In 2013, during their time at MIT, students Jamie Byron and Gabe Blanchet brainstormed the idea of people supporting themselves by growing food at home, in a personal “grove.” They designed a gardening system and connected it to an app, allowing users to personalize the environment of their grove to their needs and plants. The app only controls a few things, lighting schedule, what nutrients go into the water and the specific type of plants that are grown. The two designed an aquaponic system, basically a farm on top of a fish tank, where the fish provide specific types of nutrients for the soil and the food. Their current product is small a small scale operation, meant only for an individual or a family. But the technology has the potential for for a much larger scale and has piqued the interest of small US growers and even Middle Eastern green houses. In 2014 Grove Labs received 2 million in funding and has created a successful product. It’s amazing to see how an idea grew from two college students in a dorm room into a successful business and also something that’s good for the environment.

In 2009, Saul Castanon founded LifeProof, two years after the release of the original iPhone. The problem was clear, there was no protection for dropped phones, and Apple was making bank on repairs and replacements. Saul saw that everyone dealt with the issue of being careless and having their phone accidentally slip from their hand or from the surface it was resting on. So, he decided to ensure phone safety by developing a case that would protect the phone from everyday impacts and other damages. In the space of 18 months and after investing $1 million, his product debuted at the 2011 Launch Conference where it won the award for best product and best presentation. The commercial featured the iPhone 4 being dropped on the ground, covered in dirt and mustard and ketchup and then rinsed off in a fish tank and being completely unharmed. In 2013 Otterbox acquired LifeProof.

A new technology had been introduced into the market, the smart phone, and Saul Castanon recognized the opportunity to capitalize on the iPhone. This is another example of entrepreneurship, when new innovation and technology arise, one must be able to recognize and see the possibilities that come with the new markets and Saul Castanon did just that.

***
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeProof