OwlSpark – 2015 Annual Report

Set Goals. Reach. Repeat.

FINAL REPORT // CLASS 3

CONTENTS 03 About 04 Powered By 05 Program 06 Curriculum 07 Cohort 08 Skills Development 09 Bayou Startup Showcase 10 A Look Ahead 11 Appendix

ABOUT It was an eventful summer for our Class 3 founders, beginning with a flood-inducing Launch Day in May and concluding with the exhilarating second annual Bayou Startup Showcase in August.

Startup teams from OwlSpark’s third cohort spent their summer learning relevant business fundamentals and engaging with a diverse mentor network to develop and crystallize their business models in preparation for their debut in August. With more than 525 in attendance, we rounded out the summer at the second annual Bayou Startup Showcase, during which eight of Rice’s newest startups successfully showcased their companies to the greater Houston community.

“More or less, I’ve gotten a mini-MBA this summer. I feel so much more confident with the lessons I’ve learned through OwlSpark, that I can go out and execute my idea for a company and a business. The people they introduce you to and the lectures they hold are amazing — you can’t pay money for this kind of expertise and exposure.”

BACKGROUND Founded in 2012, OwlSpark is Rice University’s startup accelerator that supports teams of ambitious and promising entrepreneurs through an experiential program designed to launch technology companies. In concert with the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership, the OwlSpark program encourages and fosters a culture that attracts entrepreneurial-minded students and faculty to form and launch companies around innovative business ideas.

It is a leader in promoting multi-disciplinary entrepreneurship through education, mentorship, and wide-ranging community engagement.

Through a selective vetting process that targets promising, scalable, innovative technologies, OwlSpark admits up to ten startup teams into a 12-week summer cohort. Over the course of the program, OwlSpark delivers a curriculum built around educational, leadership, and mentorship components and connects founders with a community of entrepreneurs and experienced business leaders who helped guide and advise them through their launch.

Since 2013, OwlSpark has introduced three cohorts, admitted 24 startup teams, served 60 founders, and made advancements in delivering on our program objectives of entrepreneurship education and leadership. By researching and implementing best practices in startup acceleration, we provide our founders with experiential strategies that result in positive, lasting, and measurable contributions to their learning and growth. This year’s cohort represented a broad spectrum of classification that included undergraduate and graduate students, staff members, recent alumni, and students from other academic institutions.

CONNECT team@owlspark.com www.owlspark.com OwlSpark RiceOwlSpark  OwlSpark    

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POWERED BY

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PROGRAM OwlSpark reviewed applications from 23 potential startup teams, admitting eight into its third cohort. From May 26, 2015 through August 14, 2015, OwlSpark delivered an intensive curriculum based on the Lean LaunchPad methodology, enriched it with relevant business fundamentals, provided access to ongoing mentorship, featured office hours with successful entrepreneurs and industry experts, and organized professional networking events to enhance community collaboration.

Housed in the TMCx Accelerator space, OwlSpark created a unique collaborative coworking space for 22 aspiring entrepreneurs offering inspiration, stimulation, education, and motivation to facilitate the launch of Rice University’s newest startups. The TMCx space served as an ideal venue for hosting sessions, weekly social events, mentor meetings, office hours, and pitch practices. Throughout the summer, the space attracted more than 350 key players in the Houston entrepreneurial community.

EDUCATIONAL QUALITY & OUTCOMES Collectively, founders experienced a 23% knowledge gain from the beginning to the end of the program. Founders participated in 60 sessions led by more than 50 speakers, totaling more than 80 hours of entrepreneurship education.

DOMAIN EXPERTISE Startup teams received strategic and tactical guidance from industry experts and successful entrepreneurs as evidenced by more than 74 unique mentor engagements throughout the ten weeks after the mentor-pairing event.

UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION This year, OwlSpark shared a coworking space with the University of Houston’s RED Labs. Together, we created a community, a culture, an environment that let founders experience the value of working alongside like-minded thinkers and doers. The collaboration enriched our program through cohesive cooperation, shared resources, increased community awareness, increased event attendance, and enhanced mentor impact.

REA PROTOTYPING FUND A requirement of the OwlSpark accelerator program is the development of a minimum viable product (MVP). For the first time this year, OwlSpark was fortunate to receive funding from the Rice Engineering Alumni designed to support entrepreneurs in their pursuit to take innovations and ideas from concept to

OWLSPARK . FINAL REPORT // CLASS 3

demonstration. With small grants and an emphasis on low-cost iterative experimentation, startup teams performed research, tested core assumptions, and explored multiple design options before building out their technology.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Founders benefited from attending 12 separate events that enhanced their networking skills and extended their community reach by more than 650 people.

In addition, OwlSpark communicated with its stakeholders and the Houston startup ecosystem through regular social media interactions and weekly newsletters. Each week, newsletters featured a summary of the week’s sessions and other updates, as well as a spotlight on a startup team and a valuable mentor.







611 likes

845 followers

1,758 subscribers

32.54% increase in 12 weeks

20.54% increase in 12 weeks

32% open rate (2x industry average)

1,900 people in 22 countries (total reach)

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CURRICULUM The 2015 OwlSpark curriculum was curated over eight months and featured 60 sessions led by more than 50 experienced entrepreneurs, subject matter experts, industry professionals, academic leaders, and members of the Houston entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Built upon the principles of the Lean LaunchPad methodology, the first two weeks of the curriculum focused on fundamentals such as formulating hypotheses, identifying customer segments, competitors, value propositions, customer acquisition, distribution channels, pricing models, and go-to-market strategies. In the weeks following, startup teams gained insight into the business acumen needed to build a successful startup. Sessions included market research, product development, milestones, intellectual property, sales, funding, corporate formation, accounting, and financial models.

To keep things in perspective, inspiration was sprinkled throughout the rigorous curriculum. During the weekly Startup Founders Series, experienced entrepreneurs shared stories of success, failure and lessons learned. Also included in the curriculum was a weekly Leadership Lunch Series, led by the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL), instilling components of leadership, management, negotiation, team decision-making, team-building, and ethics using discussions, case studies, and simulations.

“The OwlSpark sessions provided great coverage of the key issues that confront startup companies. These sessions made us think deeply about our target customers, value proposition, and go to market strategy.

OwlSpark is the most useful experience that any school has provided anyone on our team.

OwlSpark not only greatly increased our startup knowledge, but gave us amazing connections, enabled the success of our business, and changed the way we think about the world.”

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“The curriculum that OwlSpark provided helped me re-evaluate my understanding of basic business principles. I had a belief that I knew what I was doing, and I was happily proven wrong time and time again. OwlSpark gave me a foundation to build from, I made it my mission to take that knowledge and apply it to my business as quickly and as often as possible.

As a result, I feel very confident in not only sustaining my business but growing it well after my time at OwlSpark.”

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COHORT AROVIA Arovia makes 20+ inch electronic displays that collapse to easily fit inside a travel bag.

DIGICHEF

“I came in with no idea what to expect and left with a great understanding of how to run a startup. From the workshops to the connections we made through OwlSpark, this experience was one of a kind.”

DigiChef is creating a mobile solution designed to provide consistent meal plans, recipes and digital coupons based on the patient’s medical history, lab results and fitness goals.

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OCUCHECK

FOUNDERS

OcuCheck provides early detection of sight threatening eye diseases through on-site eye screening services.

OPEN FACTORY Open Factory is producing an open stereolithographic 3D printing platform.

SENSEWATCH SenseWatch provides cloud-based APIs for gesture recognition and vital sign interpretation for smartwatches.

SHOWCOACH ShowCoach is developing an online video platform to make professional private sports instructors accessible and affordable.

WHOLISTIC ADVISORS Wholistic Advisors is a web-based platform that connects conventional and holistic practitioners.

ZIEL SOLUTIONS Ziel Solutions develops wearable devices for reducing the risk of injury from physical activity.

91% MALE

FEMALE

2–3

FOUNDERS PER STARTUP TEAM

12 3

STUDENTS ALUMNI

2

STAFF

5

NON-RICE

58% 25%

ENGINEERING

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9%

MBA

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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT One of the largest factors that differentiate university-based accelerators from traditional for-profit accelerators is the focus on rigorous education and measurable knowledge gained. We measured the continued development and knowledge gain of founders using a comprehensive assessment to track 60 deeper, hard-to-come-by principles involved in an entrepreneurial education. At the end of the summer, founders participated in an exit survey, which asked them to rate various elements of the program and welcomed suggestions for improvement.

THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THIS YEAR’S PROGRAM WAS RATED “EXCELLENT” OR “ABOVE AVERAGE” BY ALL FOUNDERS

DO YOU BELIEVE OWLSPARK ADEQUATELY PREPARED YOU TO LAUNCH A TECHNOLOGY-BASED STARTUP? 85%

YES

15%

FOR THE MOST PART

0%

NO

IMPACT OF OWLSPARK ELEMENTS Percentage of founders who rated the impact “strongly beneficial”

80% BAYOU STARTUP SHOWCASE

60% MENTOR MASHUP

75% CURRICULUM & SESSIONS

65% MENTORING

70% PITCH PRACTICE

75% RED LABS COLLABORATION

70% COWORKING SPACE

60% OFFICE HOURS

45% LEADERSHIP LUNCH SERIES

IMPROVEMENT IN SKILLS

KNOWLEDGE GAIN

• Pre-Assessment • Post-Assessment

83%

Percentage of founders who rated “significant” or “moderate” improvement as a result of their OwlSpark experience

68%

80% LEADERSHIP

60% NEGOTIATION

INCORRECT

65% TIME MANAGEMENT

CORRECT

75% COMMUNICATION

24% 14%

NOT SURE

80% NETWORKING

8%

3%

100% OF FOUNDERS ARE LIKELY TO RECOMMEND PARTICIPATING IN OWLSPARK TO FRIENDS, CLASSMATES & OTHER RICE-AFFILIATED STARTUPS OWLSPARK . FINAL REPORT // CLASS 3

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BAYOU STARTUP SHOWCASE On August 11, 2015, OwlSpark and the University of Houston’s RED Labs co-hosted the second annual Bayou Startup Showcase.

The Bayou Startup Showcase is a celebration of entrepreneurship, the startup community of Houston, and the university accelerator programs that support them.

