Some of the world’s most successful companies started in college dorm rooms. It’s not surprising to see entrepreneurship rising in popularity amongst college students. The combination of student passion and university support has led to numerous startups emerging on campuses across the country.
Working with college students and startups around the globe, we love watching students take the proverbial plunge into entrepreneurship. In this blog series, we will make stops at various college campuses looking to profile top student-led startups.
First up: the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, the city where UofM is located, was named as one of the rising tech hubs by Bloomberg. Incubators such as the Desai Accelerator and the Center for Entrepreneurship contributed to such success.
Our team found three student startups that have received recognition in the University of Michigan’s startup ecosystem. We’ve asked the founders to share their stories and provide some advice for future entrepreneurs.
First up, we connected with Megan Martis, founder of Clovo, a fashion startup that makes natural, sheet tights that offer comfort and sustainability. With a background in astrogeophysics and engineering, Megan recruited a 100% female team with diverse skill sets but a shared passion for creating a better future for the Earth.
Q. What inspired you to create Clovo? What problem are you trying to solve?
Growing up, I wore sheer tights a lot with my school uniform. Attending undergrad in Upstate NY, tights were still a staple in my wardrobe; however, they sagged all day, were itchy, and ripped easily. I had enough and decided to create a natural and more comfortable alternative.
Q. What has been your proudest moment as a founder?
I’d say it is a tie between our two early milestones of winning the New York Business Plan Competition & Completing a Kickstarter mid-pandemic.
Q. How do you stay motivated? What keeps you going during hardships?
My passion for the sustainability side of CLOVO is what I connect with to stay motivated. Also, it is my goal to provide consumers with innovative comfort and a sustainable alternative to traditional tights, while protecting the environment. During hardships, I think I thrive actually because I like to find innovative solutions and alternative paths to find solutions – it is motivational to me.
If you are interested in learning more about Clovo and their mission, check out their website, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Next up, we connected with Dan Zakon, founder of MintyBrain, an edtech startup that creates educational video games to help kids improve at and fall in love with math. Dan is a Computer Science major at the University of Michigan who won 1st place in the Learning Levers Educational Technology Competition with MintyBrain.
Q. What inspired you to create MintyBrain? What problem are you trying to solve?
America is lagging behind in math performance compared to nearly every other developed nation. Tens of millions of students are deterred from pursuing STEM fields because their first experiences with math are so negative, and MintyBrain seeks to change that by exposing the beauty and fun in mathematics and eliminating math-anxiety.
Q. What are the most important qualities a founder should have?
I would say that generally, a founder should be so obsessed with what they’re working on that they can’t stop thinking about it — you can never replace passion. It also helps to be persuasive and to enjoy solving hard problems with creativity.
Q. How do you stay motivated? What keeps you going during hardships?
I got the “coding bug” in high school and have been obsessed with making games and apps and creating things ever since. I love what I do and I love the idea that it could make an impact in a lot of peoples’ lives so it’s never really a challenge to stay motivated — it’s all intrinsic motivation.
Q. What is something you wish you knew before you started your entrepreneurial journey?
There are a lot of ups and downs and not everything works at first. Some days you feel like the company is about to take over the world and other days you feel like you’re destined to fail — that just comes with the territory. I don’t think it ever becomes comfortable to go through the roller coaster process of creating things and releasing them to be judged by the public.
If you are interested in learning more about MintyBrain and their journey, check out their website and LinkedIn.
Finally, we connected with Melinda Su-En Lee, co-founder of Parcel Health, a health tech startup that is creating a new standard for prescription packaging. Melinda is a newly minted pharmacist who graduated from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy this past year.
Q. What inspired you to create Parcel Health? What problem are you trying to solve?
Reducing the healthcare system’s reliance on plastic was a huge motivator for my cofounder and I when we started Parcel Health. As we were designing the box, I reflected on my many experiences with patients that struggled with their process of taking medication. I realized that in addition to reducing plastic waste, our solution also had to make the entire experience of taking medications better. This led to us creating a box that was functionally better through our proprietary opening mechanism, improved labeling legibility, and tamper-resistance.
Q. What has been your proudest moment?
Building my team has been my proudest moment. It is a blessing I count on every day that I work with the smartest and most hardworking people I know. It also helps that we can lean on the best advisors in the field that help us grow and move forward.
Q. What are the most important qualities a founder should have?
Patience. Creating a startup is just like gardening (I love vegetable gardening). You must be willing to let your seeds sprout and you can’t be too eager to start harvesting before the plant has come to full fruition.
Q. What is something you wish you knew before you started your entrepreneurial journey?
The longest way around is the shortest way home.
If you are interested in learning more about Parcel Health, check out their website and LinkedIn.
It is truly exciting to see so many students take action to make a difference in the world. If you know of or are a part of an awesome college startup, feel free to contact us through email, LinkedIn, or Instagram! And if you would like to stay up to date on the next college startup, subscribe below.
