The resources at our fingertips. When we were running around, it was nice to be able to consult with our mentor. It's great having someone around with the know-how and who's been through it themselves. I revisit concepts a lot.

How did the partnership with NGHS come about?

During Demo Day, we met a Georgia state representative. He put us in touch with NGHS. They were looking for companies to work with through their venture arm, Northeast Georgia Health Ventures(NGHV), so we pitched our product to them. They liked it, and then we spent a long time banging out the details. We worked with John Lanza, who's a friend of CREATE-X. He helped us find a corporate lawyer to read over the stuff we were signing. It took a little back and forth to get everything in place, but in September of last year, we finally kicked it off.

What’s the partnership like?

We provide them a license to our product, have weekly meetings where experts give feedback on the performance of the system, and then we make incremental changes to align the product with customer needs. 

While we're in this developmental phase, we're kind of keeping it under wraps until we make sure it’s fully ready. Our focus is primarily on emergent capabilities that NGHS and other EMS agencies are really looking for. Right now, the pilot is set to be a year long, so we're aiming to be ready for a full rollout by the end of the year. 

How did you pivot into this other avenue for your product?

EMS does not have many resources. That makes it not a popular space as far as applying emerging technologies. There's only competition in this very one specific vein, which is this central type of software that we plug into, so we're not competing directly with anyone.

EMS agencies, EMTs, and paramedics - the care that they give has to be enabled by a medical doctor. There has to be a doctor linked to the practices that they engage in and the procedures that they do. With the product that we're making now, we want to provide a low-cost, plug-and-play product that'll do everything they need it to do to enable the improvement of patient care. 

How are you supporting yourself during this period? 

I was paying myself last year, but we're out of money for that, so we're not currently paying for any labor. It's all equity now, but our burn rate outside of that is very low. The revenue we have now easily covers the cost of operating our system. I'm also working part-time as an EMT now. This helps cover my own costs while also deepening my understanding of the problems we are working on.

How are you balancing your work?

It's hard to balance. There's always stuff to do. I just do what I can, and the pace of development is good enough for the pilot. Every week, and then every month, Kevin and I sit down and analyze the rate at which we're working and developing. Then we project out. We're confident that we're developing at a rate that'll have us in a good spot by September when the pilot ends.

What’s a short-term goal for your startup?

Kevin and I are trying to reach back out and see if there's anyone interested in joining and playing a major role. The timing would be such that they start working a little bit after the spring semester ends. I think most Georgia Tech students would meet the role requirements, but generally, JavaScript and Node experience as well as a diverse background would be good.

Where do you want your startup to be in the next five years?

I want to have a very well-designed system. Despite all the vectors I’m talking about for our products, everything should be part of the same system in place at EMS agencies anywhere. I just want it to be a resource that EMS can use broadly.

Another issue in EMS is standards. Even the standards that are in place now aren’t broadly accessible. I think that these new AI tools can do a lot to bridge the lack of understanding of documentation, measures, and standards and make all of that more accessible for the layperson.

What advice would you give students interested in entrepreneurship?

Make sure the idea that you're working on, and the business model, is something you enjoy outside of its immediate viability. I think that's really what's helped me persevere. It's my enjoyment of the project that's allowed me to continue and be motivated. So, start there and then work your way forward.

Are there any books, podcasts, or resources you would recommend to budding entrepreneurs?

 I’d recommend Influence to prepare for marketing. I have no background in marketing at all. Influence is a nice science-based primer for marketing.

 I reread How to Win Friends and Influence People. I am not sure how well I'm implementing the concepts day-to-day, but I think most of the main points of that book are solid.

I also read The Mom Test. It's a good reference, a short text on customer interviews.

Want to build your own startup?

Georgia Tech students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X's Startup Launch, which provides $5,000 in optional seed funding and $150,000 in in-kind services, mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops, networking events, and resources to help build and scale startups. The program culminates in Demo Day, where teams present their startups to potential investors. The deadline to apply for Startup Launch is Monday, March 17. Spots are limited. Apply now.

Forbes 30 Under 30 is a yearly list of notable young people in art, entertainment, healthcare, science, and more. CREATE-X has had founders on this list 11 times since 2017. Read about how some of the 2025 honorees got their start — and their advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Sohan Choudhury: Flint

The Beginning

“I decided to start Flint because I was passionate about education as a space, and I felt that there's a lot more that could be done with AI in education. When we started the company in May 2023, the perspective of a lot of schools and teachers on AI was very negative because they were looking at how students were using it to cheat. As technologists, my co-founder and I asked, ‘Is there something more we can do to change this narrative and perspective?’ We started building tools for teachers and students and partnering with schools.” 

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE-X gave me the first avenue to work on my own thing. When I was a first-year or sophomore in college, I didn't know that was possible. I thought once I graduate I'll maybe get an engineering job and just do that. But CREATE-X changed that story for me by giving me another path. As I went down that path with my first company, the advisors we had through CREATE-X were incredibly helpful to us.”

The Outlook

“Day to day, a lot of the work we do is pretty unglamorous. We’re dealing with bugs that our customers are facing, or we’re cold emailing people. It's easy to get lost in the weeds. The Forbes announcement was a great way for us to reflect on what we've done so far. It's such a team effort, so it was validating to get recognition on a broader level for the work we're doing.”

Advice for Success

“If you can code or are interested in coding, pull on that thread. If you can build your own prototypes, which is becoming easy to do nowadays with AI, it will help you get further with your ideas. The second piece of advice is to take your idea and try to convince someone to pay for it. Even if you have a tool that will save your peers time with studying, build something basic for it, but then ask them to pay you five bucks. People speak with their money. There were times at Flint where we had a lot of positive feedback, and then we asked people to pay, and all of the constructive feedback came out.”

Garrett Smiley: Sora Schools

The Beginning

“I was a military brat, so I moved around to a lot of different schools and experienced a bunch of different styles of learning. I went to school in the early 2010s, right when laptops were entering the classroom. We had YouTube, Khan Academy, Coursera, and all these things hit the mainstream. Because of my background, education was a very active question in my life. I saw how these tools completely supercharged my learning and changed the relationship between student and teacher and the dynamics of the classroom.”

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE-X asked us to think about large systemic problems we were passionate about. That pushed me to think seriously about how I could help solve a problem in this space. It was helpful to put into practice many of the startup lessons that I'd been studying forever, and it was great to have a community of founders before anyone believed in us.”

The Outlook

“I'm inspired by Forbes’ emphasis on education, so to be recognized in that context was extra special. We’re in 46 states and 16 countries, so it's great to see the breadth that Sora has accomplished. We're bringing this style of education to different communities that, in many cases, have never considered something like this before. Seeing our students accepted into places like Harvard, Georgia Tech, and other elite institutions shows families that you can have a transformative education like Sora and still go to those schools if it makes sense.“

Advice for Success

“Use your free time in school to try the things you're thinking about. Sora was an idea I thought I would circle back to when I was 30 or 40 and had money and credibility. But I was shocked by how open people were to listening to a young person with a few resonating ideas. There's no qualification or age requirement to provide value and improve people's lives.”

Sarah Hamer: RetailReady

The Beginning

“I met my co-founder, Elle, while we were working at a company called Stord, which is also an Atlanta-based startup. Elle and I were put on a project going to a warehouse every week for six months. We saw some gaps in supply chain software and decided to solve them since nothing was on the market. So I applied to Y Combinator and got in, and now we’re here.”

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE-X was my first foray into starting a business. It gave me confidence, and I learned a lot of lessons with my first business. I think I would've made a lot of mistakes starting a business now if I hadn't had that experience in college. For example, knowing how important user interviews are, how you’ll probably fail here and there, start small, then scale — the principles you take for granted that CREATE-X taught.”

The Outlook

“I started at Microsoft right out of Georgia Tech and was there for a year and a half. It was a very stable, well-paying job. I followed my gut to leave and join a startup called Stord and then followed it again to leave and start RetailReady. Quitting your stable day-to-day job takes a lot, and I’m proud I took the chance. We’ve grown fast, and it’s a huge honor to be included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the first year of being in business. We’re really happy about it.” 

Advice for Success

“When you can, take the chance and do it. Even if you’re not sure, always believe you’ll win. A lot of it is mental fitness, believing what your gut is telling you. There will be times when you’ll say, ‘This probably isn’t the right move to make.’ Listen to that.”

Bruno Geoly: Lumindt

The Beginning

“An inflection point for me was the summer of 2021. I was working at SpaceX, and at the same time, my friends and I had started this Web3 crypto company dealing with NFTs. And I was like, I can mix these two things together to do something cool, something important. The idea of what Lumindt is wasn't even a sparkle in my eye at that time. But I knew I wanted something of my own, doing these two things I enjoy — entrepreneurship and high-level engineering. And that's what I did.”

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE X was a way for me and my co-founder to stay accountable for our work. When you have an idea you want to turn into a business, it’s hard to stay on yourself to do that. CREATE-X was a good way for us to always have a thing to go to and ideate what we’re working on. And there was a little bit of competition. You see all of these other people making progress, and it’s good inspiration and a motivator to continue working.”

The Outlook

“My co-founder and I were very appreciative of being included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Looking back on what I wanted to do in college, I just loved building stuff. And to have this small team of people, and we’re able to build what we want, and there's cohesion and camaraderie, I'm very happy with that. It's fun to go to work every day and work with the people I do. And not only that, we now have a business that impacts the world.”

Advice for Success

“If you want to be an entrepreneur, that's a skill set like anything else. If you want to get better at karate, you practice karate. If you want to be a better entrepreneur, you have to practice entrepreneurship. You'll learn a lot about yourself — what problems you like to solve and what problems you need help solving.”

Want to Build Your Own Startup?

Georgia Tech students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X's Startup Launch, which provides $5,000 in optional seed funding and $150,000 in in-kind services, mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops, networking events, and resources to help build and scale startups. The program culminates in Demo Day, where teams present their startups to potential investors. The deadline to apply for Startup Launch is Monday, March 17. Spots are limited. Apply now.

1. Identify a Problem You’re Interested in Solving

We often gravitate toward familiar problems, but it's crucial to explore beyond our immediate surroundings. Take the time to venture off campus and learn about problems faced by small businesses, corporations, and communities. Engaging with diverse groups will help you uncover unique challenges that you might not have considered. We accept startups in a variety of industries, from fashion to healthcare.

2. Understand the Problem Before Creating a Solution

It's tempting to rush into building a solution once you've identified a problem. However, it's essential to thoroughly understand the problem first. Before you start building, conduct at least 10 – 20 customer discovery interviews. This will give you valuable insights into the problem you're solving and help you validate your business thesis.

3. Start With Your Business Thesis

Formulate a clear business thesis: "X will buy Y because of Z." Here, X represents your target customer, Y is your product, and Z is the reason they will purchase it. As you engage with potential customers, refine your hypothesis based on their feedback. This iterative process will help you develop a product that meets real needs.

4. Build a Version 1 of Your Product

This is easier than it sounds and can be very low-tech to start. Concentrate on developing the core functionality of your product that addresses the primary pain point for your users. This unlocks user insights that can help you know if and where to pivot your solution.

5. Think About Your Business Model

While you don't need to have a concrete business model from the start, it's beneficial to brainstorm potential models. Consider how your product could generate revenue and sustain itself. Your business model can evolve as you gain more insights and experience.

6. Put in the Time

Launching a startup requires a significant time commitment and focus. You can create real momentum when you can dedicate consistent time.

Looking for more support on your entrepreneurial journey? Be sure to check out Startup Launch, a 12-week accelerator that helps you move from idea/prototype to your first customer. You have access to expert mentors, exclusive founder-focused workshops, vendor discounts, and $5,000 in seed funding. 

The application deadline is Monday, March 17, for the summer cohort. 

A previous info session on Startup Launch and a Startup Launch sample application are available to help students prepare. Attend CREATE-X events to get insights into entrepreneurship, workshop business ideas, find teammates, and prepare your Startup Launch applications. For additional questions, email create-x@groups.gatech.edu.

Deep Startups is a series that brings together knowledgeable entrepreneurs and Startup Launch alumni from various business sectors to discuss their experiences forming companies that address significant, contemporary challenges. Attendees spend an informative evening discovering the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship.

From 2016 until recently, S.K. Sharma led a global team of Ph.D. data scientists, engineers, and strategists at Universal Music Group (UMG) to develop innovative and scalable solutions that drive real-time market insights and audience engagement. His leadership has been instrumental in creating differentiated intellectual property and market-leading capabilities in AI, machine learning, and prescriptive analytics, earning him multiple patents in marketing analytics.

Sharma's academic background includes a Ph.D. in chemical physics and physical chemistry from Caltech. His research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, and he has held concurrent roles in academia and industry, including senior research scientist at Caltech's Beckman Institute. His corporate career includes significant positions such as vice president at Lehman Brothers, executive director at UBS, and vice president and partner at Mitchell Madison Group, where he advised global private equity funds and venture capital managers.

In addition to his role at UMG, Sharma is an entrepreneur in residence at UC San Diego's Office of Innovation and Commercialization, where he supports pioneering advancements in science and engineering. He is also an investor at Provisio Medical, a company revolutionizing endovascular procedures with its Sonic Lumen Tomography technology.

Sharma's contributions to the field of AI and analytics have been widely recognized. He was awarded Billboard magazine's 40 Under 40 and has been a commencement speaker at UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering. His work in developing AI-driven marketing technologies has set new standards in the industry, ensuring compliance with global privacy regulations while driving significant improvements in marketing efficiency.

Attendees of Deep Startups will hear practical knowledge and actionable advice on entrepreneurship from Sharma. Each CREATE-X event is an opportunity to network, build ideas, and prepare for the Startup Launch program, which provides $5,000 in optional seed funding, $150,000 in in-kind services, mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops, networking events, and resources to help build and scale startups. Students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply. The deadline to apply for Startup Launch is March 17, 2025. Spots are limited. Apply now for a higher chance of acceptance and early feedback. If you have any questions about getting started, email us at create-x@groups.gatech.edu.

As a part of the showcase, the winning team, or teams in this case, also receive a golden ticket into the CREATE-X summer startup accelerator, Startup Launch. This program provides founders with $5,000 in optional seed funding, $150,000 in in-kind services like accounting and legal services, mentorship, and entrepreneurial education, among other benefits. At the end of that experience, startup teams can present their products to investors and industry partners at Demo Day, which attracts over a thousand attendees each year.

Additionally, winners of the showcase advance directly to the semifinal round of the InVenture Prize, a faculty-led innovation competition for undergraduate students and recent BS graduates of Georgia Tech.

This semester, the first place teams were Allez Go and Soul. Team Allez Go’s founders, Adam Kulikowski and Jason Mo, created a real-time visualization system for fencing blades using infrared light and reflectors to accurately track positions during a bout. Team Soul, made up of Ashraf Mansour, Benjamin Wilson, and Michal Gregus, developed fitness-tracking soles and shoes, combining the functions of a smart scale, a workout tracker, and a diet tracker into a singular device.

Second place was awarded to Team Convexity Electronics, consisting of Calla Scotch, Levi Bloch, and Phi Cai. Convexity Electronics produces 3D-printed circuit boards that aim to be smaller, faster, and cheaper than lithography-based circuitry.

Team SuperStream, made up of solo-preneur John-Wright Stanly, took home third place. SuperStream adds video previews to URLs to increase engagement.

Read our Q&A with Team Allez Go and Soul below, and stay tuned for our interviews with the other winning teams! 

Q&As

Team AllezGo

Adam Kulikowski, Sophomores, Computer Science

Jason Mo, Sophomores, Computer Science

Why did you pursue your startup?
Kulikowski: We're both fencers. I've been fencing for 10 years, and Jason's been fencing close to 10 as well. So, fencing as a sport is really hard to view for non-fencers, and so the idea that we wanted to do is use visualizations, animations, and replays in a similar way that other kinds of sport visualization companies did.

What was the I2P course like for you all?
Mo: So, this prototype actually started over the summer. I was in Startup Lab and just did a study abroad program. During that class, they mentioned that I2P is a great opportunity, and I had this prototype already in the works.  

What surprised you about I2P?

Mo: I2P was very generous with funding; we never had any issues with using up our $500. It was just really helpful because our prototype was pretty heavy hardware.

What was your favorite part about I2P?
Mo: Our weekly meetings with Aaron Hillegass, our mentor, were always very, very insightful. I just shot him an email for I2P, hoping that we could work together on this. Sometimes we would talk about prototypes or updates. He had some really good insights, but our mentor also has a lot of industry experience and a lot of experience with his own startups. It was really fun to just ask him general questions and career advice. He was always very responsive, very supportive for us. 

Kulikowski: In addition, I really liked seeing the iterations each week. I think the weekly updates kept us accountable to do at least one small thing every week. So, it was cool to see how the ideas slowly started to formulate each week, small steps and small progresses.

What was challenging about building your prototype over the semester?
Mo: There's a lot of technical challenges. One of the things we did this semester is we changed from a 30 frames per second (FPS) camera to a camera that shoots at 120 FPS. And with that, we could detect a lot more processing power. The camera that we're using is only limited to Windows. I've been using a very old laptop, and that's sort of been a bit problematic when we're trying to do very compute intensive tasks.

What would you say to students that are interested in entrepreneurship?
Kulikowski: There are a lot of people that came by our booth, and a lot of them were freshmen students. Every one of them we told, “If you have an idea, if you're really passionate about something, I2P is a fantastic opportunity.” This semester, with the hands-off approach, really felt like you could just work on this idea, and everything was there to support you working on it. That was fantastic because it's we could take full advantage of the time, the resources, and truly flesh out this idea. I really love the support we had and how we had the bonding with the other students.

Team Soul

Ashraf Mansour, Senior, Computer Science

Benjamin Wilson, Junior, Computer Science 

Michal Gregus, Junior, Physics and Electrical Engineering 

What’s the thought behind the name?
Mansour: We're kind of bringing life through our electronics, back into the shoe, and building a better fitness tracker and a more holistic picture of human health. 

What was the showcase like for your team?
Wilson:  It was a little nerve wracking. I have full faith in our ideas and concepts, but I feel personally like we still have a long way to go for our project. I’m still satisfied with where we are now, but we never really anticipated that we we're going to win anything.

Mansour: The showcase made me realize how much faster all this moves, even compared to my expectations. We came in with a very basic prototype that we wanted to improve on, but I think the potential was enough to sell the judges in this case. Now we have a big responsibility to deliver on that potential.

What was your favorite thing about I2P Showcase?

Mansour: It really reminds you how much of a tech hub Georgia Tech really is. Seeing how entrepreneurship boosts in real time, especially at the early stages, is something that’s really awe inspiring. 

What was challenging about building your prototype over the semester?

Mansour: There are a lot of unique engineering challenges with the product that we’re building, some we anticipated and others we didn’t, but I think that speaks to the true soul of engineering. That adaptability and sense of problem solving is really important.

Wilson: I’m very grateful to have the other people that were involved in this project for brainstorming and making the design better. 

What would you say to students that are interested in entrepreneurship?

Wilson:  I definitely would encourage anyone that wants to pursue their own startup or has a new idea to just start. It’s far more efficient and far more rewarding to put your ideas out there and try. You’ll learn a lot more through that process of failing than you will contemplating.

A photo gallery from the Fall 2024 I2P Showcase can be viewed on the CREATE-X Flickr page.

CREATE-X is now accepting applications for the summer and fall semesters of the I2P course, and applications for their summer accelerator, Startup Launch. The deadline for I2P applications for Summer 2025 is May 12. The deadline for Startup Launch applications is March 19, 2025. For questions, please email create-x@groups.gatech.edu.

Y Combinator, which has produced companies like Twitch, Reddit, AirBnB, and Coinbase, has funded over 143 Georgia Tech alumni, surpassing institutions like the University of Michigan, Duke, and Princeton. YC recruits startups four times a year and provides a $500,000 investment. 

Spotlight on Founders

Flora, the event's keynote speaker, shared his journey from a YC founder to a partner, emphasizing the accelerator's commitment to supporting college-age founders. He also spoke about finding ideas, meeting co-founders, knowing when to persist and when to pivot, and more.

“A lot of people think you have to have a great startup idea before you start working on a startup,” Flora said. “The theme you find again and again for the best YC founders is that they were doing something that was interesting to them.”

Flora encouraged students to explore their interests and identify problems they are passionate about solving. He also spoke about "tar pit ideas,” or ideas that seem interesting and novel but don’t translate to a wider audience and wouldn’t be widely used. He advised them to focus on ideas with clear, demonstrable demand.

“The best way to avoid tar pit ideas is to get feedback from your users and find out if they’re actually using them,” Flora said. 

Georgia Tech alumni and Greptile founders SooHoon Choi and Vaishant Kameswaran talked about the origins of their company. Choi and Daksh Gupta, their other co-founder, participated in CREATE-X Capstone and then in CREATE-X Startup Launch to develop Tabnam, which initially was an AI shopping assistant that scraped the internet to tell users what people think about their product. 

The founders discussed starting Tabnam in a course and moving across the country to work on it in their apartment to getting rejected by YC, pivoting the startup at a hackathon, and developing Greptile. This AI product enables large software teams to review core changes before merging, find issues in their code, understand the source of bugs, and perform other related tasks. That iteration proved successful, gaining millions in funding and hundreds of customers.

Gupta spoke about a framework that kept the co-founders open to pivots. “Startups aren’t small companies. They’re a hypothesis that asks if a company should exist in this space. That means your job is to prove or disprove that hypothesis,” he said. 

For more insights, watch the video of the event.

Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

Students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X's Startup Launch. The program provides $5,000 in optional seed funding, $150,000 in in-kind services, mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops, networking events, and resources to help build and scale startups. The program culminates in Demo Day, where teams present their startups to potential investors. The deadline to apply for Startup Launch is March 19, 2025. Spots are limited. Apply now for a higher chance of acceptance and early feedback.

The event is open to all Georgia Tech students, faculty, staff, and the local community. Tickets are available now but are limited, so register for the I2P Showcase today. 

Each semester, students in the Idea-to-Prototype course take time out of their schedules, similar to undergraduate research, to build prototypes. Teams accepted into I2P receive a reimbursement of up to $500 for physical expenses, course credit (undergraduate students only), and mentorship from a Georgia Tech faculty member.

During the showcase, participants and judges interact with the projects and give feedback. The criteria for judging are centered on innovation and overall market and impact potential. Judges can include industry professionals, faculty members, and alumni.

Throughout I2P Showcase history, many winning projects have gone on to achieve significant success. One is CaseDocker, which provides an end-to-end workflow management system. The startup now has a user base of over 400 global clients, including Fortune 500 companies. Other winners of the showcase include a blockchain-based music application, Radiochain, a personal financial management platform, Dolfin Solutions, and an EEG monitoring device for pediatric seizure detection, NeuroChamp.

This semester, the I2P cohort includes a digital twin using individual data and AI for health screenings and early detection, an active shooter detection and tracking tool, an AR tool that turns walls into interactive canvases, a device that detects overdosages, 3D-printed circuit boards, an AI detector for digital media, and more.

Whether you're a student with a passion for entrepreneurship, a faculty member interested in the latest student innovations, or a community member looking to support local talent, the I2P Showcase is a perfect opportunity to explore student innovations, mingle, and enjoy refreshments. Register for the I2P Showcase today and join us at the Exhibition Hall for an evening of creativity and community.

Students interested in participating in I2P can do so in the spring, summer, or fall semesters. The registration process involves providing a brief description of the project, the team members involved, and the current stage of development. The deadline for applications is Jan. 6 for Spring 2025 and May 12 for Summer 2025.

Since tickets are limited, students are encouraged to RSVP for Y Combinator @ Georgia Tech. As a part of the event, students can apply for Office Hours With Flora, which will be held earlier in the day, by answering optional questions in the RSVP form. Y Combinator will notify selected students. The sessions enable students to discuss side projects or startups, startup idea development, finding co-founders, and monetizing products. Confirmed RSVPs are required to attend the event and office hours. 

Y Combinator offers an intensive, three-month program designed to help startups succeed. It provides startups with seed funding, mentorship, and access to a network of investors, industry experts, and alumni.

In 2022, Daksh Gupta and SooHoon Choi participated in CREATE-X Startup Launch and developed Tabnam, which became Greptile after several iterations. Initially, the startup was promoted as an AI shopping assistant that scrapes the internet to tell users what people think about their product. 

In 2023, after they graduated from Georgia Tech, Choi, Gupta, and Vaishant Kameswaran launched the latest version of the startup. Now the AI platform focuses on entire codebases and allows users to query via an API. Through the platform, users chat with their codebases, generate descriptions for tickets, automate PR reviews, and build custom internal tools and automations on top of the API. Over 800 software teams, including Wombo, Metamask, Warp, Exa AI, Bland, and Leya, use Greptile. In June, it had a $4 million seed round. Greptile was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 cohort. 

For those inspired by Greptile’s success and interested in launching their own startup, CREATE-X is currently accepting applications for Summer 2025 Startup Launch. The priority deadline is Sunday, Nov. 17. Early applicants have a higher chance of acceptance, the opportunity for more feedback, and more opportunities to apply if one idea isn’t accepted.

Startup Launch provides mentorship, $5,000 in optional funding, and $150,000 in services to help Georgia Tech students, alumni, faculty, and researchers launch businesses over 12 weeks in the summer. Teams can be interdisciplinary, made up of co-founders even outside of Georgia Tech, and solopreneurs. CREATE-X, as a whole, has had more than 34,000 participants, launched 560 startups, and has generated a total startup portfolio valuation exceeding $2 billion.

Team Sustain

Sustain offers a way to crowdsource meals and provide home cooks with a cash incentive. The system includes software for ordering, reviewing, and collecting data and hardware for meal exchange.

