 |
Six start-ups present their unique business ideas at the New Venture Startup Showcase
sponsored by Alabama Power.
|
On August 23, 2021, Alabama Power sponsored at Startup Showcase in the new Research
and Innovation Center in The Park at Auburn.
EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS
Auburn University New Venture Accelerator Startup Attendants
Kulture Xchange
MaKayla Smith
mjs0062@auburn.edu
(334) 319-0479
Kulture Xchange will be an online bazar to outsource minority-owned beauty and wellness
products and services in order to promote growth in a need-based market while simultaneously
prolonging the circulation of the black dollar within its own community. The minority
health and beauty industry has been dominated by people that don’t look like us and
can’t relate to the products they sell us. Kulture is here to help serve the minority
community by working with product owners who share similar experiences with their
customers and keep those experiences in mind when making their products. Having an
array of representation of the variations of skin tones and hair patterns is at the
heart of what Kulture stands for. We will provide the ultimate customer experience
for the underrepresented community.
SwiftSku
Mit Patel and Daniel Mazur
founders@swiftsku.com
(205) 259-6717
SwiftSku lets mom and pop convenience stores run their businesses like big box retailers.
SwiftSku’s app is revolutionizing the industry with real time management and analytics.
With 311 convenience stores in 16 states SwiftSku is attacking the supply chain problems
of the industry head on. SwiftSku's CEO, Mit Patel, grew up managing the inventory,
pricebook, and reporting of his family’s convenience stores, and, when vendors would
come by, he’d bridge the language barrier as a translator. More than 85% of independent
convenience stores are owned by Indian immigrant families like Mit’s.
Yellow Card Financial
Chris Maurice
chris@yellowcard.io
www.yellowcard.io
Yellow Card: The safest place to buy and sell cryptocurrencies online with bank transfer,
mobile money, and cash in African countries.
XO Armor Technologies
Michael Zabala, PhD
mzabala@xoarmortech.com
(205) 417-3130
XO Armor provides highly customized pads and guards for athletes by combining smartphone
camera scanning technology with the latest in 3D printing. Athletics Trainers can
download the XO Armor app to scan athletes that either need protection from existing
inju-ry or want to prevent future injury. The scan is sent to the cloud, then XO Armor
converts it to a file that is sent directly to a 3D printer lo-cated on site, within
the athletics facility. This system allows for customized protective gear to be provided
to athletes in need at the exact time in which they need it. Print times range from
20 minutes to a few hours, depending on the size of the gear to be printed. Other
applications of this technology includes use in the medical clinic as well as by the
military in austere, front-line environments.
WELLBLOxS
Dr. Clare Kranz
cck0015@auburn.edu
(205) 746-8194
WELLBLOxS is a patient education platform designed to engage patients and care providers
in the patient education process during hospitalization and through discharge. The
primary goals of WELLBLOxS are to improve patient education with use of gameful learning
methods, encourage lifestyle modifications to improve quality of life for patients
living with chronic disease(s) or recovering from a procedure and/or acute illness,
and reduce 30-day hospital readmission rates. The platform includes: 1) a physical
game-board tool that outlines content, topics, and tasks to be completed prior to
discharge; 2) a web-based interactive information center, where evidence-based applicable
information to support patient education and understanding is housed; and 3) a planned
customizable mobile application utilizing game-components, such as level-up, tracking,
alerts, and awards to engage patients with health information needed to modify lifestyle.
Vulcan Line Tools
Zac Young
zdyoung@vulcanlinetools.com
(205) 616-6063
Vulcan Line Tools designs, manufactures, and sells cutting edge devices for use in
the electric utility industry.
Six Auburn start-ups, including two faculty-led companies and four student-led companies, had a chance
to share their stories with Alabama Power executives, university leadership, as well
as key members of the government and business sectors from around the state interested
in learning about successful startups emerging from Auburn University.
|
Harbert College of Business Dean Annette L. Ranft presents at the Startup Showcase
in the new Research and Innovation Center.
|
The event was driven by Alabama Power’s Southern Division Vice President, Leslie Sanders
and represents their long-standing commitment to economic development in the state.
The companies showcased were drawn from the New Venture Accelerator, a vibrant element
of Auburn’s entrepreneurial ecosystem operated jointly by the Harbert College of Business
and the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation and located in Auburn Research Park.
The six featured startups covered a range of sectors—from utilities, health, health
and beauty for minorities, point of sale and inventory systems, to global banking.
Attendees had the opportunity to hear five minute presentations from the leadership
of each company and, at a brief reception afterward, to chat with these talented Auburn
entrepreneurs.
Events like this highlight the intellectual and creative capacity of Auburn University
faculty and student experts, as well as the effectiveness of the mentors and programs
in the New Venture Accelerator. The thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem at Auburn
helps move discovery, technology, and bright ideas from the laboratory or drawing
board to the marketplace, fueling the engines of our economy and improving quality of life.
“We are grateful to Alabama Power for their role in supporting entrepreneurship at
Auburn and for raising awareness for the role universities and university research
parks play in contributing to economic development throughout the state and region,”
said Cary Chandler, senior director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation
and New Venture Accelerator mentor.
Degrees & Programs
Faculty & Staff
Career Development
Recruiters & Industry
Kulture Xchange
SwiftSku
Yellow Card Financial
XO Armor Technologies
WELLBLOxS
Vulcan Line Tools
engines of our economy and improving quality of life.