The event provided a platform for startup teams from both accelerators to showcase their businesses to more than 525 mentors, advisors, entrepreneurs, investors, and key stakeholders from the greater Houston community.

WHAT DID ATTENDEES SAY? “I was really impressed — the high level of quality and professionalism of BSS provided so much credibility to the teams.

All of the teams did an excellent job pitching.”

“The Bayou Startup Showcase is a start to opening up Houston as the next entrepreneurship capital.”

“Very impressed with the program, teams and overall quality of the attendees. This is a true showcase not only for Rice and UH, but for the City of Houston’s startup community.”

“An inspiring end to the program, where I was delighted to see how much progress these teams have made in 12 short weeks. The quality and professionalism of their pitches emphasized the strength of both universities’ entrepreneurial programs, as well as the outside talent the programs can attract.”

“The event made me proud to be part of the Houston entrepreneurial community!”

WHAT DID ATTENDEES THINK? Percentage of attendees who ranked the following elements “excellent” or “above average.”

99% OVERALL QUALITY 96% QUALITY OF STARTUP TEAM PITCHES 88% QUALITY OF SHOWCASE

WHY ATTEND? Percentage of attendees who ranked the following elements “extremely important” or “very important.”

86%

SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS

“I’m impressed with the talent and collaboration between the two schools and seeing all the local support in the Houston community.”

88%

“The Bayou Startup Showcase is an excellent program. It promotes collaboration within teams, between teams and between our local universities and the community.”

“Very professionally organized. Very pleased with the platform being provided for budding entrepreneurs.”

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77%

SUPPORT HOUSTON’S ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM

NETWORK WITH OTHERS

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A LOOK AHEAD As evidenced by the progress made over the first three cohorts, OwlSpark has been proven invaluable to the students, faculty, staff, alumni and extended Rice University community. We are proud to serve as a catalyst for promoting entrepreneurship, to be a provider of enriched experiential learning opportunities, an educational resource for launching Rice-based startups, a portal for engaging mentors and investors from the business and alumni community, and a beacon for external visibility and recognition by the media, the Houston community, as well as national and international sources.

OwlSpark does more than fill a critical demand for hands-on entrepreneurship experiences — it provides a roadmap for innovation and commercialization. As our students and faculty face a lifetime of technological advances, entrepreneurial opportunities, and personal challenges, their success will likely be determined by their ability to deploy the skills we emphasize — creativity, persistence, passion and resilience. The impact of OwlSpark isn’t just in the development of emerging business ventures, but in raising the aspirations of our students and faculty across the university. We invite Rice University to continue supporting and promoting our mission through continued funding and permanent space allocation.

“We were able to move into customer validation during the course of the program and got a heavy dose of mentorship that helped us crystallize our business model. The network we were able to create through meeting the various speakers was invaluable and has truly accelerated our business going to market — we have our first sales meeting lined up from one of those connections.”

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“The Bayou Startup Showcase is my one opportunity to get the attention of the Houston startup ecosystem. This is a platform where if you’re really interested about what you’re doing, then this is the right venue to go out and get in touch with the people that can actually help you. There’s a big, big network here, thankfully, because it’s a big world out there.”

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APPENDIX 12 Team Reports & Executive Summaries 57 Mentors, Speakers & Pitch Coaches 62 Leadership Team

TEAM REPORTS & EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES 13 Arovia 22 DigiChef 26 OcuCheck 32 Open Factory 37 SenseWatch 43 ShowCoach 47 Wholistic Advisors 52 Ziel Solutions

AROVIA

ALEXANDER WESLEY . SHENGLIANG (GEORGE) ZHU . LUOQI (ROCKY) WU When you hear the name Arovia, you likely aren’t thinking of the Spontaneous Pop Up Display (SPUD). Founders Alex Wesley, Rocky Wu and George Zhu are creating SPUD, the only 20+ inch electronic display that collapses roughly to the size of a handful of tater tots. Backed with an eight-hour battery life, SPUD is a highresolution 1080p display that connects to your phone, tablet or laptop wirelessly, designed to increase productivity for the mobile professional.

“Our technology enables the increasingly mobile customer to have the large display they need wherever and whenever they want (and it’s really cool),” Alex says. The idea came when he was working as a product manager, often working away from his office. “I felt hobbled using my small laptop screen so I created SPUD.” Early on, Alex knew entrepreneurship was on the horizon. Inspired by a family member’s success, courses offered through the MBA program, and the Ignite Entrepreneurship Conference through Rice University, he took the idea for SPUD and baked it. Alex then reached out to the Rice community for help in growing the team, adding George and Rocky to the mix. With expertise in electrical and rapid prototyping, the pair have been instrumental in designing and optimizing their first proof of concept.

George’s entrepreneurial spirit was also spurred by a family member, his father, who started his own company two decades ago.

“I was fascinated by the complexity of designing, manufacturing, and marketing,” he says. Rocky, on the other hand, is new to entrepreneurship.

“I see entrepreneurship as a process in which you keep questioning and challenging yourself. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and getting things done no matter what. This is something very unique and typically not included in our college experience and that’s why I value it dearly.”