Nirmal Karthik, electrical and computer engineering

Soughtout Olasupo-Ojo, computer science

Nathan Kashani, mechanical engineering

Meghan Janicki, electrical and computer engineering

Joseph Nehme-Haily, mechanical engineering

John Mark Page, electrical engineering

Why did you all choose this project?

“One of the main things CREATE-X Capstone encourages us to do is customer discovery. Through our discussions, we realized that many people enjoy home-cooked meals but find them inconvenient to prepare. While most things in life are just a click away, home-cooked meals still require a personal touch. CREATE-X challenged us to find a problem and create a solution, so we focused on making home-cooked meals more convenient,” Page said.

Why CREATE-X Capstone?

“After graduation, I wanted to try my hand at entrepreneurship later. I thought CREATE-X was a good way for me to try and learn entrepreneurship skills: how to run a business, what it looks like, the timeline, and so on. Either way, if it went well or badly, I could say with my heart that I have an idea of how to do entrepreneurship,” Olasupo-Ojo said.

“You can go into a big city like Atlanta and actually feel like you can do something to help people. It is a great benefit, as opposed to being in the technical weeds of an engineering project. Mixing them together has been a great experience,” Janicki said.

“CREATE-X empowers students to think independently and explore projects they’re passionate about. We get to drive our projects and businesses, learning skills firsthand rather than just in theory,” Kashani said.

What was your biggest struggle?

“As engineers, we’re classically, especially in school, already given the problem. So, the challenge was figuring out what the problem was, and if our solution really solves the root cause of the problem. We figured out how to find the problem,” Page said.

“Figuring out the idea was our biggest struggle. We delved into markets to find opportunities and ways to help people,” Kashani said.

What has been your favorite part of this experience?

“The team. Make sure you surround yourself with good people, and I think each of us has done that. That’s what I’m proudest about — our team,” Page said.

What advice would you give to someone considering entrepreneurship?

“Develop the skill sets to see problems and be able to think about them. At the beginning of the semester, we were thinking about solar design and building solar design for farms, and now we are in a completely different space. But we’re still applying the same skills and building something up from it that matters. The most important skill is adaptability,” Janicki said.

“Be ready to make mistakes. You won’t get it right the first, second, or even third time. Customer discovery is a continuous process — don’t let setbacks discourage you,” Olasupo-Ojo said.

“Don’t be afraid to get started. If you’re feeling nervous or unsure, there’s only one way to find out, so I’d say go full force into it,” Kashani said.

CREATE-X Capstone Design is open to senior undergraduate students in mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, industrial and systems engineering, and computer science. Course registration is available for the fall and spring semesters, and the current sections are ME4723-X/X01, CS4723-X/X01, ECE4853 X/LX, BME4723-X/X01, and ISYE4106. 

CREATE-X also offers other programs like Startup Lab and Idea to Prototype, providing students with a foundational entrepreneurial education. For those interested in launching their own ventures, CREATE-X’s 12-week summer accelerator, Startup Launch, offers mentorship, $5,000 in seed funding, and $150,000 of in-kind services. The priority deadline for the accelerator is Nov. 17. Apply for Startup Launch to maximize your chances of acceptance and receive early feedback.

Making Sustain: The Gallery

The event traditionally begins shortly after the semester starts, giving the entrepreneurially curious a preview of what’s to come if they join the program’s accelerator during the next application cycle.

Demo Day is the culmination of the 12-week summer accelerator, Startup Launch, where founders receive mentorship, $5,000 in optional funding, and $150,000 in services to help build their businesses. Teams can be interdisciplinary, made up of co-founders even outside of Georgia Tech, and solopreneurs, ready to solve real-world problems.

Each year, Startup Launch has grown, from an initial cohort of eight startups to over 100 this year. The Office of Commercialization, the home of CREATE-X, plans to keep expanding opportunities for the Georgia Tech community to grow their entrepreneurial skills.

Counting courses, events, programming, and partnerships, CREATE-X has had more than 32,000 participants. The ultimate goal and mission of the program is to instill entrepreneurial confidence in all Tech students. Rahul Saxena, director of the program, spoke about how far the Institute has come in the last decade. 

“I’ve been plugged into Georgia Tech for over 10 years. In the past, when you said Georgia Tech and entrepreneurship in the same sentence, they’d laugh, believe it or not,” he said. “Fast-forward, we’re one of the top entrepreneurial schools in the country. Our first four cohorts value over $100 million, with one of them being a unicorn, and our last four cohorts are well on their way. We want our students to have as many shots at gold as possible before they graduate. And even if they decide on a traditional career pathway, we believe they’ll be ahead with this entrepreneurial mindset, which is something lacking in corporate.”

This year, CREATE-X reached over 560 startup teams launched. Founders represented 38 academic majors, and their total startup portfolio valuation exceeds $2 billion. 

CREATE-X opened its Startup Launch application for its next cohort on Aug. 30. For those interested, the priority deadline is Nov. 17. Early applicants have a higher chance at acceptance and the opportunity for more feedback. So, send in your applications to Startup Launch and become the next founder at Georgia Tech.

Missed out on Demo Day? Check out the CREATE-X Flickr page to see photos from the event and the Demo Day page to see other teams. For more opportunities to engage, visit the CREATE-X Engage page for upcoming events. 

Spotlight on Startups

Some of the standout startups from this year’s Demo Day include:

Since its inception in 2014, CREATE-X has worked to infuse a spirit of entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech. From supporting eight teams in its inaugural cohort, the program has grown to support the launch of over 100 startups this summer, bringing the total to 560 startup teams boasting a total portfolio valuation of over $2 billion. In the last year, the program has expanded internationally and looks to continue building opportunities for its students. 

“Our mission is to instill entrepreneurial confidence. We believe that entrepreneurship is a life skill,” says Rahul Saxena, CREATE-X director. “Georgia Tech students are capable of creating startups. We’re just giving them the tools and resources to do it. We want every Tech student to have this advantage when starting their business.”

At the kickoff for Startup Launch, the program’s summer startup accelerator, CREATE-X co-founder Chris Klaus spoke on the landscape of startups. “The secret sauce for unicorns is colleges. The number of unicorns is increasing, and I expect that trend to continue. This is the perfect place to build a startup,” he said. 

Startup Launch has concluded for the summer, and the founders are preparing to showcase their solutions at Demo Day.

Register Now

“We invite you to become part of shaping what comes next. Support these founders as they creatively solve real-world issues. See future industry leaders be born. Join us for the culmination of these founders’ hard work, passion, and ingenuity at Demo Day,” Rahul said. 

Demo Day 2024 registration is open. Tickets are free but limited. Don’t miss this chance to witness the future of innovation and entrepreneurship. For more information, visit the CREATE-X website.

Electrosuit 

Aubrey Hall, a first-year biomedical student, and Sherya Chakraborty, a first-year computer science major, founded a startup to produce a garment that eases the use of at-home, prescribed electrical stimulation for people with chronic pain, stroke, and motor impairments.

What made you interested in building this solution?

“I did research at Northwestern for a couple of years before this, and some of the patients I worked with had severe stroke and spasticity in their arms,” Chakraborty said. “I found out that when they tried using at-home prescribed electrical stimulation, they had trouble setting it off themselves. So, we created a garment to ease pressure on that.”

What part of the course was most helpful to you?

“One of our mentors, Sun Mi Park, was the first person to patent printable wires on fabric, and that gave us some inspiration to make our garment even more compact, easier to use, and integrate some interesting ideas that we wouldn’t have been able to without our mentors. So, our mentors are honestly the best part of the program,” Chakraborty said.

“For me, you don’t get a lot of chances to apply these engineering courses outside of the classroom,” said Hall. “This course is a really interesting way to get firsthand experience building a prototype and really understand the engineering process.”

What’s so special about CREATE-X?

“I think these student projects are the future, and a lot of these projects make it out of college and become actual companies. Giving students that possibility to make a change just from a simple idea and fueling that with funding so we don’t have to take risks out of our own pockets is a, really big deal,” Chakraborty said.

“It’s helpful to have that safety net, knowing that you have your mentors to back you, and also the people of the program to back you. It brings a lot of security and opportunity to try different things out and not have to be so fearful of failure. Even if you fail a million times, you can get back up and try again,” Hall said.

What’s the best insight you’ve gained from doing this?

“I think one big misconception is that entrepreneurship has a lot to do with finance and business and just lucrative ideas, but it’s pretty important to understand that you can solve a seemingly everyday problem,” said Chakraborty. “If it affects you or your friends, it’s still worth trying to find a way to solve it, especially backed up with money and mentors from CREATE-X. What’s the harm in trying something out?” 

“Don’t try to make it feel like it’s an all-or-nothing project,” Hall said. “You’re allowed to live your life as a college student but also pursue these interesting ideas and figure out if you enjoy entrepreneurship. It shouldn’t be this daunting task where if you don’t put everything in, you’re going to fail.”

“It’s also important to keep an open mind. We might come in with an idea and a very specific way of executing that idea, but we found out through talking with mentors, and with other students and people who gave us advice, that sometimes the idea you come in with is not going to be the same thing you end up with,” Chakraborty said. 

Next Steps

“We’ve only done four or five prototypes so far,” she noted. “We want to do at least 12 of those prototypes and keep working with our mentors, keep making connections at Emory, and just constantly getting more and more feedback about our prototypes until we get to a state where we’re satisfied, and we can demo our product and work with physical therapists across Atlanta.”

If you’re a student interested in building your own product for college credit, apply for I2P. And join us for Demo Day, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m., in the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall to see new CREATE-X founders launch products in a variety of industries. Tickets are free but limited. Register today to secure your spot.

Dolfin Solutions

Marianna Cao, James Gao, and Jaeheon Shim, first-year computer science majors, are the founders of Dolfin Solutions, a personal financial management platform that promises a unified solution to budgeting, transaction management, and expense tracking, among other personal finance tasks. 

What challenges did you have in I2P, and how did you work through them?

 “We were really lucky to get an excellent mentor, Aaron Hillegass. He has a lot of experience in the industry as a startup founder himself, and he gave us a lot of help, both technical as well as business, throughout the process. That helped us make better decisions,” Gao said.

“I think the biggest challenge was, I had done projects in the past by myself, writing the full stack, but working together, communicating the requirements, and integrating everyone's different code at the end was a little bit of a logistical struggle,” Shim said. “But we managed to figure it out.”

What advice do you have for students interested in I2P or entrepreneurship in general?

“Go for it. It's a three-credit course, so it counts toward your junior capstone as well. You get $500. Now is the perfect time to start because you don't have much to lose. If you're doing I2P and your company fails, you still have four years of college; you can still pursue a traditional path. It's a little risk but a lot to gain,” Shim said.

“Even if you pivot or change your idea, it's important to believe in what you started,” said Cao. “If you don't believe in your app, then nobody else does. Right now, you have all of the friends, mentors, professors, and the right resources, and money is not an issue. It's a good opportunity for you to work on it on the side, and maybe it could turn into something.”

What’s Next?

“We’re going to build for the iOS and Android platforms, and then we're going to deploy hopefully by the end of summer,” Shim said. 

If you’re a student interested in building your own product for college credit, apply for I2P. And join us for Demo Day, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m., in the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall to see new CREATE-X founders launch products in a variety of industries. Tickets are free but limited. Register today to secure your spot.

What’s something people don’t realize about poker?

The cool thing about poker is it’s statistics. If it was a game of luck, you could not have people who consistently win and do well. When you study and you learn the edges, you play differently, and you play in ways that give you a mathematical edge over your opponents. What a lot of people don't realize is luck only plays a factor when you're looking at any given hand. 

What was your strategy while playing competitively during this poker competition?

It's that funny thing at a table; everything conveys information. For me, I always wear a face mask when I play because I'm a very expressive person. As a founder, it's a great trait, but when you're playing poker, it's not ideal. You don't want to be giving away a lot of information. I'd say it is a very social game, but it is player-dependent. If you're not paying attention, you miss information.

The first hand I played at that tournament, I knocked out a player based on information I gleaned from the table talk they were having beforehand. I was able to put him in a spot that was not theoretically correct but is what we call an exploitative deviation. 

How have you seen the risk of entrepreneurship play out for you and your peers?

I'd say it's just been really lovely seeing the growth. A lot of people who I knew, they're no longer in entrepreneurship. They tried it out and it wasn't for them, but that was the beauty of it too. It's the perfect time to experiment with that and better to know early. I've seen entrepreneurs who went into industry and then go right back at it, and others would go off and join other startups and that, for them, was the way. 

The darkest time for me from an entrepreneurship point was in 2020. We’d just won the InVenture Prize. I’d been trying for three years to win. Then the day after, there's a Georgia Tech-wide press release. People test positive for Covid-19 at the InVenture Prize; get tested. The next week, all of Georgia's in lockdown. What could have been a really big moment for us suddenly was overshadowed by a once-in-a-century pandemic. It was just one of those brutal moments. 

Life is meant to give you curveballs. Adversity is part of the journey. Is there anything else that I would rather be doing with my life? 

One of the benefits of Covid was suddenly we had all these amazing Georgia Tech students whose internships were canceled. We had 17 full-time interns working at Queues within the next month, and we outputted more over that summer in lockdown than we ever did before. 

Even if, for whatever reason, your startup fails, there's so much you've learned that you wouldn't have otherwise learned. There are so many entrepreneurs whose first three startups failed, but their fourth ones have taken off and they're doing fantastic. And that fourth one never would have succeeded if it wasn't for the first three.

How do you think CREATE-X has prepared you for high-stakes situations?

When I came to Georgia Tech, I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I also had the humility to know I don't know what that means, and there's more that I don't know than I do know. 

So, for me, the CREATE-X experience was all about learning skills and methodologies that have been tried and tested. It's understanding things that past successful founders have done. They did all the successful things, but underneath the hood it was all these tiny iterations, tweaks, improvements, and small gains. It takes 1,000 steps to climb the hill. The last one is not the most important; it's just the most symbolic because you finally get there.

What resources would you suggest to those who are interested in entrepreneurship?

Good to Great by Jim Collins. The biggest thing from that book is the concept of leadership. Everyone has a place on the bus. Your job as founder is to make sure they’re sitting in the right seat. We hire people we think are great fits and once they’re there, we find where they belong. 

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. I love it because it's all taught through anecdotes. He's taking you through real-life examples of him and the FBI. It's modern negotiation theory that's been practically tested.

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek.
If you're a founder or a CEO, your job above all else is to be a leader. Unfortunately, there's not much good leadership training. It's your job to create a culture where your people can succeed.

What’s next?

We're looking to deploy in the venue space. We're in talks with the Atlanta Braves right now. We've also just launched a new product for Queues for parking. Our goal is to try and modernize and improve these spaces with this AI tech.

As we celebrate the achievements of entrepreneurs like Sam Porta, we invite you to join us for to see the next batch of founders building products to solve real-world issues. Don’t miss out on Demo Day, August 29, from 5-7 p.m. at the Exhibition Hall. It’s a chance to meet these problem solvers, explore their ideas, and perhaps even find the spark for your own entrepreneurial journey. Register today! Tickets are free but limited. We look forward to seeing you there!

Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?

I always did. I had my first company, an educational technology app, when I was 16, which ran for about two years. I ended it in my first year of college. I'm from India originally and the vision was to provide resources to the larger mass market of India for extracurricular activities. But, we realized there wasn't a business model. When we tried to make money, we started serving the rich kids. When we tried to serve the market, we didn't make money, which doesn't make investors happy, though we did end up making enough money to repay them.

That didn't stop me; it just gave me more lessons. 

What other experience in entrepreneurship have you had?

I've been involved in entrepreneurship communities at Georgia Tech forever. I was co-director of Startup Exchange, which is where I met a lot of really driven people. I got a chance to build their fellowship program and initiate their first pitch competition, which is now called Summit. I've collaborated with CREATE-X for different events, and I try to attend any event hosted by CREATE-X, Startup Exchange, or ATDC.

Why did you choose to join the spring cohort of Startup Launch this year?

CREATE-X provides everything you need, like legal support, financial support, sales support, mentors, and an introduction to VCs, which is why I decided to join the Launch program. I think all of that boosted our startup’s growth.

Why did you feel like acquisition was the way to go for your company?

I think because I always knew this wasn’t “the” thing I was going to do. This summer I'll be starting to work for Apple on their VisionPro team, and it has a direct conflict-of-interest. They wanted me to stop working on this for a while. So, I felt like this might be a good time to explore the acquisition.  We had really rich content, which had proven to work. We had curated that content after hundreds of customer interviews, and we had advisors from Nike, Disney, and Netflix. I knew that was a strong point, so that's why I knew that acquisition would be a good exit. 

What support have you had in taking the acquisition path?

Seth [Radman, who has had multiple exits himself and is a Startup Launch alumnus] has been guiding me professionally for a while. I met him at previous events through Startup Exchange, but then he recently came to a CREATE-X event. Rahul [Saxena, CREATE-X director], has also been a great support for me since day one. He was the one who suggested Startup Launch to me.

In December of last year, we started monetizing. We were testing different things. It was helpful to share the numbers and the data points with Rahul, mentors, and other people in my cohort so that I was not blindsided, and I could take actions based on the educated analysis of a database. It helped me drive down our customer acquisition cost, increase our customer lifetime value, and didn't keep me in my own bubble.

How were you okay with letting that product go?

It was a tough decision; it was my baby. I'd been working on it 10 to 15 hours a day, at least for the last few months. Rahul and Seth convinced me that if this is not the thing you want to do long-term and you know the market isn't big enough, you should move on to the next thing and put your time and energy there. 

I had to use my brain, and not my heart.

What's the biggest piece of advice that you've received as you developed your company?

Try to never lie to yourself, which is harder than it seems. I've built two companies and worked with several others, and I still lie to myself. When you love your product so much, it's very easy to lie to yourself about how there is a market for it, or people are using it. I think even in the future, I’ll probably be caught doing that, but the best way I've found to overcome that is to surround yourself with people who can tell you when you are doing it and help you see your company the way it is instead of the way you want it to be.

How has this decision affected you so far?

My lifestyle has completely changed, from looking at a dashboard every 10 to 15 minutes, seeing how the product is doing, and burning so many fires every 30 minutes, to being pretty chill. Like, what am I supposed to think about before I go to bed? What am I supposed to do now? Who are the customers I am supposed to be thinking about? It's been interesting, but I think this gives me space to now work on that next venture and have more time to think about what I want to do next.

Do you think you'll want to return to entrepreneurship in the future?

Yes, for sure. All the money I received from the acquisition will also fuel my next venture. My main goal is to grow in this industry. I'm an entrepreneur at heart, so I will be returning to the space soon or building products that people like. 

How are you celebrating this win?

I did celebrate it on our last day with Rahul, my amazing mentor, Margaret [Weniger, who founded Rising Tide], and the other cohort members. I will be celebrating it with a few of my friends because my 21st birthday is coming around, so I'll be celebrating these occasions together. 

But I don't want to take the money out from the company or for anything else, because it’s for my next venture. It shouldn't change my lifestyle at all, so I've kept all that money in a separate place.

What encouragement would you give to students interested in pursuing a startup?

Relative to other colleges, we have a cushion, a sense of security that we will get good jobs. Entrepreneurship is a riskier and more unpredictable path, which I've seen, and I'm personally experiencing right now having to choose between Big Tech versus entrepreneurship. But once you start building it and when you hear from your first customer how you affected the way they live, then there's no going back. Statistically, you'll probably fail, but you won't know until you start building; and if you do fail, it’ll teach you so many valuable lessons that are applicable in whatever career path you choose.

CREATE-X will launch its 12th cohort of Startup Launch on Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. in the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall. Register today to secure your spot.

Interested in becoming a CREATE-X supporter? Startup Launch is made possible by contributions to Transforming Tomorrow, a $2 billion comprehensive campaign designed to secure resources that will advance the Institute and its impact, and by the continued engagement of our entrepreneurial ecosystem. Learn more about philanthropy at Georgia Tech and donate by visiting transformingtomorrow.gatech.edu.

To become a mentor in CREATE-X, visit the CREATE-X mentorship page. Any other inquiry may be sent to create-x@groups.gatech.edu. We appreciate your help and commitment to supporting our students in research and innovation.

“The effects of climate change are felt in every country with the brunt and burden of an unmanaged climate crises threatening to set back global health progress by eroding decades of poverty eradication and health equity efforts worldwide,” said Dr. Rebecca Martin, EGHI director of Emory Global Health Institute.  “Students are an important partner in our work as a global community to mitigate the impacts of climate change on health, safety, and security.”

The EGHI/GT Global Health Hackathon is a partner event between EGHI and CREATE-X. It provides multidisciplinary student teams from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology an opportunity to create technology-based product solutions for global health problems. The target for this fall’s event was creating solutions that address urban flooding, urban heat, or global sea level rise in densely populated, low-resource urban settings. Prizes included $4,000 and a golden ticket into CREATE-X Startup Launch for first place winners, $3,000 for second place winners, $2,000 for third place winners, and $500 each for two honorable mention winners.

“This hackathon continues to be a wonderful partnership between our two institutions that gives these talented students the platform and support to put forward solutions to the most pressing issues we face today,” Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X, said. “Each hackathon, I’m increasingly impressed with their ingenuity and their dedication to build something of impact.”

Check out the event program on the EGHI website and see photos from the event on the CREATE-X Flickr account. The full list of the winners of this year’s event includes:

1st Place: iManhole

An integrated system that gathers real-time data from manholes and uses machine learning algorithms to predict flooding to manage traffic and evacuation routes

Team Members: Imran Shah, Leonardo Molinari, and Jiaqi Yang 

2nd Place: Canopy

A climate-tech software platform for democratizing climate analytics using machine learning for urban development planning.

Team Members: Deesha Panchal, Kruthik Ravikanti, Vaibhav Mishra, Nicholas Swanson, Jennifer Samuel, and Vaishnavi Sanjeev

3rd Place: Floodwise

A package of effective simulations and an informed chatbot that help facilitate wise decisions during floods.

Team Members: Ansh Gupta, Dimi Deju, Mukund Chidambaram, and Sahit Mamidipaka 

Honorable Mention

Conquering Heat Islands

Process and hardware that uses excess solar power to mine crypto

Team Members: Rida Akbar, DJ Louis, Edward Zheng, Dmitri Kalinin, and Jade Bondy         

Real-Time Computational Modeling of Urban Flooding and Evacuation in Local Atlanta Communities

Integrated system to gather real-time data from manholes and use machine learning algorithms to predict flooding and optimize traffic/evacuation.

Team Members: Imran Shah, Leonardo Molinari, and Jiaqi Yang

The winners for this semester’s competition include:

1st Place: NueroChamp

2nd Place: QTACK

3rd Place: BloodSight.AI

Q&A With the Winning Teams

Team BloodSight.AI

A personalized AI medical application enhancing insight by providing analytics-driven reports for patients and physicians featuring medical insights such as vulnerabilities to diseases and lifestyle recommendations based on current blood work.

Founder: Adhira Choudhury, computer science, undergraduate student

How has CREATE-X helped you?

Working with CREATE-X, I had the privilege of being mentored by Melissa Heffner [co-director of Female Founders]. From my first Idea-to-Prototype experience as a freshman last fall, Melissa has been an invaluable guide. She has not only helped me brainstorm and refine my ideas but also supported me in understanding the intricate process of transforming a product concept into a viable startup.

What made you pursue entrepreneurship?

Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in the intersection between business and computer science. To me, entrepreneurship is a gateway to the intersection by leveraging technology to solve people-centric issues. And at the end of the day, I want to know I've had a true impact on the world.

What was the best interaction you had at I2P?

I got to have a one-on-one with a physician at the showcase, which helped provide invaluable insights to BloodSight.AI. It was incredible to get end-user feedback on the spot.

What should students know about I2P or entrepreneurship?

Don’t give up. I did this exact program as a first-year student in the Fall 2022 Idea-to-Prototype program and learned firsthand the power of hands-on experience. Working live on a prototype doesn't just spark ideas; it reveals the precise steps needed to evolve them into a minimum viable product.

Entrepreneurship is within reach—just a leap of faith away. At Georgia Tech, you're never alone. There's always a community ready to support and guide you through the journey of idea creation.

QTACK

Developing intuitive and affordable analytics solutions for logistics companies, empowering them to compete effectively without the need for in-house data science expertise.

Founders: Pranav Devarinti, undergraduate student, computer science; William “Bryce” Pardo, undergraduate student, computer science

What made you all pursue entrepreneurship?

Devarinti: We both have extensive backgrounds in data science and a shared interest in entrepreneurship. My interest came from my mom, who has her own business.

How did you learn about CREATE-X?

Pardo: For me, it was Demo Day during freshman year. Looking at all the different companies there, I was so amazed. I started talking to founders, figuring out how they got started, and one recommended the Klaus Startup Challenge. In the spring, I participated and then took Startup Lab over the summer, which is where I met Pranav, my partner.

We’re so thankful for our mentor Greg Mihalik. He’s been such a huge help.

What was the best advice you received in I2P?

Pardo: How to negotiate a deal, or how to convert them from people you’re working with to people who are paying, and also how to discover that product market fit. The advice he gave us was to cast a wide net. He advised working with companies in different areas, and then narrowing in on where we could provide the most value.

What was your biggest take away?

Pardo: Go to a lot of these events, at least to I2P Showcase. You don’t know what can come of it.

What should students know about I2P or entrepreneurship?

Pardo: A lot of it has to be very self-driven. You need to be able to motivate yourself to do the work. You won’t have someone to tell you to do all these things. Some people will tell you what you should do, but you need to be the one to take the initiative and do it.

