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Archive for Millennial Enrepreneuers – Page 35

Reinventing the Wheel – Literally!

Posted by Lizzie Parsons

· Thursday, September 10th, 2015

· 4 Comments

Bicycles are great solutions to get you where you need to go, with the benefits of being environmentally friendly and faster than walking. However, there’s one major drawback – pedaling a bicycle can be hard work, especially for long distances or routes with lots of hills (basically anywhere in western Pennsylvania!). So that’s where the Copenhagen Wheel comes in.

The Copenhagen Wheel was developed by a team of robotics engineers and designers from MIT specifically for Copenhagen, Denmark – a city known for its bicycle culture. This innovative team wanted to take some of the work out of bicycling by turning a regular bike into a smart electric hybrid. Many of the team members have had previous experience with popular startup tech companies. Add this experience to a visionary marketing team and some venture capital investors, and you get the startup Superpedestrian.

The Copenhagen Wheel

The Copenhagen Wheel works by replacing the back wheel of your bike with the Copenhagen Wheel, which is then connected to an app on your smartphone. A small servo motor and control system is hidden in the wheel’s sleek red casing. This system captures your energy as you brake or go down the hill and then lets you use this energy pedal with 3-10 times the normal power of a bike! This allows you to go up hills easier and go further, faster. Even cooler is the fact that the Copenhagen Wheel learns how you pedal and can keep track of your fitness, while riding just like a normal bike. If you don’t believe me, check out this video to learn more about the Copenhagen Wheel.

Clearly the old wheel has met its match! Superpedestrian is busy getting the Copenhagen Wheel ready for market and it should be widely available within the next year.

4 Comments

Categories : App, Fitness, Great Ideas, Manufacturing, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Outdoors, Smartphone, Technology, Transportation

Bizchair

Posted by Elaina Kimpel

· Sunday, December 14th, 2014

· 2 Comments

Now you have heard story from story of people starting business from their garage, well Sean Belnick is way different; he started his from his bedroom. The only thing this 14 year old had was $500 and a great idea he got from his Stepdad. His Stepdad worked in the office furniture business and Belnick always heard him talk about the lack of quality of office chairs for a good price. Like all great entrepreneurs he saw a problem and thought of a way to fix it.

His idea for fixing it was locking himself up in his room until he came up with BizChair. Although his business started small by selling chairs from his house, the word spread about how amazing BizChair’s prices and great quality chairs, Belnick had to get a new place. After he raised up enough money, he was able to open up a new place.

Over the years, Belnick had become more and more successful and is doing great today! Bizchair not sells office chairs, but, he sells office furniture, restaurant furniture, school furniture, home furniture and more. For something today we would think so simple to sell and that anyone could do it, Sean Belnick thought of the idea right on time and is now making lots of money. Thanks for reading, happy blogging!

2 Comments

Categories : Millennial Enrepreneuers, Technology, Uncategorized, Websites

Quirky

Posted by Casey Compton

· Saturday, December 13th, 2014

· 3 Comments

Collaboration is an important factor in human nature. It is what drives us and it is through collaboration that truly great products are made. Ben Kaufman found a way to harness this unique drive within us and was able to make a profitable business out of it.

Ben Kaufman began a company selling iPod accessories at age 18. While on a subway in New York City, he saw a girl wearing headphones that he designed. Reflecting on this, he said: “I saw something I invented out in the world, and it was the best feeling. That’s when I realized I needed to help more people experience that.” This moment was what got the gears moving for him to start Quirky.

Quirky is a website where people submit their ideas for a physical product. An online community then votes on them and a team of engineers builds prototypes of the top two ideas of each week. If enough products are presold on Quirky to bring the product to market, it will then be manufactured and then can be sold in retail stores such as Home Depot and Target. The most popular products produced by Quirky include the flexible power strip and the broom groomer, a dust pan that cleans your broom.

Pivot Power

Kaufman founded Quirky at the age of 23 and it has gone on to be a wildly successful company. He wasn’t afraid to test the normal system of inventing products and because of that, Kaufman’s company is changing the way that new products are brought to market.

3 Comments

Categories : Millennial Enrepreneuers

Daniel Knudsen – Filmmaker

Posted by Timothy Lowrance

· Thursday, December 11th, 2014

· 2 Comments

A discussion of innovation need not be limited to devices or services. Innovation is the driving force behind any human pursuit, whether it be industry or art form.

Making a Career out of Film

A particular young man who is a big part of bringing exciting and well-needed change to the film industry is Daniel Knudsen. This young man grew up in a neighborhood just outside of Detroit, MI. At age 17, he started working on film crews, and his passion for filmmaking was born. As Daniel studied the camera and lighting skills he would need in this industry, he began to realize that he wanted to be a producer/director.