Like most entrepreneurs, the founders understand that with success also comes failure. Alex recalls his first pitching experience during Week 3, at the mentor pairing event. “The pitch delivery didn’t go as well as I wanted but I learn more from failures than successes, and from that standpoint it was a great learning experience.”

The team is looking forward to the rest of the OwlSpark experience.

In fact, George would take a time machine and fast-forward “to the time when our product is finished, so that I can bring it back to the present.” We’ll keep our eyes peeled for that finished product, Arovia. We can’t wait to get our hands on our own SPUD.

 founders@arovia.io  www.arovia.io  Arovia  realArovia

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DIGICHEF

ALI MCHENRY . JOHN JEFFERSON . DREW VAN HOOZER . ASHLEIGH NWANGUMA Cancer and its associated treatments can wreak havoc on the digestive system and its accessory organs, often affecting the taste of foods, and resulting in adjusted or tailored diets. DigiChef is creating a mobile solution designed to provide consistent meal plans, recipes, and digital coupons based on the patient’s medical history, lab results, and fitness goals.

Earlier this year, founder Ali McHenry lost his mother and sister to cancer just months apart. As caregivers, Ali and his father were responsible for their family members’ health, including their diet.

Time was a precious commodity, and proper nutrition required time and careful planning to purchase and prepare meals.

“Food was probably the one thing we had control over, and we didn’t even have control over that. That is a very helpless feeling.

We tried everything we knew, but we did it without any guidance.

We tried to read and do a little research, but never found any consistent information.”

Through frustration, Ali’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked in. The former consultant and ministry director, now ballroom dance instructor and officer of the law, wants to give others the opportunity to do the best that they can, “taking diet out of the picture so you don’t have to live a life of ‘what if this, what if that.’”

With a business idea in mind, Ali began building his team, first with former colleague and long-time confidant, John Jefferson. For the founders, entrepreneurship is a way of life. Ten years ago, Ali began teaching Cha Cha Calypso (slang: Detroit Ballroom), a style of dance

born out of the 1970s Motown sound. In the beginning, he taught out of interest. When he discovered there was a demand, he started charging for lessons. “I have yet to meet a person I can’t teach how to dance,” he says (challenge accepted, Ali!).

John, on the other hand, has a long-standing relationship with entrepreneurship. “Entrepreneurship is and has always been a part of my makeup. It was encouraged as a young child and further developed during my career at Accenture. I have always been intellectually curious, wanting to know more about how something works or how an idea can help the overall community.” Like most entrepreneurs, he considers sleep a hobby.

Earlier this summer, the founders rounded out their team with Drew Van Hoozer and Ashleigh Nwanguma, undergraduate students at Baylor University and Houston Baptist University, respectively. Drew focuses on customer discovery and organizational management, and brings a fresh perspective to Ali and John’s technical mindset.

Prior to joining the DigiChef team, Ashleigh completed an internship with a leading dietitian in Houston, and has working knowledge of the day-to-day operations in the industry.

Together, Ali and the team want to help others cope with the struggles brought on by cancer, “I don’t want other families to have to go through what I went through. I want other families to have the best opportunity to fight by controlling their diets. It does not guarantee life! But it gives you the peace that you have done the best you can in that regard. And, well, sometimes that is all you can ask for.”

 founders@mydigichef.com  www.mydigichef.com

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OCUCHECK

ADAM SAMANIEGO . JORDAN SZYMCZYK . YIXUAN (EMILY) WANG OcuCheck is working to halt preventable vision loss. Working with corporate wellness programs, OcuCheck performs on-site eye screenings to check for early signs of sight-threatening eye diseases like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

During the course of his undergraduate research at Rice University, founder Adam Samaniego worked on retinal imaging technologies, later carrying the research into his master’s thesis. He began working with co-founder Emily Wang, an undergraduate studying mechanical engineering at the time. She worked with Adam, designing and manufacturing housings for his prototypes.

Adam later enrolled in an introductory course on entrepreneurship.

There, he met co-founder, Jordan Szymczyk, an undergraduate with extensive experience in IT services for small to mediumsized businesses, specifically in the medical industry. Together, they explored the idea of entrepreneurship and developed their business acumen. “We got a surprising amount of traction given our inexperience. He [Jordan] was great to work with,” Adam recalls.

Adam took the idea for mobile retinal screening and applied for the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. Designed to enable scientists, engineers and researchers to understand the potential value of their innovation, the program bolstered Adam’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Nearly 150 customer interviews and five pivots later, Adam had validated his hypotheses and uncovered his market. “Once the entrepreneurship bug hit me, my old job felt temporary and insignificant. Founding a startup was the only choice,” Adam said, “You get to make decisions, choose a direction, lead a team, build something out of nothing. But at the same time, if you don’t do your job, if you give up, then whatever it is you are building either won’t happen or will be done by someone else.”

This summer, Adam, Emily and Jordan have been expanding OcuCheck’s network. “By far our favorite experience in OwlSpark has been building our corporate network through the people that come to speak, the other teams, and the staff at Owlspark and TMCx. Personal introductions through these individuals are very powerful things: you can reach people who otherwise are extremely insulated from the public,” they said. “The really magical moments are where you are just chatting with someone, and they say, “You should talk to my buddy, Bob.” You do a bit of digging on Bob and it turns out he is the CEO of a potential strategic partner organization, or something like that — someone you just can’t get to easily otherwise. It happens all the time.”