Devarinti: With a lot of things in life, you put in X amount of effort and get Y amount of return. However, especially with startup stuff, you can put in a ton of effort, and get nothing in return, and other times you work for half a day, and things work out. You have to keep going. It’s not fair, but it’s fun.

NueroChamp

A concealed and comfortable non-invasive EEG monitoring device for effective long-term pediatric seizure detection to improve the quality and health of children with epilepsy.

Founders: Caitlin Van Zyl, undergraduate, biomedical engineering; Jacqueline “Jacqui” Van Zyl, undergraduate student, mechanical engineering; and, Meg Weaver, undergraduate student biomedical engineering

What was the best interaction you had at I2P?

Caitlin Van Zyl: One of the first [people who] came up to us was a chemical researcher, and he was just looking at our project. He loved it. He was giving us a bunch of other applications where we could apply our device for epileptic seizures.

What made you all pursue entrepreneurship?

Caitlin Van Zyl: We joined Tech knowing that we would want to do entrepreneurship and CREATE-X was the biggest entrepreneurship program on campus. I’ve been loving all of this mentorship with other teams and getting to see all these cool projects. Professor [Craig] Forest has been an incredible mentor and energizer. Seeing his passion brought out this attitude of We Can Do It.

Jacqui Van Zyl: I’m a huge researcher, and over the years I’ve recognized the real way to have an impact is being able to translate research into practical prototypes.

Meg Weaver: Being a student at Tech and working on projects and completing internships, I’ve seen where there can be gaps in the medical device field. There’s so much research to be done, and so having the opportunity to be a part of that and moving it forward is exciting.

What was your biggest take away?

Jacqui Van Zyl: Being able to iteratively prototype and being OK with failing, being OK with people coming back and saying, "That’s flawed” — that’s been a good experience for learning.

Caitlin Van Zyl: We’ve been under the mentorship of doctors. It kind of blew my mind how excited they were about our technology and how willing they were to advance it.

What should students know about I2P or entrepreneurship?

Meg Weaver: Go for it! Do I2P, at least to start learning the process. It’s going to be a great experience to learn what goes all into this.

Jacqui Van Zyl: It’s more than OK to fail and have these sets backs. You don’t really have a robust product or a successful product until you have quite a few failures, and I think that’s something that people should embrace.

Caitlin Van Zyl: No idea is too small. Any idea, take it and go into I2P, and see how it goes. One semester can mean so much.

Applications for I2P are accepted each semester and are now open for Spring 2024.

This semester’s winners earned a golden ticket to directly advance to the semifinal round of the Inventure Prize, an innovation competition for undergraduate students. The top team also earned a spot in the 2024 GT Startup Launch program, a 12-week summer accelerator that takes startups from the idea to market stage.

Interested in building your own startup to solve real-world problems while you’re still in college? Apply for GT Startup Launch today an get the support you need to make a viable product. Applications close March 19,2024.

At this year's competition, Lilypad Health emerged victorious. Their groundbreaking invention—an at-home, non-invasive menstrual blood screening tool—paves the way for accessible, non-invasive care.

Along with a $20k cash prize, Lilypad Health has secured a spot in CREATE-X Startup Launch, a program for Georgia Tech students, faculty, researchers, and alumni who want to launch their projects from idea stage (or beyond) into fully functioning and viable startups.

For second place, Team Makr Papr took the spot. Instead of juggling brochures, schedules, and business cards, their product allows users to utilize a smart name tag, streamlining all information in one place and aligning with the growing demand for eco-friendly solutions.

Lastly, Team Candor won the People’s Choice award. Their Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) platform is built for local governments struggling with managing citizen interactions. Team Candor’s CRM simplifies processes like complaint reporting, enhancing transparency, and responsiveness.

Inspired by these remarkable teams? You could be next! If you have a startup idea burning within you, consider applying for the summer 2024 Startup Launch program at create-x.gatech.edu. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, March 19, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Don’t miss your chance to turn your vision into reality. 

Deep dive into the competition and team stories on the Georgia Tech News Center site.

On Feb. 13, CREATE-X hosted Legal Buzz, one of the program’s regular workshops, which helps students learn about startups, find partners, and share ideas. And, while some questions can be answered in Startup Launch FAQs or I2P FAQs, this workshop invites attorneys to answer students’ legal questions. The February event featured Christopher “Rusty” Close, a patent attorney from Troutman Pepper. Here are some of the questions and answers:

Equity

How do you split the equity among people in a startup?

Get it on paper early. Inventorship is not percentage-based. There is no real way to say who did what percent, and it doesn’t have anything to do with the patent itself. It is not easy to tell someone they are not doing as much as they think they are.

Copyrights and Patents

If you’re a software-based company, is that company more dependent on copyright than patent?

No and yes. Generally, if you give someone access to how your system works, they won’t need your source code to write their own version of it. They won't copy your code; they will just make the same thing. If your user terms say you won't reverse engineer or make another version of it, then they will be violating by doing so. It is easier to say, “You used my product and you copied it,” than to use a patent. If you’re the one writing the user terms, those aren’t negotiated. People just end up clicking through it. It is hard for an enterprise to say, “Yes, I’ll license your software but I won’t copy it.” If you use Uber, are you a driver or a rider? It's not the same, depending on which seat you're sitting in.

During the session, Close also had advice on making the most of Startup Launch. “Work solely on your startup,” he said. “That’s why it’s a summer startup launch. This way you’ll have no regrets. Don’t have a job while working on your own business. You won’t give it your all, and you won’t enjoy doing both. You don’t want an employer to have the impression that your focus is elsewhere, either.”

On Monday, March 25, CREATE-X will host a virtual Legal Buzz event. Register for the next session of Legal Buzz today to learn more about the legal landscape surrounding startups. To see other CREATE-X events, visit the CREATE-X Engage page or look out for events on the Georgia Tech Campus Calendar.

Its 12-week summer startup accelerator, Startup Launch, continues to foster student entrepreneurship as well, and applications for this summer are currently being accepted until Tuesday, March 19.

“Georgia Tech wants to give you the best unfair advantage. That’s what I tell students,” said Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X. “You’re already at Tech, so we know you have what it takes. We want to give you the education, the financial backing, the network, and the mentorship to create something with impact. Startup Launch gives you the time to fully dive into this unique experience to intern for yourself. If you’ve ever thought about entrepreneurship, college is the best time to try it out. The skills and confidence you gain from it will help you in your career, regardless of what pathway you take.”

Startup Launch supports Georgia Tech’s faculty, alumni, and students develop startups from any stage. Participants attend sessions, team socials, and pitch practices and receive coaching and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and notable Tech alumni. They also receive $5,000 optional seed funding, $150,000 in-kind-services, and an entrepreneurial network that  will last a lifetime.

Last year, more than 3,764 people registered to attend Demo Day, Tech’s premier startup showcase, including campus and local business leaders, students, and the public. This year, CREATE-X started a cohort for the spring, comprising select teams from CREATE-X Capstone courses, in addition to the traditional cohort they’ll have this summer. Last year, 109 teams were accepted into the program.

Applications for this summer’s Launch cohort close March 19. CREATE-X does rolling admissions, so apply to Startup Launch today to increase your chances of acceptance. CREATE-X believes in quickly producing, failing fast, and then iterating again. So, the team also offers feedback to all applicants and encourages them to submit, even if they’re not totally sure about their application. A previous info session on Launch and a sample application are available to help students prepare. For additional questions, email create-x@groups.gatech.edu.

What made you pursue entrepreneurship?
I started to see where there were some holes in the dancing industry. Customers were not necessarily being taken care of. I really wanted to figure out how to help this situation.

How would you describe your experience in Startup Launch?

It was spectacular. I was put into a batch with nine other companies that were also very creative. When we would do our updates, it was nice to be with other very artistic-minded people, have that community to hold each other accountable, and talk about our progress and our goals. The community has been so supportive, and there was an incredible support system with legal, accounting, and all of these things.

I also was connected to my business mentor, Don Oates, who has been an absolute game changer for me. He has become like a built-in best friend. He's so generous with his time, and he's really helped me ask the hard questions and make pivots when necessary.

How did you balance school and your startup at the same time?

This was during Covid-19. I really struggled in October 2021. I was in my first in-person semester. I had been doing college completely online up to this point, and I had just gone through CREATE-X, wearing all the hats. I was not at a point where I could delegate. I was everything and also trying to have a social life, trying to stay close with my family, trying to exercise, all of that.

I think you start to see how easily things begin slipping.

A customer's mad because you didn't email them back fast enough. If I'm in school, sitting in a classroom, I can't be emailing customers. But, if I'm admin, CEO, and all those things, you start to become responsible for a staff, you start to become responsible to customers. You're also still responsible to your classmates for group projects. I would let my group project mates down. I realized this is starting to affect other people, not just me. 

Five days before my birthday, I had to have an emergency appendectomy and then had two weeks after for recovery.

When I tried to get back into the swing of things, I couldn't; it was too much. I ended up failing classes that semester. I was having a really hard time. It felt like I had to just take a mountain of a burden off, and I had to figure out how to put it back on. It was a wakeup call for me.

I'm sure it might be a little bit different for me, compared to people who have co-founders where you can split the burden a little bit, but for me, it was overwhelming. I had to learn to triage, prioritize, and some things just had to get cut at the end of the day.

Because of my entrepreneurship passion, I decided to go part-time with school. I'm glad that I did because that gave me the balance that I needed.
 

What has entrepreneurship given you?
It has given me purpose. It has given me passion. It has given me freedom, immense freedom. It has given me a lot of character development and a lot of hard lessons learned. It has given me a community of people who are like-minded and entrepreneurial. It has also given me a community of people who rally behind what I also care about, which has been amazing. For example, my staff of seven women are the most amazing, powerful, creative, strong, interesting people I've ever met, and they inspire me every day. Entrepreneurship gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done and will ever continue to do. Maybe a few stomachaches or headaches too.

What book, podcast, or other resources would you recommend to students interested in entrepreneurship?

Alex and Leila Hormozi. They are the most amazing power couple and individuals who give you tough love. They're all about tough love. You can find them on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, and YouTube. They have podcasts, and they've published books. One is $100 Million Leads. They are constantly on my feed and are an inspiration. Tough love is really, really needed as an entrepreneur. It's very motivating.

Receive mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs as a part of your Startup Launch experience. Applications for the 12-week summer accelerator program are open now. Apply for Startup Launch by March 19 and join our rich entrepreneurial network.

How did you get into entrepreneurship?

I was in a STEM high school. Within STEM branch, I was in engineering, but our capstone project revolved around helping the community. I would say it was definitely the catalyst to go into college. I heard about CREATE-X because I did UGA Idea Accelerator in 2019. It was taught by Jim Flannery, who had been a teacher of mine. It was a two-month process. Going every day, I thought, this is really interesting. Also, my parents have always been supportive about creativity.

What was your idea for GT Startup Launch?

My first time in Launch, my startup had to do with tattoos. I was 18, and I really wanted to learn about the industry because I wanted a tattoo. My favorite tattoo artist is Jerome, and he does fine-line, realistic tattoos. But there's no standard way of finding a tattoo artist. There's no database of tattoo artists. My concept was you could see different artists in your area, and you could see which one matches your design aesthetic. The company name was Drool. I didn't know too much about entrepreneurship at the time, and I just picked the name and ran with it.

What were you able to do through your Launch experience?

I focused on an app, kind of like learning through my major. I really wanted to know how to design apps and learn about the customer journey. I was able to teach myself how to do that. I finished that with CREATE-X.

What did you do after Launch?

Melissa Heffner was my mentor at CREATE-X in 2021. I really look up to her, and I think she's amazing. When I found out that she was on Female Founders, I knew I had to do this program. I joined for the mentors because they're each individually so talented. That's what motivates me.

What did you like about Female Founders?

I really liked meeting everyone. It's geared toward minorities in the business industry and has LGBTQ people, so I wanted to be a part of that. And, you have homework. Every week, you complete a slide deck, and then you get mentored on it. All of the mentors are seeing your deck. You get to see everyone else go. So, you're not just learning from your feedback. You’re learning from the feedback that mentors have given others.

After the program ends, your relationship with them does not. They give you so many opportunities to stay in touch with them. Female Founders focuses on a small group, so it allows you to flourish at Georgia Tech.

What was your plan going into Female Founders?

I wanted to focus on more of a physical product, completely pivot, and figure out if maybe there's a different area that I could be a help in.

What startup idea did you pursue in Female Founders?

My co-founder, Rachel Lohan, and I are working on a startup called Kinetic. I initially started it from a studio project that I created.

It essentially is revolutionizing the way ads work. This would be an advertising experience where you could see designs pop up and then if you're interested, save the info of the tattoo artists.

With an independent tattoo artist, their pain points are essentially the booking process. They use so many different platforms (social media, email, direct messages) to book their individual designs. Usually, a lot of people stray off and end up not working full-time, even though they're very talented.

