Great Ideas Lumi business wins first place

Lumi lights up homes with 3D decor

Student trio takes first place for their business idea at Great Ideas Competition

BY MENORAH LOCK

Lumi, a light décor 3D model printing business, took first place over hundreds of candidates in the BYU–Hawaii Great Ideas competition under the revenue category. “I put my life on it,” said Ezra Dwayne, the founder of Lumi, who is a senior information technology major from the Philippines. Besides passion for his business, he said having good mentors and team members made them stand out among other high-quality contestants. Dwayne said he has been building the business for several months and has put a lot of effort into it. “I didn't sleep because I was busy creating the design and software,” he said. He added this made him too tired for school, resulting in him receiving a failing grade for one of his classes in the previous semester.

Dwayne explained the idea of selling 3D models for a business developed due to the pandemic. Dwayne said he was certified in AutoCAD (computer-aided design) several years ago.

During COVID-19, Dwayne said he designed sacrament trays using 3D printing and gave them to Church members who couldn't take the sacrament at Church but did so at home. Members started to ask if he could build temples, so he said he began designing temples. Lights were added eventually, and a business idea, Lumi, slowly evolved, shared Dwayne.

Eager to win at the Great Ideas, this was the third time Dwayne joined the competition. He said his business professors and mentors didn't want him to lose because of how many times he tried to win at the competition, so they introduced Alison Orton, a sophomore from Utah majoring in computer science, a finance expert, and Taffie Kwok, a senior from Hong Kong majoring in communication, who was good at marketing, to assist Dwayne's business. “Our team works really well. We helped each other out and had good team responsibility. Someone's weakness is someone's strength,” Kwok said. “Oh, good mentors,” she added. “They really help us a lot.”

Holding the check are Lumi team members left to right: Alison Orton, Ezra Dwayne and Taffie Kwok. Competing against other BYU–Hawaii students, the Lumi team won first place in their category. Photo by Sugarmaa Bataa.

David Wu, one of the judges of the Great Ideas, who is also the principal at Hawaiian Environmental Consulting, LLC, said, “Lumi is a well-organized team with distinctive role responsibilities.” He said good team responsibility was critical as a start-up, and it was what the judges were looking for in the contestants.

He said Lumi required software and 3D printing technology expertise. They need technical skills to build their business, which they have, Wu said. Other reasons why Wu and other judges chose Lumi as a winning team is they like its business idea, and it is a recurring based business, said Wu.

“I like their idea of bringing light to the world. Their target customers are very clear and defined,” he said. “People were purchasing Lumi's products, and they are making recurring revenue.”

Wu also pointed out that the judges were skeptical of business ideas focusing on hand-making. However, Wu said they could tell the judges of the idea of using ceramic printing and resin printing. The ability of mass production proved it was a sustainable business.

“I know they will have good success in the future,” said Wu. “It is just a matter of execution.” He said the Great Idea was just a competition; they needed to pursue their ideas, fulfill and execute their vision, and maintain their good teamwork. Lumi was a symbol of light in families and homes, and their beautiful 3D printed products could be light home décor, sources of penetrating light, and reminders of hope and peace from our Savior Jesus Christ, said students from Lumi. Mission presidents and members of the Church were their primary targets, but they said there was a large market for this business because they were trying to reach out to different religions. Great Ideas Competition is a business idea competition sponsored by the Willes Center for International Entrepreneurship. Winners are chosen from four categories of the competition, including young entrepreneurs, social impact, pre-revenue, and revenue, according to the BYUH website. •