Beyond OwlSpark, OcuCheck is looking forward to their first sale, and saving your sight, two eyes at a time.

 founders@ocucheck.com  www.ocucheck.com  OcuCheck

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OPEN FACTORY

ANDERSON TA Open Factory is developing an open stereolithography 3D printing platform initially targeting materials scientists. They are using digital light processing (DLP) projection technology to photopolymerize UV curable photopolymers to make 3D objects. In Wise Guy terms — solidifying melted stuff, layer by layer, into what you want.

Co-founders Anderson Ta and Steve Kelly met five years ago and co-coordinated RepRap’s first 3D printer build classes in the U.S. community. Later, in 2013, both participated in the Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute (AMRI) at Rice (launched by their mentor, Jordan Miller). There, Anderson explored stereolithography applications with digital light processing technology for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Steve focused on inkjet printing of multiple type of bacteria for bio-circuitry. Prior to the filament 3D printing scene, AMRI got them thinking about new approaches. The 3D printing industry began to mature and stereolithography-based 3D printers emerged as a new segment with new applications.

Discovering missed opportunities with current stereolithography

offerings, Anderson and Steve knew that with their expertise, they had something unique to offer. According to Steve, entrepreneurship is the way to go. “I think the best thing about small teams is that everyone has a chance to lead, and have a multifaceted involvement. We are going to try to keep this attitude as we grow by implementing a holacratic organization.”

“I love the fact that at the end of the day, whether it was a good day or a bad day, whether I did nothing but fail even, that I am the sole person responsible for my own successes. There isn’t an agenda that you need to work on that you aren’t setting. Sure, it can be scary having all that responsibility, but it’s safe to say that I’ve worked enough jobs at this point to know that I’m unemployable on anyone else’s terms but my own.” — Anderson Ta, Co-Founder For now, Anderson and Steve say they are embracing the limitless possibilities of the human imagination through a “printer that prints printers that can also print printers that print printers to enable a widespread population with the best software and hardware for digital manufacturing.”

 founders@openfactory.co  www.openfactory.co  Open Factory  OpenFactoryCo

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SENSEWATCH

HUAIJIAN (GEORGE) CHEN . DALU YANG . JIEYI HU SenseWatch provides a cloud-based API for mobile application developers to interpret gestures or vital signs from smartwatch sensor signals. Their technology is designed to expand the realm of smartwatch applications to include everything from a gesturecontrolled music player, skin temperature operated AC, mood based interior lighting system (which is estimated from heart rate, skin perspiration using smartwatch), and more. In Wise Guy terms — SenseWatch wants to control the world via smartwatch.

The idea stems from a project initiated during a machine learning course at Rice University. Founders George Chen and Dalu Yang focused on wristband motion sensor signaling to infer keystrokes — they planned to build an invisible keyboard for wristbands and smartwatches. During the course, the second-year Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) graduate students used their background in signal processing and machine learning to tackle a

prediction/inference problem using machine learning algorithms.

Specifically, they learned how to collect usable data, select the appropriate model, and implement algorithms.

At the suggestion of their professor, George and Dalu took their project to the next level. They applied for OwlSpark, expanded their business idea and their team. They brought on a co-founder, Jieyi Hu, a senior in Computer Science at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Currently, the team is developing a prototype using the Sphero, an app-enabled robotic ball.

Together, George, Dalu and Jieyi enjoy exploring possibilities, “Everyday there are new problems to solve. We move on quickly without having to do everything perfectly.” The team looks forward to revealing their prototype at the Bayou Startup Showcase in August.

 founders@sensewatch.co  www.sense.watch  SenseWatch  TeamSenseWatch

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SHOWCOACH

JIMMY COMEROTA . DANIEL PURDY . PAINE MATISCIK ShowCoach connects young baseball players with coaches nationwide. By sending videos to coaches they know, or coaches they’ve chosen based on reviews and background information, young players can connect with these private instructors and receive feedback on their game.

A retired minor league baseball player, founder Jimmy Comerota took his passion for the sport and began coaching youth baseball players through private instruction. He later began working fulltime and pursuing an MBA at Rice University, cutting down on the number of hours he could spend on private instruction. Refusing to give up on Jimmy, the athletes continued sending questions and videos via email. Committed to the cause, he spent his nights watching videos and answering questions. The idea for ShowCoach was apparent.

Through the MBA program, Jimmy connected with Daniel Purdy, a web and software developer, and marathon runner. Jimmy approached him with his idea and asked for help building the

product. The two were later introduced to Paine Matiscik, an undergraduate football player at Rice. When they saw Paine’s energy and passion for sports, Jimmy and Daniel knew he’d be a great addition to the team.

“It’s an excitement for this idea that brought us to this point. There is just something about the challenge of bringing the idea to life that is our inspiration. It is a stressful challenge, but amongst that, it is fun and exciting to figure out what the market needs, and how to get it there,” they said.