With the potential tattoo customer, their pain point is there's no database. We really want to empower these artists to be able to continue to make a living off of art. Kinetic is very important to me because I genuinely believe it would be helpful to a lot of people. We want to curate a diverse selection of artists and designs to empower clients to engage with Atlanta artists.

What’s been the impact of having a co-founder?

Picking someone to do business with is very difficult, making sure that you have the perfect team to build. Rachel was just amazing. We've been able to meet every week, talk about the next steps, keep doing tests, and things like that.

What was the work like in Female Founders?

The info session was in-person, but the program was online. You do a session with everyone during the week. Then you get a session with just you and a mentor. On the first couple of days, it's figuring out who your customers are through interviews, not making any assumptions. Each week, you have a new hypothesis that you're trying to prove to narrow down to an actual product for the end. Female Founders really allowed us to ask those hard questions.

It’s a lot of work, going to do interviews with people that you believe are your stakeholders, your end users, and making sure you're asking the right questions in order to actually get that value in your insights. The mentors really, really helped because we only met once a week. It's very hands-on. You have to be ready to go.

What was the best advice you received during Female Founders?

One of my mentors said having tenacity and resilience will genuinely get you places because it sometimes doesn't work out, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying. You have to keep doing it because you're always going to learn something from it. If I didn't continue to try to educate myself on entrepreneurship, I would have never met my co-founders or people in my cohort this year. I feel like they're always encouraging.

What was the most challenging part about being in Female Founders?

Making sure you pace yourself and stay on track. Making sure you are putting in the work, that's probably been one of the most difficult things. Everyone has a busy schedule, especially in school. You're trying to juggle everything but also prioritize what you're passionate about, which would be this startup.

What are your next steps?

Right now it’s the app. Ads on your phone or pop-ups aren't effective. We envision this at Ponce City Market or Little Five Points or local college campuses. Tattoo artists are our focus right now, but imagine if this was completely redone for people in different businesses. We want to focus on small business owners because they don't have this. I feel like they are underrepresented within the advertising realm.

Rachel and I were able to get more grant funding for our startup. We’re going to continue to test and participate in other, larger competitions.

What books would you recommend to those interested in entrepreneurship?

Atomic Habits by James Clear

I think one thing that stood out to me was that you have to put in such hard work at the beginning, but it doesn’t get noticed until the end.

Build by Tony Fadell

It’s about product designing and physical aspects. If you’re doing anything physical, read this one.

Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier by Marisa Meltzer

It’s about the startup and how it was created. I really like how it creates an experience. I want to do that in the tattoo or small business industry.

Georgia Tech’s Female Founders is now accepting applications for the Spring 2024 cohort. Apply by 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 19. CREATE-X has also opened up applications for their 12-week, summer accelerator, GT Startup Launch. Apply for GT Startup Launch by March 19 and create your own startup! 

Why did you choose entrepreneurship?

After graduating from Tech, I got an opportunity to work at a tech startup. The company's makeup was a bunch of entrepreneurs. I think I was employee number nine. They knew that this wasn't the end all, be all for any of their careers. It was just something they were doing at that time. In my mind it kind of was instilled in me, early in my career, that entrepreneurship was always an option. I knew at a certain point I wanted to have my own business. I just didn't know when it was going to be or what it was going to be.

I appreciate the flexibility that comes with entrepreneurship so that I can set my schedule. I'm not a super morning person. I may work late night. I take my laptop everywhere with me. It just comes with this level of flexibility that for me is priceless.

And this isn't always the case, but sometimes working at companies, your next step, your promotions can be at the subjectiveness of managers. It feels good to be in charge of your future and decide what's next for you.

What made you want to coach students in CREATE-X?

The last few years I've gotten into teaching people how to do paid social ads, as opposed to just me doing it for them or trying to find a way for people to be able to afford me to do it for them. So, because I work with a lot of entrepreneurs and startups and small business owners, I decided to start teaching. CREATE-X naturally went with what I was doing.

It's cool to see what types of ideas students come up with and why they even came to that idea in the first place. I know when I was in school, it wasn't about starting your own company. It was really about making the GPA so that you can get on with a company like Google. But now, it’s fostering that startup spirit.

What have you noticed about the students you mentor?

I've noticed that the teams that divvy up their tasks make the most progress. It’s eye-opening to me to see how far they can go from the beginning of the summer to the end, just by really being organized and trusting each other and dividing those tasks. I always like to see that.

What has surprised you about your mentees?

I have noticed there's been at least two that I recognized coming back for a second or third time with a new idea. It's like, “OK, my last idea didn't really go the way I wanted it to go, so I'm back again with something different.” It's nice to see that they have that opportunity to try again.

What has been something you've gotten out of coaching these students?

I am transitioning into building technology myself that teaches people how to run ads. So honestly, this has been very mutually beneficial because it's also customer discovery for me. Finding out what's confusing, what you know is the first line of information that they need to know, what seems very cumbersome versus complicated. I have been able to also learn in the process from them.

What advice would you give to someone without coaching experience but interest in it?

Just go for it. Whatever you have the experience in and the knowledge in can help these students because they're pretty much starting from ground zero. If you know you're in the spirit and you want to pay it forward because maybe some people have paid it forward for you and your career, then coaching and mentoring is always the best way to do that.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in entrepreneurship but are unsure?

Put yourself out there. I'm all about dabbling in interests. CREATE-X in general seems perfect for that because you can get the class credit as well as explore an idea that you have and get the guidance along the way to see if this is something that you want to do and put a lot of effort toward. I think it's all about exploration, and the best time to do it is when you're young, without a whole lot of responsibility.

What book, podcast, or resource would you recommend to students interested in entrepreneurship and why?

Start with Why by Simon Sinek. That book is really just about finding the reason or the purpose for what you're doing. Why am I starting this business? What does that mean for me? What does that look like in the future? Not just because you want to make money or because you want to work two hours a day, but really going behind the passion of things.

And then if I had to throw in a bonus book, it's called What Got You Here Won't Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith. I like that one because it changed my perspective a little bit. There was a mindset change that I had to do because working at different agencies, I knew exactly how to not navigate through my career there. I'm working hard, and I'm putting in the hours. I'm doing all the politics that it takes to navigate an agency world, but then when I decided to shift to entrepreneurship, it wasn't the same. What got me to one level of my career is not going to continue to get me to the next level. It's about being ready for pivots, making necessary changes, educating yourself, and doing what it takes to get to the next level and realizing that everything you've done to be successful doesn't mean it's going to continue. This has worked so far, but now it's time to change it up so that you can continue on.

Receive mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs as a part of your GT Startup Launch experience. Applications for the 12-week summer accelerator are open now. Apply for GT Startup Launch by March 19 and join our rich entrepreneurial network! 

EI² and CREATE-X staff travelled to Medellín in August to lay down foundations, identify faculty and program managers who could implement the CREATE-X program, and equip facilitators to carry the program forward. The week-long training took place at Universidad EIA. For the training, 80 students, faculty, and other interested facilitators gathered to learn.

“We had great participation from the local ecosystem, local corporations, local universities, and faculty and students who are excited about the opportunity that CREATE-X could bring to not only their city, but their country,” said Nakia Melecio, VentureLab principal, senior research faculty member at EI².

In March, the Georgia Institute of Technology, in partnership with twelve companies, four universities, and two economic development agencies, opened the first comprehensive innovation hub in South America. The center is led by EI², which has the goal of bringing private industry, higher education, and economic development organizations together to help grow economies. With the Medellín Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, Colombia joins Georgia Tech’s other international research activities including in Panama, Singapore, and China.

“Our goal with the Center is to be a nexus of collaboration and bring together the public and private sectors to support sustainable economic growth,” said Juli Golemi, director of EI2 Global, which oversees the Medellín Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center operations. “Bringing CREATE-X to Medellín will be critical to creating an ecosystem in which startups can flourish and thrive.”

Daniel Constable, program manager for CREATE-X wasn’t shocked by Medellín being chosen for the center.

“I lived in Medellín for six months several years ago, so I was already kind of familiar with the city. So, when I heard we were bringing our program there, I was excited to be involved in it. Even seven years ago, it was already becoming a place for digital nomads,” Constable said.

The main goal for the next five years is to create sustainable structures and programming, said Santiago Henao Restrepo, director of operations for the Medellín Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.

“To boost the startup ecosystem, we have to do it from different fronts,” Henao said. “Working with CREATE-X and other Georgia Tech programs will help us achieve that goal by giving our students the tools to create local capabilities through these universities in Colombia to boost the ecosystem.”

Brandy Stanfield-Nagel, program manager for EI², said the program in Medellín won’t be a copy and paste of the program on Georgia Tech’s Atlanta campus.

“We have to understand the local community, how things are taught, what are the values of the community and then adapt our methodology and pedagogy to the local community. One of the aspects that's unique about Medellin is that CREATE-X is not being taught on just one campus. It's pulling from several campuses.”

After training the future facilitators, CREATE-X opened applications for the first group to participate in Startup Lab, which aims to teach participants entrepreneurial essentials. It is part of the beginning segment of CREATE-X programming, Learn. The course in Medellín would be taught in English. Students wouldn’t be able to earn credits for the course, but they wouldn’t have to pay for it. Any student of any Medellín university could participate. Over 400 students applied to take the 9-week course. Out of that, 100 students were accepted.

Melecio stressed the importance of student entrepreneurship, which aligns with Georgia Tech’s principle surrounding championing innovation. 

“I think when you look at student entrepreneurship activity across the campus and not just across our campus, but across the country, I think everyone is seeing that the future has to be created, not discovered,” Melecio said. “I think that students play an extreme catalyst in creating the future versus waiting for it to be discovered.”

Viviana Montenegro, program manager for EI² and EI² Global, spoke of the wide-ranging impacts of the student’s entrepreneurship and their eagerness to do the work.

“The program is feeding the pipeline. It has an impact to many stakeholders,” said Montenegro. “It’s been rewarding for me to meet students that are so passionate and have so much potential.

“These startups can bring solutions to the community, but also can hire, or can have partnership with the corporate world and bring innovation to the universities,” Henao said.

In the future, CREATE-X plans to continue to expand outside of Georgia Tech.

“We are a thought leader in entrepreneurial education now, and we want to help everyone be able to provide entrepreneurial education to their respective campuses and achieve the type of success we've seen with CREATE-X,” Saxena said. “What Georgia Tech can help other schools understand is how to create in entrepreneurial culture on campus. I think the playbook on how to instill entrepreneurial confidence in students hasn't been written yet and is one that I think Georgia Tech has shown that it can do better than others.”

Eventually, Medellín students could have their own Demo Day to showcase their products or visit CREATE-X’s Demo Day on Georgia Tech’s campus. Looking forward, the Medellín program aims to launch 100 startups and to expand programming to contain the other segments of CREATE-X, Make and Launch, where students are developing prototypes and then bringing viable products to market. Outside of CREATE-X, the GTMC will also have professional courses, bootcamps, and an invention studio, among other things. And the students themselves are expanding beyond their borders. Even now, students are making connections with contacts in Atlanta through the GTMC.

For those interested in supporting the work being done in Medellín through volunteering, visit the GTMC website.

Kiandra Peart, co-founder of Reinvend, said the amount of people surprised her.

“After the first VIP session was over, hundreds of people were just flooding through the door at all times,” she said. “We had to give the pitch a million times to explain it to a lot of different people, but they seemed really, really engaged, and we were also able to get a few interactions.”

Reinvend is working through a potential deal with Tech Dining on using their vending machines, which would expand food options for students after dining halls close.

Demo Day is the culmination of the 12-week summer accelerator, Startup Launch, where founders learn about entrepreneurship and build out their businesses with the support of mentors. Along with guidance from experts in business, teams receive $5,000 in optional funding and $30,000 of in-kind services. This year, the program had over 100 startups and 250 founders, continuing the growth trend for CREATE-X. The program aims to eventually support the launch of 300 startups per year.

Peart said the experience taught the team how to better pitch to potential clients and formulate a call to action after a successful interaction.

Since its inception in 2014, CREATE-X has had more than 5,000 participate in their programming, which is segmented in three areas: Learn, Make, and Launch. Besides providing resources, the program also helps founders through its rich entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“We want to increase access to entrepreneurship. That’s the heart of the program, and it’s the goal to have everyone in the Tech community to have entrepreneurial confidence. The energy and passion of our founders to solve real-world problems — it’s palpable at Demo Day. I’d say it’s the best place to see what we’re about and understand what this program offers,” said Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X, who also reminded founders that the connections they make here would last for years.

At its core, CREATE-X is a community geared toward innovation. Participants were at the forefront of integrating OpenAI's GPT-3 when it was not yet widely adopted. They share their insights with each other, and the program has mentors coming back from even the very first cohort. Starting with eight teams, CREATE-X has now launched more than 400 startup teams, with founders representing 38 academic majors. Its total startup portfolio valuation is above $1.9 billion.

Peart compared CREATE-X to an energy drink.

“After going through the program, I was really able to refine my ideas, talk with other people, and now that the program is over, I feel energized,” she said. “I think that having an accelerator right at home allows students who may have never considered starting a company, or didn't have access to an accelerator, to actually utilize their resources from their school and their own community to get their companies started.”

Although Demo Day just ended, CREATE-X is already gearing up for  the next cohort. Applications for Startup Launch opened Aug. 31, the same day as Demo Day.

“Consider interning for yourself next summer,” said Saxena. “We know you have ideas about solutions to address global challenges. You’re at Tech; you have the talent. Let us help you with the resources and support system.”

Georgia Tech students, alumni, and faculty can apply to GT Startup Launch now. The priority deadline is Nov. 6. To learn more about CREATE-X, find CREATE-X events to build a startup team, or learn more about entrepreneurship, visit th CREATE-X website

At the event, attendees will be able to explore the products of over 100 newly minted startups, from consumer apps to deep tech, and engage with more than 250 founders about their entrepreneurial journeys. In 2021, CREATE-X startups were at the frontier of the current AI revolution, integrating OpenAI's GPT-3 well ahead of mainstream adoption.

CREATE-X began in 2014 as a Georgia Tech initiative to instill entrepreneurial confidence in students launching real startups. Their signature program is the 12-week Startup Launch accelerator, in which students and alumni intern for their own companies. Participants attend sessions, team socials, and pitch practices and receive coaching and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and notable Tech alumni. Demo Day is the finale of the program, a vibrant exhibition that is free and open to the public.

The inaugural cohort had eight teams. Several companies among the first six cohorts are valued above $100 million, and one company is valued at $1.3 billion. The program has worked with nearly 450 startup teams, with a total portfolio valuation of over $1.9 billion, and has produced more than 1,100 founders launching startups. In the future, CREATE-X Director Rahul Saxena said the program hopes to produce 300 startups a year.

“CREATE-X has a rich entrepreneurial ecosystem that will support students as they launch real startups. In every cohort, I remind participants that the connections they make in the program will carry after, and that they’re surrounded by talent,” Saxena said. “We want every Georgia Tech student to have this advantage when starting their business.”

He noted, “From consumer apps revolutionizing everyday life to sustainable fashion brands paving the way toward responsible consumption — there's something here for everyone. CREATE-X founders are a testament to tomorrow’s possibilities, and we invite you to see it for yourself.”

Registration is open now for Demo Day 2023. For more information, visit the CREATE-X website.

The fellowship spans three semesters, providing selected faculty members an opportunity to build entrepreneurship into their course curriculum and research. During VentureLab’s Startup Launch summer program, Payne worked full-time, managed summer camps and other job duties, and completed 50 interviews with customers while working with her mentors. Most workdays started at 3 a.m. and didn’t end until 10 p.m.

Payne has a bachelor’s in elementary education; a master’s in educational technology; two education specialist degrees; and a certificate in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has taught for 25 years and worked as a librarian, a STEM coordinator, a media specialist, and, at Georgia Tech, as a research associate in the College of Computing.

Why do you think extra support is needed for students and career-changers to get certified?

You might as well say, “Go learn a new language and a new way of thinking, in addition to your daily responsibilities, all at once and by yourself.” While you may find some students who are intrinsically motivated to do this, there are countless others who, with the right support system, could find themselves along a career path suited to their interests and increasing their earning potential.

What encouraged you to believe you were on the right path with your startup?

My mentor, Roberto Casas, really believed in what I was doing. He said, “People need options. You're telling me that I can actually do that? Oh, OK.” When they say the model is instilling entrepreneurial confidence, it really is. It started with saying I could. That's where the confidence came from. I'm not in this by myself. I can do this. Some of the problems we want to fix can actually be businesses.

How was the fellowship program?

You come in with an idea, and they tell you not to be surprised that it changes. You can't be so married to the idea. I don't remember what my first idea was. Every week you would get up and present how many interviews you did. Every week I had to be on top. It was more fun than work. This is a whole new level of hard, but it's equal parts exhilarating.

What did you discover through the fellowship process?

Just as you think you're helping teachers, they're helping you. Teachers are the most underutilized resource. You'd be surprised how many communities these teachers are plugged into.

What advice do you have for students interested in entrepreneurship?

You're at Tech. While you may have come for the degree, there is this whole entrepreneurial system available. Just knowing the business skills can open up a whole world.

Any final thoughts?

I get to teach you and you get to expand on it. That is what leaving a legacy does, and I am so glad that I was afforded this opportunity during my time at Tech. I believe that this opportunity will allow me to help others thrive.

Payne completed her pilot teacher trainings during the program. It was so successful that those clients recommended her company across their networks. From there, Payne has worked with the Georgia Economic Development Creative Communities Project and with corporations. Now, she has enough contracts to work on her company full-time.

Speak to our next cohort of CREATE-X founders at Demo Day, Aug. 31, 3-5p.m., at the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall. Register for Demo Day today to reserve your spot at this free event!

While at Tech, Hewitt studied electrical engineering. He met his co-founder, Evan Jarecki, through an internship with Gulf Stream Aerospace. They had complimentary skills and similar goals, so they decided to go into business together.

What did you think about the way you and your co-founder worked?

It’s surprised me how much of a superpower it was. That just turned out to be magical.

How did you and your co-founder decide on what startup to create?

The way that vending machines order food, or the way that grocery stores invoice the people who make deliveries, happens with a super old-school technology called DEX. When we got started, you literally had to carry a guitar jack cord around to be able to plug into these DEX ports to communicate with the mainframe of the grocery store or the control board of the vending machine. The other end of that would be like a Zebra or Motorola PDA, and that's how you communicate with them. I think it’s bizarre when people learn how old-school information happens in vending and in grocery stores.

Why did you join CREATE-X?

Knowing that it would take both hardware and software kind of raised the bar of what we needed to get this idea off the ground. We knew that instead of just two guys on two laptops working in a garage coding their way to a solution, we were going to need a couple more people with different specialties. Doing those things usually involves cash. CREATE-X means to me an ecosystem and a support system for innovation.

How did your startup develop?

The idea definitely got more refined. There was still this process of experimentation and accelerated mini failures that gave us a lot more confidence. Even though we came into the program with an idea of what we wanted to solve, it became a lot more refined through this constant iteration, experimentation, and customer discovery throughout the program.

What were your biggest challenges?

Money issues were some of the biggest challenges. How do you fund a lot of these initial projects with no budget? There’s this romantic view of being a startup. It’s not as romantic as the movies make it seem.

What gave you confidence despite the challenges?

Our customers wanted us to be successful because they wanted the solution. That felt so validating, not only that we can solve a problem, but people value it. We used one customer’s investment in us to talk to other investors. That gave a lot more confidence in the ultimate solution that we decided to pursue.

How did the Georgia Tech community benefit you during the beginning stages of your startup journey?

We were getting all the right attention from different people. You've got nothing when you make a startup. You don't have HR. You don't have legal. You don't have office space. You don't have a training manual. You hire the first employee, and you make a bunch of mistakes. All of these things are brand new. I was able to lean on the network at Georgia Tech and ask people through the program, “Who can I talk to who has done this before?” And they would say, “Talk to this guy. He's either failed at it or he's succeeded at it. Either way, you'll learn something.” I think that helped us sidestep a number of mistakes. I would have failed without the help of others. That was the biggest lesson.

What advice would you give someone who wants to build a startup?

I’ve noticed that those who try tend to still leave a dent on the world. If you put yourself out there, what I’ve seen is the Atlanta startup community is actually supportive. We have connections to people now.

Where are you now with your startup, and what are your plans?

Instead of being a founder, I want to work with a founder.

Gimme Vending has been named product of the year, 40 Under 40, Tag Top 40, #1 B2B in Georgia, and received other recognition. After almost nine years as CEO, Hewitt will now try something new. He’s leaving his startup this month and is excited about electrification and emerging tech in developing community support. He plans to work with founders in those areas. Hewitt also plans to be a CREATE-X mentor and a mentor in pitch competitions across the state.

Speak to our next cohort of CREATE-X founders at Demo Day, Aug. 31, 3-5p.m., at the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall. Register for Demo Day today to reserve your spot at this free event!

Where did you get the idea for Raccoon Eyes?

We first got the idea from our experiences in Georgia Tech’s dining halls, mainly West Village Dining Commons. One day as Ivan was leaving the cafeteria, he saw the kitchen staff throwing out a lot of breakfast food items. We continued to take notice of waste. We discovered that pre-consumer (kitchen) and post-consumer (student) waste is a big problem at Georgia Tech and other universities. We wanted to change how students and chefs alike look at waste.

What environmental challenge does Raccoon Eyes address?

Food waste is a big problem. College dining halls in the U.S. produce 7.9 billion pounds of food waste per year. That food waste produces 175 tons of carbon emissions. Overall, food waste has a larger carbon footprint than the airline industry. Greenhouse gasses are emitted by garbage in landfills as well as by the processes used to get rid of waste, such as garbage trucks and burning trash.

So, what exactly is Raccoon Eyes?

Our business was developed around a trash can extension. The extension includes a camera that photographs food waste. We developed software to identify the type of food waste and its weight. A computer screen prompts students to explain why they are throwing away food. The paired data and feedback are shared with dining hall managers and chefs to help them modify portion sizes and food preparation.

What business problem does the company solve for dining hall managers?

Food waste is costly. Think of the ingredients, the labor to make the food, and the process to get rid of trash. Raccoon Eyes provides dining managers with crucial data on the type and quantity of food waste paired with student feedback. This information can help managers make data-driven decisions to reduce waste and improve the dining experience for students. Managers are eager to improve the student experience. If students enjoy the food in the dining halls, that has a positive impact on meal plan retention.

How did the three of you meet, and what steps did you take to develop this business?

We met in our Georgia Tech classes. We came together to build Raccoon Eyes for the Fall 2022 CREATE-X Capstone (a special section of the senior design course dedicated to entrepreneurial projects). Through our talks with chefs, managers, and directors in the dining halls, we discovered there was a real need for our product and the data it collects. We therefore decided to continue our development.

What has it been like to work with Georgia Tech Dining Services as a partner?

Working with Georgia Tech Dining Services has been an amazing experience. We continuously communicate with the dining staff, chefs, managers, sustainability team, and directors to understand the problem. They have helped us see what a perfect solution would look like to them. Maurice Gibson, the assistant director of dining operations at West Village Dining Commons, was especially helpful. He gave us permission to use our device in the cafeteria and offered feedback that helped us make improvements to the extension.

How have students responded to the extension?

Overall, the feedback is positive. Students realize that their feedback can lead to a better dining experience.

What is one of the biggest obstacles your team has had to overcome?

We overcame the obstacle of developing the technology to identify the food on the student’s plate and determine its weight from a video or image. While the rest of the food waste industry needs a scale to measure the food, we can do it with a camera.

What are some of Raccoon Eyes’ big achievements thus far?

Our team won first place at the Fall 2022 Senior Capstone Expo, was a finalist for the 2023 Georgia Tech InVenture Prize, and won second place at the 2023 Sustainable-X Showcase.

What Georgia Tech resources have helped you develop the startup?

CREATE-X mentorship, the Hive Makerspace, and courses in which we learned about the technologies used in our product have all been tremendously helpful. Winning second place in the Sustainable-X Showcase has opened up even more opportunities. For instance, Sustainable-X has been helping us develop a contract we can use for our work with Georgia Tech Dining Services. Also, we are working with a partner affiliated with CREATE-X and Sustainable-X to receive additional investments for our company.

What are the next steps for your company?

Our goal is to be at the forefront of the movement to reduce food waste by transforming each cafeteria and dining hall across the nation. By providing dining managers with data on the type and quantity of food waste, the company aims to reduce food waste, improve the dining experience for students, and reduce the environmental impact of wasted food. Thanks to our win in the Sustainable-X Showcase, we have been invited to continue our business journey this summer during the CREATE-X Startup Launch. We want to expand our work at Georgia Tech – to go from having one unit to six working in the dining halls. We also want to run pilot programs for colleges and universities near Atlanta.

Would you like to thank anyone in particular?

Abhipsa Ujwal (CmpE ’22) and Phuc Truong (EE ’22) contributed to the senior design project and InVenture Prize competition. We would like to thank our friends, family, and mentors who have allowed us to succeed and grow not only as a company but also as people.

As told to Jennifer Holley Lux.

Photo: Bruce Tan, Ivan Zou, and Nathanael Koh. (Photo credit for left image: Joya Chapman.)

“I’m so excited,” said Mya Griesbaum, a first-year materials science and engineering student.

This was the second time Griesbaum had taken the I2P course and presented at the showcase. Griesbaum came back to see how other students had developed their projects, but also for I2P resources to develop her own, like research education, class credit, a $500 reimbursement for physical expenses, and faculty mentorship. The access to labs and mentors was particularly helpful, she said.

On her table, she had a spread of materials, including a halter top. Griesbaum created a fungi-derived alternative to leather, called Mycorrhiza, in collaboration with Pratyusha Akavaram, Irene Dumitriu, Ben Collins, and Aryaman Jha. Griesbaum worked two semesters on perfecting the leather, going through several lab mishaps and iterative research.