This dream was fulfilled when Daniel produced his first major film: Creed of Gold, a thriller that was released in 2014. A link to the trailer is below:

http://vimeo.com/40611218

He took this movie to several film festivals, even premiering it in Milan, Italy, where it won an award.

The Company

Daniel Knudsen’s company, Crystal Creek Media, is dedicated toward producing movies that are positive, educational, and Christian in theme and voice. He has gone to great efforts to build a company from the ground, displaying remarkable drive and perseverance in a difficult industry. He has spoken at several Christian film events, spreading the message that audiences can be reached by Christian groups with powerful storytelling and good cinematography.

I took a class from Daniel Knudsen in High School, and he inspired me to study and experiment with this fascinating medium of communication.

2 Comments

Categories : Art, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Technology

Wasselni: Uber for Gaza

Posted by Caleb Jakiel

· Monday, December 8th, 2014

· 3 Comments

When you think about Gaza, a country with fierce political and business restrictions, it does not seem to be the best place for an entrepreneur to start up a business. Mariam Abultewi is a young entrepreneur who, despite these restrictions, was able to create a business that provides lots of value to the citizens of Gaza.

Wasselni is the name of her business and it is similar to the ride sharing company Uber, but has some key differences. This ride sharing application allows people to find nearby taxi drivers and facebook friends willing to give rides. The main difference from Uber is that Wasselni does not allow people to get rides from strangers, only facebook friends and registered taxi drivers.

Some of the challenges that the company faces is the country’s lack of a 3G network, limited electricity, and a blockage on the boarders of Gaza. Regardless of these limitations, Wasselni has still grown into a successful company and seems to have a bright future.

3 Comments

Categories : App, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Technology

The Innovation Of Music Through Spotify

Posted by Connor Grieb

· Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

· 6 Comments

Spotify is a music listening app that has transformed the world.

Spotify was created by, 31 year old Daniel Ek, as an application to allow the user to listen to any music and create playlists without paying anything. The way Spotify makes money is through advertisements in between songs.

Originally, Spotify started out solely on computers. In 2013, things changed, Spotify launched an app to allow smart phone users to also stream music. In 2013, Spotify had 24 million active users that streamed over 4.5 billion hours of music. This completely transformed the consumers experience in the music downloading industry but has reduced the profits of artists around the world, because nobody has to buy the songs anymore.

I believe Spotify is in trouble the next several months because of the growing number of artists pulling their albums off of Spotify. For instance 2 weeks ago, Taylor Swift, pulled all of her songs from Spotify to increase her profits by having fans pay full price for the new album, 1989, which just came out. Swift made a smart move, but it could start a movement by artists around the world to remove their songs from Spotify and all other free music listening applications.

Daniel Ek, founded his first company when he was only 14 years old. He has the drive of an entrepreneur to do whatever it takes to succeed. He is currently worth $400 million dollars and is making a significant difference around the world through the evolution of streaming music.

In entrepreneurship, your age doesn’t matter, your drive for success is what will carry you farther than ever before.

6 Comments

Categories : App, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Music, Technology

Tags : Apps, Music, Songs, Spotify

Lee Moseley – Bubble Soccer

Posted by Timothy Lowrance

· Monday, November 24th, 2014

· 3 Comments

It’s about time somebody solved the cry-baby soccer epidemic.

For far too long, we have watched soccer players grovel in pain to show referees just how “terrible” it is to have contact with another player in this world-famous sport. Well, no more.

There’s a new game in town.

And it’s called Bubble Soccer. Or if you’re not from the US, Bubble Football. This game was developed by Lee Moseley, a asbestos surveyor who, as a young man, gave up his day job to pursue his unique idea.

It’s a pretty simple concept: the game is played just like regular soccer, except with each player wearing a PVC plastic “bubble” that protects the head and upper body, allowing for unique and hilarious contact throughout the game.

Lee Moseley’s company wasn’t started easily. He knew how he wanted create these suits, but investors didn’t believe the idea would take off. So, with the help and support from his wife, Moseley financed the entire operation himself, basing it in the UK. The determination he showed through this risky venture was one of the key reasons for his success. The idea began to spur interest in people. Many are attracted to this more lighthearted style of soccer, and it has been used at parties, corporations (as a team-building exercise), and various other unique venues in addition to more normal sports scenarios. Now, he services events all across the UK, and several other versions of his product have sprouted up around the world.

Moseley’s comments about this product reflect his spirit in making his business. “We have had a overwhelming response to the game and everybody who has taken part has really enjoyed themselves. It’s not something that I think I’ll ever get bored of doing either, as just watching people play is hilarious.”

Here is a man who believes in his business. That is the sign of a great entrepreneur.