Together, Jimmy, Daniel and Paine are excited to showcase their technology at the Bayou Startup Showcase next month. “Whether it’s an interview with a customer, a presentation to mentors, or just bringing it up in conversation with friends and family, the excitement of bringing a new technology to others is nothing short of a thrill,” they said. “The energy of listening to all the startups, and receiving an amazing amount of hopeful validation from a large audience will be incredible.”

 founders@goshowcoach.com  www.goshowcoach.com

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WHOLISTIC ADVISORS

TRUONG NGUYEN Traditional medicine is designed to treat diseases and other ailments, but it falls short of treating the entire body. Wholistic Advisors is lending a helping hand to individuals with cancer, and closing the gap between traditional and complementary medicine.

Founder, Truong Nguyen, provides a platform for complementary therapists to connect with cancer patients seeking therapies designed to treat the rest of the body — not just the disease.

However, patients with cancer are just a segment of the billions of people in the world using homeopathy or alternative medicine to assist in the healing of themselves or others. Eventually, Truong wants to expand the platform to include other forms of complementary therapy, such as chiropractic and herbal remedies.

Growing up, Truong’s family used herbal and alternative medicine to treat everything from asthma to colds, even muscle injuries. To treat colds, Truong’s mother rubbed an herbal oil on his back. To treat his brother’s asthma, his mother fed his brother cooked seahorse.

After years of success using these treatments, Truong has become a strong believer in alternative medicine and homeopathy. For him, it is second nature.

A graduate student in the Rice University BioSciences department, Truong has always been curious about entrepreneurship. In 2013, he enrolled in a life sciences entrepreneurship class, inspiring him to consider the idea of starting his own business. “I was very interested in the capability of entrepreneurship to bring more jobs and wealth to a country. I’m also interested in technological innovation and commercialization,” he said.

This summer, Truong has been taking full advantage of all the resources OwlSpark has to offer. His favorite part? “The chance to network with entrepreneurs in Houston who are all welcoming, and inspire me to work harder. I was challenged to get out of my comfort zone to interview customers and publicly present my idea.”

 founders@wholisticadvisors.com  www.wholisticadvisors.com

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ZIEL SOLUTIONS

SENTHIL NATARAJAN . ALEX DZEDA Ziel Solutions develops wearable devices for reducing the risk of injury from physical activity. Their first product is a patent-pending sensory sleeve for baseball pitchers. Utilizing sensors that combine muscle and motion analysis, the sleeve provides real-time feedback about the major risk factors for injury — such as muscle fatigue and stress exerted on the arm.

Both electrical engineering undergraduates at Rice, Alex and Senthil met at a friend’s bonfire gone horribly wrong. Details spared, the victim was Senthil’s car. After the big rescue, they realized both of them were rising sophomores and working toward the same degree, so they quickly got to, as Alex phrased it, “turning cool ideas into even cooler realities.”

Alex had been working on EMG (in Wise Guy terms: muscles) and motion tracking projects since the beginning of his freshman year.

Once Senthil came on board, at the end of the semester, they realized the potential applications for cheap, portable muscle analysis were innumerable. They quickly recognized problems across various markets, and Alex wanted to try his hand at the impossible, and perform measurements that researchers had previously declared as “impractical in humans.” One of those challenges? Preventing arm injuries to baseball pitchers, which were occurring at skyrocketing rates never before seen in history.

Knowing that Senthil also had a vested stake in baseball, exploring that vertical just made sense.

Though on the same academic paths, there was a stark contrast in their paths to entrepreneurship. An engineer by trade, Alex believes engineering and business aren’t mutually exclusive straits, and wants to profit from his ability to create cool stuff.

Senthil took a much more pedigreed route to entrepreneurship.

Having been heavily involved in the startup community since he came to Rice, thanks to the influence of one of his closest friends and co-founder of OwlSpark Class 1, Vivas Kumar. And Senthil’s greatest motivation?

“It’s one big game of strategic ability and resolve. And every day, you get to play against everyone who thinks you’re too young or too inexperienced or too <fill in the blank> to win.”

Good friends outside of Ziel, they enjoy playing FIFA and pingpong, devouring tacos, and — not surprisingly — performing Taylor Swift duets. Alex’s record against Senthil in ping pong is [redacted], just as Senthil’s record against Alex in FIFA is [redacted]. Quickly progressing, they’re working on their third prototype, and preparing for a pilot run in Houston later in the fall.

They’ve had an awesome journey so far, fully primed to (in Senthil’s words) “do cool things that make a difference,” and (in Alex’s words) “turn dreams to reality.”

 founders@zielsolutions.com  www.zielsolutions.com

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SPEAKERS, MENTORS & PITCH COACHES 58 Speakers 60 Mentors & Pitch Coaches

SPEAKERS The curriculum featured sessions led by more than 50 experienced entrepreneurs, subject matter experts, industry professionals, academic leaders, and members of the Houston entrepreneurial ecosystem. Featured were sessions on Lean Launch methodology, business acumen, and leadership. To keep things in perspective, inspiration was sprinkled throughout the rigorous curriculum with a weekly Startup Founders Series, where experienced entrepreneurs shared stories of success, failure and lessons learned. This summer, speakers included:

MATT BELL . IKON SCIENCE AMERICAS

Bridging the Generational Divide 4.6 / 5.0 “He was very funny. Very informative. It will be useful when talking and interacting with mentors.”

