Startup Shell’s Spring 2023 Highlights
We are very excited to present to you the highlights of Startup Shell’s endeavors from Spring 2023! The semester has been nothing short of extraordinary as we continue to foster a vibrant community of founders, builders, and creatives who are shaping the future of entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland and beyond.
Alumni Reunion
Kicking off the semester on a high note, we had the pleasure of welcoming our alumni to our new home in the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory to celebrate Startup Shell’s 10 year anniversary. During the event, we revived traditions by hosting a Founders Expo for students to show off their ventures to alumni, held an all-generation hackathon, ran Blind Pitches -- pitching pre-designed decks about ridiculous company ideas without prep --, and of course sang Happy Birthday to Startup Shell. As we revisited the last 10 years with our alumni, it became clear that as long as the Startup Shell community persists, any building can be called home.
Applications
After receiving a record-breaking number of applications during the fall semester, it was clear that Startup Shell had outgrown its existing application system. In an effort to effectively evaluate 200+ applications and make strides toward the organization’s diversity goals, we cast aside our traditional Founder and Fellow application tracks for a single, unified application that supported the growing experimenters and innovators joining Startup Shell. As a result of these changes, we managed to review a record-breaking 250 applications and introduced the most diverse batch of passionate builders, creators, and entrepreneurs in Startup Shell history.
Fundraising
With the amazing energy of the Spring 2023 cohort, Shellers came together to surpass our Launch UMD campaign goal of $10,000. As a result of the campaign, Startup Shell is actively distributing $15,000 among founder grants, community programming, and purchasing resources that can help Shellers bring their ideas to life.
Further, Startup Shell and the Deshpande Family successfully established the Deshpande Shell Innovative Rising Entrepreneurs (DESIRE) Endowed Student Award. University of Maryland students who receive the award will be provided funding to bootstrap their venture. These awards will aid students in covering incorporation and prototyping costs for their businesses.
Events
Startup Shell is a vibrant hub of creativity, insatiable curiosity, and relentless innovation. This semester, we curated an impressive lineup of events, impacting over 2,000 students.
Speaker Events
Simon Last, the Co-Founder of Notion, spoke virtually at Startup Shell and shared his experience dropping out of the University of Maryland, moving to California, and building Notion.
Michael Gibson, the Co-Founder of 1517 Fund and the Thiel Fellowship, came to Startup Shell to discuss the realm of entrepreneurship in a world of highly structured higher education.
Vlad Eidelman, Chief Technology Officer of Fiscal Note, spoke with students about solving problems in the realm of government and the importance of Artificial Intelligence in Fiscal Note’s success.
Paul English, Co-Founder of Kayak.com, spoke with students about his own entrepreneurial journey and how he is using his success to build institutions and nonprofits that are changing the landscape.
And more…
Small Artists, Big Talent
In collaboration with Dare to Dream, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering marginalized communities, Startup Shell hosted the second installment of their ongoing series, Small Artists, Big Talent. The series offers a platform for marginalized communities in entrepreneurship to display their abilities and the exciting ventures they are creating.
Each event is divided into two segments: firstly, attendees can explore booths featuring an array of products, such as handmade bags, custom art, children's books, and thrifted clothing; and secondly, a concert, showcasing the talents of over 10 artists, including singers, dancers, stand-up comedians, and slam poets.
She Started It
Our Female Founders panel discussion, She Started It, brought together Breonna Massey of Slay Naturals, Krisztina Christmon of Repurpose Farm Plastic, Kat Close of WISE Cities, and Takiyah Roberts of Dare to Dream. These visionary women shared their entrepreneurial journeys, discussed the obstacles they overcame, and provided invaluable advice for those looking to embark on their own entrepreneurial path.
Sheller Highlights
Since 2012, Startup Shell has fostered the growth of over 200 ventures, collectively valued at around $2B. This year as we reflect on the remarkable progress made this semester, we are thrilled to share the inspiring stories of some of the amazing ventures that have emerged from our community.
Pitch Competitions
Startup Shell ventures dominated the annual Pitch Dingman Competition and Do Good Challenge. Shellers won a total of $59,000 in prizes from the Pitch Dingman Competition and $8,500 from the Do Good Challenge!
Sustainabli
Sustainabli, founded by Kevin Tu, has developed a digital tool to address energy waste in labs using hazardous chemicals. Their innovative solution, the Sashimi Sash Manager, combines a lab sensor and digital dashboard to remind scientists to close the sash on fume hoods and track energy consumption. This semester, Sustainabli won first place in the Spring ‘23 Do Good Challenge and the grand prize at Pitch Dingman, becoming the 8th consecutive Startup Shell-founded venture to take home the top prize of $30,000!
Lingo AI
Lingo AI, founded by Pranav Shikarpur and Ian Costello, is an AI-powered multilingual content tool helping content creators launch language-specific channels on social media platforms. With no extra work or cost to the customer, Lingo AI helps content creators reach untapped global audiences on platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, and Tiktok. This semester, won the second-place prize of $10,000 in Pitch Dingman’s Quattrone Tech Track. Currently, they are working with 6 content creators with a collective 22M subscribers and plan to use the prize to establish more partnerships with content creators and scale their ability to process videos.
Kestrel
Kestrel, founded by Kamal Narra and Bobby George, is revolutionizing agricultural lending by providing data-driven solutions for small farmers. By leveraging NASA satellite data, Kestrel’s AI engine analyzes climate, market, and agricultural data, enabling lenders and stakeholders to research and manage agricultural investments, all in one place. So far, Kestrel has worked with 432 farms and surveyed over 700 acres of land. In May, they entered a partnership with Roots Africa Inc and launched their services in Uganda and Liberia.
Prosper Robotics
Prosper Robotics, founded by Shariq Hashme, is the inventor of Alfie, a humanoid robotic helper for your home or office. Alfie can clean, organize your things, and take care of small chores like watering your plants. Shariq previously worked at OpenAI before leaving to invent Alfie. See his Twitter Thread to learn more!
Repurpose Farm Plastic
Repurpose Farm Plastic, founded by Krisztina Christmon and Benjamin Rickels, is dedicated to addressing the environmental impact of agricultural plastics. Through their innovative process of collecting, cleaning, and repurposing agricultural plastics, they are driving the adoption of sustainable recycling practices in the farming industry. This semester, Repurpose Farm Plastic has been accepted into the National Science Foundation I-Corp Program and won second place in the venture track for the Do Good Challenge.
Manatee
Manatee, founded by Bryan Houlton and Ryan Downing, is making significant strides in the business world with its innovative approach to lead generation. Their no-code solution allows sales teams to create personalized and scalable demos without requiring any engineering effort. Bryan and Ryan were recently recognized in DC Inno's Top Innovators Under 25. In June, Manatee was acquired by Navattic, an interactive demo platform!
Wise Cities
WISE Cities, founded by Marie Brodsky and Kat Close, is dedicated to addressing the issue of social isolation among the elderly by leveraging accessible technology solutions. Their flagship app offers an intuitive and gamified experience that promotes senior community engagement, social participation, and physical activity. This semester, they won third place in the Do Good Challenge’s venture track and the Pitch Dingman Competition. Additionally, WISE Cities has secured $20,000 in grants, credits, and resources from Dorm Room Fund and AWS Activate.