“Progress can be really slow, and patience is key,” she said. “I remember going in and really wanting to make a scalable product in a single semester and that definitely was not the case.”

However, Griesbaum encouraged other students to not be deterred.

“You don't have to know as much as you think you do. You do not have to be an expert in a field whatsoever. There are so many people who can help you out and who want to help you out and share the knowledge,” she said. “Just go for it.”

Who Wants a Cricket Brownie?

At another booth, an attendee with over a decade of experience in marketing alternative flowers and sustainable products offered support to Lauren Duderstadt, a fifth-year student and double major in mechanical engineering and industrial design, and Rohan Banerjee, another fifth-year student and mechanical engineer major, for their cricket powder-based snack, Crikey.

The pair had brought brownie samples made from pulverized crickets that boasted 20 grams of protein per serving. The samples had a chocolate taste but also a pillowy texture, something the team worked hard to achieve.

At first, the texture had been sandy. Trying to get the texture and taste right propelled them to continue, Banerjee said.

“On a granular, day-to-day level, when we’re working on a prototype, tasting it and seeing what we think, it’s that curiosity of ‘What if we tweak this? What if we can make it a little better?’” Banerjee said. “And over months of doing that, you end up with something dramatically better than where you started.”

During that iteration process, Banerjee appreciated the faculty resources most.  

“Even though we picked something that’s seemingly niche, our mentor was someone we found to have significant experience in marketing and product development in similar spaces. He was able to give us a lot of really good feedback,” Banerjee said.

Craig Forest, associate director for CREATE-X’s MAKE program, said many students gain applicable skills and confidence working with CREATE-X mentors.

“Since 2015, more than 1,500 students have been able to pursue their invention ideas because of the generous time from mentors across campus and the resources of CREATE-X,” Forest said. “I2P gives students the resources, incentives, and structure to move their idea from their head to a real, working prototype on the table.”

Why Not Be the Change?

At another booth, a uterus model sat prominently on display. Sarah Deiters, a fourth-year biomedical engineering major, and Ayusha Prasad, a second-year biomedical engineering major, had created a product called Cervilove, designed to make IUD insertion less painful.

“There are many women who suffer with IUD insertion, and a lot of women who don't even attempt to use it because of the pain,” Deiters said. “So, attacking that idea has been awesome.”

Some attendees stopped by to hear about the product. The students explained that the current process for insertion uses a tenaculum, which pierces cervical tissue and was developed from forceps used in the 19th century for bullet extraction. Impressed attendees gave the team contacts for investors and additional support.

“IUD insertion hasn’t really changed since IUDs became popular nearly 75 years ago,” Deiters said. “I was just thinking, ‘Why can’t we do something about it? What’s keeping us from changing the culture and the whole insertion process for IUDs?’”

Prasad said the entire experience of I2P boosted their confidence.

“Knowing that somehow and some way we can potentially make a better healthcare environment for women is something that drives us forward,” Prasad said. “I think if you’re passionate about something, then this is definitely the place for it to take off.”

Spring 2023 I2P Showcase Winners

1st place: Mycorrhiza

(Mya Griesbaum (lead), and collaborators, Pratyusha Akavaram, Irene Dumitriu, Ben Collins, and Aryaman Jha)

2nd place: Crikey (Lauren Duderstadt and Rohan Banerjee)

3rd place: Cervilove (Sarah Deiters and Ayusha Prasad)

Mycorrhiza gained access to the CREATE-X summer startup accelerator, Georgia Tech Startup Launch, giving the startup $5,000 in optional seed funding, coaching, and free incorporation services. Mycorrhiza will also gain access to investors and industry partners at Demo Day, which attracts more than 1,3000 attendees, and more.

I2P applications for the summer and fall are open. Students must apply for the program to register for the course. The last deadline for the summer session is May 15. Read more about the course on the CREATE-X website.

 Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI) Director Dr. Rebecca Martin called the students “intelligent, sympathetic, and compassionate” for trying to bring about positive change in the space.

“This Hackathon is a very unique and distinct, experiential, entrepreneurial opportunity in the students’ education,” Martin said. “This opportunity and learning bring together students from different disciplines, from public health, from technology, engineering, law, basic humanities from sciences together, and allows them to ideate and develop products and technology prototypes or solutions to urgent real-time global health issues.”

IBM Partner Rashmi Gupta, Gimme Vending Co-Founder Cory Hewitt, Vice President for Infectious Diseases Program at the CDC Foundation Catherine Zilber, Senior Vice President of Technology at Innova Solutions Arvind Ramachandra, Senior Associate Director for the mental health program at the Carter Center Samhita Kumar judged the competition. After listening to team presentations, the judges asked questions and gave feedback. Once the judges deliberated, the following teams took home winning titles:  

1st Place: SensAI

An AI-based, socially interactable app that gamifies cognitive therapy for children with neuromotor disabilities

Team Members: Ysabelle Tristan, Vaibhav Mishra, Rachel Logue, Raksha Govind, Ishan Sheth      

2nd Place: Mindscope

A telehealth app built for providers that tracks patient data and metrics over time, session by session.

Team Members: Nyimul Hoque, Benson Ku, Charlie Jenkins, Microl Chen, Rahul Komatineni, Vanessa Wei

3rd Place: Doula

An app and clinician dashboard that will support maternal mental health and attempt to reduce incidence of peripartum depression and anxiety

Team Members: Ketki Vinayak Joshi, Anish Chandrashekar Biwalkar, Dhanish Revanth Rangaswamy Nandakumar, Niharika Ikkurthy, Christian Coletti, Binoy Shah     

Honorable Mention

Onward

An app for addiction recovery

Team Members: Giuliano Tissot, Maria del Pilar rubio Beltran, Mo Singhal, Vinicius Possobom, Daniel Leite, João Bonchristiano          

SpirituWell

An app for aiding Black faith-based groups/leaders’ access to mental health resources and information

Team Members: Gayathri Dhurjati, Preet Kaur, Trisha Minocha, Christina Kiruba Christopher, Gitika Chaudhry, Vibaa Raghunath          

In addition to a cash prize, the SensAI team earned a spot in CREATE-X’s GT Startup Launch program, which is designed to help students scale their business ideas.

Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X, said he hoped that the experience broadens what students believes is possible and wants to see all of them apply to GT Startup Launch.

“Over the past couple of weeks, these students, with their creativity and skills, have developed solid products addressing a real-world problem,” Saxena said. “It’s amazing to see what they've developed combining their respective disciplines.”

For those interested in participating in the next EGHI/GT hackathon, we plan to come back with another one in the fall. Stay tuned!

The leadership team for Sustainable-X includes Scheller College of Business faculty and staff: co-directors Andre Calmon and Karthik Ramachandran (Dunn Family Professor), advisor Beril Toktay (Brady Family Chair and Regents’ Professor), and program manager Kjersti Lukens (program support coordinator for the Center).

Since its launch in November 2022, Sustainable-X has worked toward its goal of injecting energy into the community of sustainable startups through a variety of offerings. A two-day bootcamp focused on problem framing and ideation exercises to help participants design solutions. At monthly Sustainable-X Hangouts, attendees can learn about climate tech and environmental and social entrepreneurship, get resources for their projects, and meet individuals from different backgrounds in order to develop well-rounded teams. Additionally, participants receive mentorship from entrepreneurs and Georgia Tech faculty who are eager to see the next generation of business leaders and changemakers succeed. All of this year’s activities have built up to the Showcase. The top three teams won cash prizes and the chance to join the CREATE-X Startup Launch program this summer.

Out of 30 strong applications for the Showcase submitted by teams from all six Georgia Tech colleges, six teams were selected to pitch their ideas. Teams gave five-minute presentations and answered questions from the judges, Chris Klaus, Bill Nussey, Dori Pap, Rahul Saxena, and Savannah Seydel. Teams were judged across four categories: 1) business value; 2) novelty, creativity, and feasibility; 3) environmental impact; and 4) presentation.

Prize Winners

First Prize: WheelChariot (Tori Stopford and Gabriel Jones)

How can disabled individuals find out if a business is accessible? WheelChariot aims to help the underserved community of people with disabilities. The team’s goal is to revolutionize the way businesses are rated and reviewed by focusing on their accessibility for people with disabilities.

Second Prize: Raccoon Eyes (Bruce Tan and Ivan Zou)

How can university dining halls reduce food waste? Raccoon Eyes aims to save money for dining managers and curtail methane gas emissions from food waste. Raccoon Eyes is a trash can extension that collects data and asks for feedback at the point of waste to improve dining operations.

Third Prize: In Good Company (Amanda Shojaee and Sarah)

How can business owners resolve labor shortages while leveraging a historically overlooked candidate pool? In Good Company helps businesses implement inclusive employment practices and improve retention rates. Solutions serve both employers in need of labor and employment seekers in need of the proper accommodations to succeed on the job.

Finalists

Team:  Reflex
Team Member: Usman Jamal

How can EMS critical care be delivered more swiftly? Time is of the essence during a medical emergency. Reflex delivers life-saving medical equipment via drones within the critical intervention period of an emergency incident.

Team: TBD Aerospace
Team Members: Benjamin Jiras, Karsten Caillet, Cayden Shaffer, and Ethan Gutierrez. 

How can firefighting efforts be improved? Wildfires are a significant problem globally, but traditional aerial firefighting methods are often inadequate. TBD Aerospace aims to develop a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles that can help to solve this problem without posing a risk to human pilots.

Team: Therapy Sense
Team Members: Adithya Mohanavel, Gayathri Rajakumar, Sanjana Vijay Ganesh, Jagriti Sikka, and Richard Rex.

How can students’ mental health needs be addressed more efficiently? University health centers are struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for counseling services. In order to solve the supply and demand problem, Therapy Sense provides comprehensive and personalized AI therapy solutions to college students who are facing mental health challenges.

The Raccoon Eyes team expressed that presenting their idea in front of industry experts validated their efforts. They continued, “The advice we got and will continue to get from the program directors, Karthik Ramachandran and Andre Calmon, has been invaluable and will help our business strategy moving forward. The prize from the showcase gave us funds to build more units and continue iterating our minimum viable product (MVP).”

For the WheelChariot team, the first prize winnings mean they can take their startup “to the next level.” The team reflected, “At our core is accessibility, especially for our platform. With our winnings and investment, we want to work with an expert in designing accessible platforms to make sure that our website and forthcoming app are easy for our community to use. We’re so grateful that the judges believe in the future success of WheelChariot and are as committed to making our world a more accessible place.”

Scheller College of Business has a vision of being a top school in research, education, and inclusive innovation. As such, Toktay remarked, WheelChariot’s success offers “a nicely congruent outcome.” She continued, “I’m delighted that the first-prize winner is an exemplar for inclusive innovation, with a compelling business idea that addresses the needs of people with disabilities.”

Ramachandran stated that Sustainable-X is committed to the mission of creating a more sustainable future. He said, “We plan to use the success of the Showcase as a springboard to launch the next generation of sustainable innovators. The event was a success thanks to the support of Sustainable-X’s partners and stakeholders. In the coming months, the initiative will grow its network and identify opportunities for further progress."

Interested in getting involved?

• Visit the Sustainable-X website to learn more. The program is hosted by Georgia Tech but serves the state of Georgia and is open to students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members. 
• Join one of the Sustainable-X Hangout events. The next Hangout will take place on April 26 (click here to register). Hangouts are informal meetings where participants can chat about their ideas and pitches and get feedback from peers and the co-directors.
• Join the Sustainable-X’s growing community on Slack and stay connected with like-minded builders and entrepreneurs! Please use this link to join.
• Use this link to sign up for the Sustainable-X newsletter. 

Written by Jennifer Holley Lux. Photographs by Joya Chapman.

What is the personal story behind the need for a resource like WheelChariot? 

Gabriel Jones: For a large part of my life, my mother has taken care of my grandparents, eventually becoming their full-time caretaker. It quickly became apparent that so many places are created with able-bodied people in mind. Those places just don’t work for everyone. We found my grandmother unable to reach her doctor’s office because the wheelchair ramp was too steep. My grandfather struggled to get into his favorite restaurant in town because the handicapped parking was nearly 60 feet further from the front door than the closest spots for able-bodied people. The problems we encountered in my town made me wonder, Just how widespread is the issue of inaccessibility for people with a variety of disabilities across the country? 

How did the two of you meet, and how did you decide to develop this business? 

Gabriel Jones and Tori Stopford: We first met in the fall of 2021 in a marketing consulting course. We worked together seamlessly on group projects and decided to work together again on a group project the next semester in the core operations management course taught by Andre Calmon. Gabriel pitched the idea for WheelChariot, and our group developed a business plan. Out of the over 200 ideas pitched and developed, WheelChariot won as the best idea across three sections of the course. We thought, If our class thinks this idea has so much potential, shouldn’t we at least look into seeing how it could grow?