DANIELLE SUPKIS CHEEK . D. SUPKIS CHEEK, LLC Finanacial Literacy and Accounting Basics 4.4 / 5.0 “Very engaging for an accounting lecture!”

AL DANTO . JONES GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Increasing Value to Outside Investors 4.7 / 5.0 “Best session whole program.”

MICHAEL EVANS . RICE UNIVERSITY

Intro to Lean LaunchPad Methodology and Business Model Canvas; Problem, Need, Solution; Value Proposition; Importance of the Executive Summary 4.1 / 5.0

BLAIR GARROU . MERCURY FUND

Pitch Like a Bitch and Managing Feedback; The Color of Money 4.7 / 5.0 “Extrememly effective. The MOST valuable speaker so far. Truly improved our pitch.”

BRYAN HAARDT . DECISIO HEALTH, INC.

SCRUM / High Efficiency Teams; Working Well as a Team 4.4 / 5.0 “Great Speaker! Always incredibly clear and relatable! Gave great insight that will help our startup with our communication.”

GRAY HANCOCK . DECISIO HEALTH, INC.

Evaluating Market Opportunities 4.2 / 5.0 “I can now apply some of this understanding to apprach my my market and understand the segment.”

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SPEAKERS DR. THOMAS KRAFT . RICE ALLIANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Cost Structures; Timelines and Milestones; Why You’ll Never Raise a Dime 3.9 / 5.0

MARY HELEN O’LEARY . BRACTLET

Financial Basics for Startups 4.0 / 5.0 “There was a lot of information but she made it very easy to digest.”

PAUL PRYZANT . SEYFARTH SHAW LLP

Corporate Formation 4.3 / 5.0

JOHN REALE . ARETE VENTURES

Importance of the Elevator Pitch 4.4 / 5.0

LINDA SPAIN . VISUALASE, INC.

Corporate Governance 4.5 / 5.0 “This has been a pretty contentious topic with my co-founder so it was good to shed some light on it.”

DAVID VAN KLEECK . RICE CENTER FOR ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP

Intro to Organizational Leadership and Management; Personality and Leadership 4.3 / 5.0 “Gave me great insight on what it takes to be a great leader!”

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MENTORS & PITCH COACHES Mentors have the industry knowledge, experience and connections to help startup teams accelerate their businesses. Throughout the program, mentors provided strategic and tactical guidance, identifying gaps in a teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business knowledge and understanding, identifying obstacles, challenging hypotheses, serving as a sounding board for ideas, and offering general perspective. In addition, we hosted a series of pitch practices to prepare founders for the Bayou Startup Showcase. Weekly pitch practices began halfway through the summer program and increased to daily occurrence in the week leading up to launch day. We provided founders with expert communication assistance to help them clearly articulate and succinctly convey their visions and value propositions. To offer feedback from multiple perspectives, a mix of communications experts, venture capitalists, industry experts, mentors and entrepreneurs were invited to serve as pitch coaches. This summer, startup teams engaged with more than 80 mentors and pitch coaches, including:

PAULA DEWITTE MUD LABS

LINDSAY DENEAULT TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER

MICHAEL EVANS RICE UNIVERSITY

EMMA FAUSS MEDICAL INFORMATICS CORP.

GENE FRANTZ RICE UNIVERSITY

MAX GREEN THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

KAZ KARWOWSKI RICE CENTER FOR ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP

KIM KIMMEY

DR. THOMAS KRAFT RICE ALLIANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

KEITH KREUER REDHOUSE ASSOCIATES

BEATA KRUPA RICE CENTER FOR ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP

JENNY LI GRAYLOG

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MENTORS & PITCH COACHES Mentors have the industry knowledge, experience and connections to help startup teams accelerate their businesses. Throughout the program, mentors provided strategic and tactical guidance, identifying gaps in a team’s business knowledge and understanding, identifying obstacles, challenging hypotheses, serving as a sounding board for ideas, and offering general perspective. In addition, we hosted a series of pitch practices to prepare founders for the Bayou Startup Showcase. Weekly pitch practices began halfway through the summer program and increased to daily occurrence in the week leading up to launch day. We provided founders with expert communication assistance to help them clearly articulate and succinctly convey their visions and value propositions. To offer feedback from multiple perspectives, a mix of communications experts, venture capitalists, industry experts, mentors and entrepreneurs were invited to serve as pitch coaches. This summer, startup teams engaged with more than 80 mentors and pitch coaches, including:

KARL MAIER DOEREN MAYHEW

DEBORAH MANSFIELD HOUSTON TECHNOLOGY CENTER

KALA MARATHI UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

BRYAN McQUARY HATCH PITCH

GAYLE MORAN RICE CENTER FOR ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP

BETH O’SULLIVAN JONES GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

LAUREN-KRISTINE PRYZANT MERCURY FUND

JOHN REALE ARETE VENTURES

STEPHAN SCHWANAUER RICE UNIVERSITY

RAY SIMAR RICE CENTER FOR ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP

MATTHEW WETTERGREEN RICE UNIVERSITY

GARY WOODS RICE UNIVERSITY

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LEADERSHIP TEAM

TITLE KERRI SMITH . MANAGING DIRECTOR As the Managing Director of OwlSpark and the Associate Managing Director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Kerri develops programs and strategies that help maximize the success of technology-based startups. Her experience includes

entrepreneurship education, startup acceleration, educational programming, and technology commercialization. Kerri also serves as Rice Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead for administering the Southwest Node of the National Science Foundation I-Corps program.

NOY SHEMER ASSISTANT MANAGING DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

JESSICA FLEENOR ASSISTANT MANAGING DIRECTOR, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

As the Assistant Director of Operations for OwlSpark, Noy provides operational support and assists in setting and executing strategic priorities that ensure smooth day-to-day operations. Prior to joining the Rice Alliance, Noy worked for Digital Impact Agency as the Inbound Marketing Coordinator, and served as the Property Manager and Web and Graphic Designer for The Shemer Group.

Noy graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the nationally recognized Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston. During her undergraduate studies, she was the recipient of the Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholarship and the Tier One Scholarship, and was recognized for her entrepreneurial success in leading a UH business plan team to first and third place victories at two national business plan competitions.

As the Assistant Director for Marketing and Communications, Jessica assists in planning and executing strategic marketing, design and communication initiatives involving events and programming. Dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs and community leaders with the resources they need to thrive, Jessica co-founded Medulla, a branding, design and event planning business providing tailored solutions to nonprofits, small businesses and startups. She is also a co-founder of Startup Career Fair. Jessica holds a B.S. in Mass Communications, with a concentration in Creative Advertising, from Virginia Commonwealth University.

BEN BALDAZO . WISE GUY A sophomore from Austin, Texas, Ben is planning to double major in Chemistry and Economics, and later attend graduate school for Chemistry. Ben has been involved with Entrepreneurship@ Rice since the start of his academic career, and is looking forward to pursuing a career in the marketing and business niche of the medical technology industry. He is a fan of pickup sports (even in the Houston weather).

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ANDY ZHANG . WISE GUY A sophomore at Jones College, Andy is pursuing a degree in Bioengineering. Andy has a background in engineering design and project management from working on projects at Bechtel, along with a skill set in logistical planning and large scale organization. He is on the executive board of Rice University Asian Pacific American Student Alliance (APASA) and is an editor for Rice Catalyst. Andy is working on an engineering project in the medical device field. With a large interest in entrepreneurship, he hopes to one day bring the device to market. In his free time, Andy draws pencil portraits, reads Michael Crichton novels, and plays ultimate frisbee. Though he is a native Houstonian, he is a huge New England Patriots fan.

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TITLE KERRI SMITH . MANAGING DIRECTOR As the Managing Director of OwlSpark and the Associate Managing Director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Kerri develops programs and strategies that help maximize the success of technology-based startups. Her experience includes

entrepreneurship education, startup acceleration, educational programming, and technology commercialization. Kerri also serves as Rice Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead for administering the Southwest Node of the National Science Foundation I-Corps program.

NOY SHEMER ASSISTANT MANAGING DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

JESSICA FLEENOR ASSISTANT MANAGING DIRECTOR, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

As the Assistant Director of Operations for OwlSpark, Noy provides operational support and assists in setting and executing strategic priorities that ensure smooth day-to-day operations. Prior to joining the Rice Alliance, Noy worked for Digital Impact Agency as the Inbound Marketing Coordinator, and served as the Property Manager and Web and Graphic Designer for The Shemer Group.

Noy graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the nationally recognized Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston. During her undergraduate studies, she was the recipient of the Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholarship and the Tier One Scholarship, and was recognized for her entrepreneurial success in leading a UH business plan team to first and third place victories at two national business plan competitions.

As the Assistant Director for Marketing and Communications, Jessica assists in planning and executing strategic marketing, design and communication initiatives involving events and programming. Dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs and community leaders with the resources they need to thrive, Jessica co-founded Medulla, a branding, design and event planning business providing tailored solutions to nonprofits, small businesses and startups. She is also a co-founder of Startup Career Fair.

Jessica holds a B.S. in Mass Communications, with a concentration in Creative Advertising, from Virginia Commonwealth University.

BEN BALDAZO . WISE GUY A sophomore from Austin, Texas, Ben is planning to double major in Chemistry and Economics, and later attend graduate school for Chemistry. Ben has been involved with Entrepreneurship@ Rice since the start of his academic career, and is looking forward to pursuing a career in the marketing and business niche of the medical technology industry. He is a fan of pickup sports (even in the Houston weather).

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ANDY ZHANG . WISE GUY A sophomore at Jones College, Andy is pursuing a degree in Bioengineering. Andy has a background in engineering design and project management from working on projects at Bechtel, along with a skill set in logistical planning and large scale organization. He is on the executive board of Rice University Asian Pacific American Student Alliance (APASA) and is an editor for Rice Catalyst. Andy is working on an engineering project in the medical device field. With a large interest in entrepreneurship, he hopes to one day bring the device to market. In his free time, Andy draws pencil portraits, reads Michael Crichton novels, and plays ultimate frisbee. Though he is a native Houstonian, he is a huge New England Patriots fan.

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PITCH COACHES

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