3 Comments

Categories : Athletics, Fitness, Millennial Enrepreneuers

Scan

Posted by Noah Stewart

· Wednesday, November 19th, 2014

· 1 Comment

For most of us our first job usually looks something like 7$ an hour working a register, flipping patties, or stocking shelves, but for Garett Gee his first job was starting his own company and receiving over a million dollars in seed funding before he even graduated college. Gee is a young kid from a small town in Utah that made a great guess and a great product. In 2011 while at BYU the iPad 2 was set to come out and Gee realized that that meant there would be some blog stating what the top 10 apps anyone needs for it and he was determined to be on this list. Gee’s idea was to create an app that was beautiful and effective in the QR code market. Gee said about the smart code industry, ““When I came across smart codes for the first time, I thought, ‘Wow, this is really cool technology in a really ugly, crowded space. Someone should make a pretty product for this.'” As Gee began to navigate Utah trying to find someone to support him and his idea one investor asked ‘why should we choose you when I could partner with a company with much more experience?’ Gee gave a simple straightforward and honest answer and won over his investor, “because we’re young and we were raised on the iPhone—we know the ins and outs of it.” Gee’s Scan was a huge success and his ‘rookie’ team was making a huge splash! In less than a year Scan has over 10 million downloads and is used in over 75 countries. He also got onto the list that he predicted there would be. For a kid from a tiny town in Utah I would say he is doing pretty well for himself. Scan now has 9 employees and Gee’s next plan is to figure out he to make his free app Scan profitable. Gee believes that his product will remain on top in such a crowded market in the future. When asked what he thinks he said, “When someone sees our logo they understand it’s associated with quality, speed, and good user experiences.” If your interested in more young entrepreneurs making a difference pull out your Scan app and scan below!

1 Comment

Categories : App, Millennial Enrepreneuers

Dream Closet?

Posted by Elaina Kimpel

· Saturday, November 15th, 2014

· 5 Comments

Now ladies, how many times have you seen a dress watching the VMA’s, Red Carpet Awards, Counrty Music Awards, or any other awards show that you wish you could just wear it for one night? Are you jealous of the guys being able to rent their tuxes for one night and returning it the next day while you have to buy a dress that you probably won’t even wear again? Would you love the idea of getting expensive dresses for cheap by only renting them for a night? Well Jennifer Hyman was thinking the exact same thing and thought of a way to fix that. She created Rent the Runway. On the website it says:

“Rent the Runway is a fashion company with a technology soul. Powered by a transformative business model, proprietary technology, a unique reverse-logistics operation and some of the smartest people on earth, we’re in a position to challenge old systems and rewrite new rules. By giving people access to remarkable luxury experiences, we’re changing the meaning of ownership — and revolutionizing retail in the process.”

Hyman compares her business to one of your best friends, only with a much bigger closet. I don’t know about you but I always love borrowing my friends clothes. Once you get online the overall all process is really simple. You can start by setting up the date for which you need the dress, accessories if you would like too, then look through their collection for your rental day. Next narrow it down by designer, price, length, or whatever you like to find the perfect outfit. After that you book the outfit for a 4 or 8 day rental period and it should come in 1 or 2 days before your event. For that one night you can feel like a princess and return it the next day in their pre-paid envelope they already provided you with. You don’t even have to dry clean it or anything because they will take care of that for you. The only thing Rent the Runway asks you to do is to upload a photo online and review the dress on their website so others can see how fabulous the dress was.

When Hyman first suggested her idea of Rent the Runway to a boardroom full of partners at a big-time Boston venture capital firm, one of the of the men interrupted her and said, “You are just too cute. You get this big closet and get to play with all these dresses and can wear whatever you want. This must be so much fun!” Thinking that comment would stop her from making Rent the Runway, this only made her want to pursue the idea even more and I’m glad she did. Rent the Runway is such a creative and innovative idea because no one has done this before. I have always been interested in the idea of clothing and fashion for starting my own business so it is an inspiration for myself that even though she was shut down at first, she kept going and created something amazing. I will for sure be using Rent the Runway for different special occasions in the up coming future and suggesting it to all the girls I know. Thanks for reading and happy blogging!

5 Comments

Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Beauty, Fashion, Great Ideas, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Technology, Uncategorized

Alex Fourie: iFix

Posted by Caleb Jakiel

· Thursday, November 13th, 2014

· 1 Comment

iFix is an African based company started by Fourie which services all Apple and Samsung electronic products. His company started when he was at college in South Africa where he would help his friends fix and troubleshoot their electronic products. Once multiple people started contacting him to help them, Fourie knew that this idea was one that he could turn into a business.

iFix currently employs 40 people and has branches in multiple locations. Fourie says that the company services over 4,000 customers each month. This company is the first of its kind in Africa and it is evident that his idea has been well received. By using his skills and technology available to him, Fourie was able to develop a business that helps and benefits others.

1 Comment

Categories : Millennial Enrepreneuers, Smartphone, Technology