{"632606":{"#nid":"632606","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Former Georgia Tech Students Launch Beauty Tech Startup","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn app for makeup lovers that began as a class project at Georgia Tech has now transformed into a tech startup that\u0026rsquo;s helping to make the beauty industry more inclusive.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnisha Matharu\u003C\/strong\u003E, ID 2019 and \u003Cstrong\u003ESabrina Moin\u003C\/strong\u003E met in class in 2019. Their original class project idea was to create an app to find makeup dupes \u0026ndash; less expensive products that are comparable to more expensive, high-end brands. During the customer discovery process, though, the app began to evolve and take shape.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We realized that the customers\u0026rsquo; main problem wasn\u0026rsquo;t the ability to find dupes but being able to know what looks good on them and suits their skin tone,\u0026rdquo; Matharu said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople with deep complexions especially have trouble visualizing how an online product will look on their skin because models are often white or have lighter complexions. Social media sites aren\u0026rsquo;t much help either because of photo retouching and filters. Both the beauty industry and makeup wearers of color applaud brands like Fenty Beauty and The Lip Bar for offering a wider range of makeup color samples, known as swatches, modeled by people on both the lightest and darkest ends of the color spectrum.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMatharu and Moin\u0026rsquo;s app, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.swatchcandy.com\/\u0022\u003Eswatchcandy\u003C\/a\u003E, adds data science and a proprietary color matching algorithm to the mix by personalizing the makeup buying process and making it more inclusive. App users upload a picture and input their foundation shade \u0026ndash; or take a quiz to find their shade \u0026ndash; to see unretouched photos of makeup on people who closely match their own complexion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe CIC and CREATE-X Experience\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore officially launching the swatchcandy app for iOS in January, the former classmates turned business partners got an early taste of entrepreneurship during the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EConvergence Innovation Competition\u003C\/a\u003E (CIC) in spring 2019. The competition, now in its 12th year, is for Georgia Tech undergraduate and graduate students to create products and services in categories selected by campus, industry, and community partners.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAn early version of the app won first place in the CIC\u0026rsquo;s Climate Solutions category, which initially didn\u0026rsquo;t seem like a good fit. The team submitted their project anyway and proposed the app as a solution for packaging waste \u0026ndash; the easier it is to find your perfect makeup shade, the less likely you are to throw away a partially used product.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMatharu\u0026rsquo;s advice to students considering submitting their projects to the CIC: \u0026ldquo;Don\u0026rsquo;t let the categories restrict your creativity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring the competition\u0026rsquo;s final judging event, the team gained valuable experience with pitching swatchcandy to\u0026nbsp;industry professionals and Georgia Tech faculty. Moin remembers, \u0026ldquo;It was great to talk to them, network with them.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMoin added, \u0026ldquo;The competition held us accountable because we had to present what we\u0026rsquo;d done so far. It helped us to explain our idea and start to realize it as a project that could be successful outside of school.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team also met an associate director from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/create-x.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECREATE-X\u003C\/a\u003E who encouraged them to apply for Startup Launch, which partners with students to turn their ideas into viable startups. Through the program, Moin and Matharu officially registered as a company and learned effective business strategies with the help of ongoing mentorships.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe business partners are currently continuing to build out the app\u0026rsquo;s database, make improvements based on user feedback, and build relationships with cosmetic companies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECREATE-X is currently accepting applications for Startup Launch 2020. Apply at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/create-x.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ecreate-x.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E. One winning team from the Spring 2020 CIC will receive a \u0026quot;golden ticket\u0026quot; to participate in this summer\u0026rsquo;s Startup Launch and further develop their project.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESubmissions for the Spring 2020 Convergence Innovation Competition are due by March 29 at 11:59 p.m. Sign up for the competition at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ecic.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The swatchcandy app, which won first place in the Convergence Innovation Competition (CIC), helps people \u2013 especially those with deep skin tones \u2013 find makeup to complement their complexion."}],"uid":"27980","created_gmt":"2020-02-18 17:52:44","changed_gmt":"2020-02-20 15:51:25","author":"Alyson Key","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632598":{"id":"632598","type":"image","title":"Swatchcandy","body":null,"created":"1582047829","gmt_created":"2020-02-18 17:43:49","changed":"1582047829","gmt_changed":"2020-02-18 17:43:49","alt":"Swatchcandy","file":{"fid":"240690","name":"indiegogo thumbnail-03.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/indiegogo%20thumbnail-03.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/indiegogo%20thumbnail-03.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3561927,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/indiegogo%20thumbnail-03.png?itok=huYbxg_s"}},"632640":{"id":"632640","type":"image","title":"Team swatchcandy (formerly myshadow) at the Spring 2019 Convergence Innovation Competition","body":null,"created":"1582122226","gmt_created":"2020-02-19 14:23:46","changed":"1582122226","gmt_changed":"2020-02-19 14:23:46","alt":"Team swatchcandy (formerly myshadow) at the Spring 2019 Convergence Innovation Competition","file":{"fid":"240709","name":"CIC.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CIC.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CIC.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":754686,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/CIC.jpeg?itok=4xqdqIWs"}},"632601":{"id":"632601","type":"image","title":"Swatchcandy","body":null,"created":"1582047935","gmt_created":"2020-02-18 17:45:35","changed":"1582047935","gmt_changed":"2020-02-18 17:45:35","alt":"Swatchcandy app","file":{"fid":"240692","name":"swatchcandy-previews-04.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/swatchcandy-previews-04.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/swatchcandy-previews-04.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1477842,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/swatchcandy-previews-04.png?itok=P3puREGW"}},"632600":{"id":"632600","type":"image","title":"Swatchcandy app","body":null,"created":"1582047877","gmt_created":"2020-02-18 17:44:37","changed":"1582047877","gmt_changed":"2020-02-18 17:44:37","alt":"Swatchcandy app","file":{"fid":"240691","name":"promo-app-screens-44.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/promo-app-screens-44.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/promo-app-screens-44.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3322629,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/promo-app-screens-44.png?itok=rrLKt4Xj"}}},"media_ids":["632598","632640","632601","632600"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/cic.gatech.edu","title":"Convergence Innovation Competition"},{"url":"http:\/\/create-x.gatech.edu","title":"CREATE-X"},{"url":"https:\/\/ipat.gatech.edu\/platforms-and-services-socio-technical-systems\/spring-2019-convergence-innovation-competition","title":"Spring 2019 Convergence Innovation Competition Winners Announced"}],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"183997","name":"swatchcandy"},{"id":"63931","name":"CIC"},{"id":"137161","name":"CREATE-X"},{"id":"10553","name":"app"},{"id":"166973","name":"startup"},{"id":"6060","name":"Beauty"},{"id":"106751","name":"makeup"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAlyson Powell Key\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch Communications Program Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute for People and Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}