Happy STEM Day to These Trojan Entrepreneurs
By Joy Ofodu ‘18
In honor of National STEM Day, I thought I’d shine a Trojans 360 flashlight on some of the most dynamic USC student-made apps and tech companies!
BeComm
BeComm is a bartering website exclusive to the USC community of students, alumni and staff. It arose from USC Annenberg Public Relations alumni and current M.S. Digital and Social Media candidate Taryn Maister’s capstone group project. As Taryn describes the project: “It is similar to Free and for Sale but it doesn’t have any money requirement, only trading goods and services among the Trojan Family.”
The services available range from graphic design to photo editing to tutoring, just to name a few. And the goods can be anything of value that users want to trade - from Shrine concert tickets, to used GE textbooks, to used furniture.
It also presents a unique opportunity for USC student artists to find each other: SCA kids can barter their services and find students in the Drama school who can act in their productions. Annenberg students can trade to make infographics/flyers for a club. English majors can offer to proof-read papers - the possibilities are limitless!
Nom Noms Inc.
Senior Madison Eckert and recent graduate Andrew Ullman launched Nom Noms Inc. when they discovered a way to re-purpose food waste from major food chains and feed hungry SC students on a budget.
Nom Noms’ meal kits are a healthy and affordable option that customers can feel good about eating; the kits reduce food waste at both the food distributor- and individual-levels and use 100% compostable packaging materials.
The ingredients are sourced from overstocked and ‘ugly’ produce. Way to save our wallets and our planet, Trojans!
Tommy Bot
Tommy Bot is a chatbot based on Facebook Messenger that gives you quick access to directions, building hours, dining hall menus, welcome week events, and more information about USC.
Spun out of a LavaLab project by Samuel Breck, Mimi Tran Zambetti, Justin He, Will Durkee and other brilliant USC students, it serves as a perfect example of technology made for Trojans, by Trojans!
Go ahead - ask Tommy Bot when the Lyon Center closes, or how to get to Doheney!
EnvoyNow
One of the most moving Trojan entrepreneurship stories is that of EnvoyNow and the journey of Anthony Zhang, a young founder who was able to pitch his food delivery company to Mark Cuban on campus, earning $100,000 in an investment prize.
His company and app, EnvoyNow, was founded in 2013 and solved the problem of getting food to campus buildings where only staff and students are allowed. I remember calling my Envoy as a freshman and getting copious amounts of McDonald’s delivered to Birnkrant - I was proud to support the then-rumored Trojan business!
Though Anthony suffered a tragic accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down, he and his team were able to successfully sell the company to continue their mission of getting food into hungry student hands.
In Great Company
Senior and tech guru Caitlin Tran just launched In Great Company, a community for female founders (and future founders) who are building the next billion-dollar startup.
An Iovine & Young student, she has previously been connected to a variety of tech companies and apps, including Mira Labs, Facebook/Oculus, and Curtsy.
Her team’s mission is to make entrepreneurship more accessible and inclusive to young women of all backgrounds by hosting educational (and free) events, catalyzing connections in their online community, amplifying female founders in their original content and resources, and curating entrepreneurship-related news in their weekly newsletter.
Bee, Inc.
Bee Inc. is an authenticity marketing company, founded by USC student Lucas McGartland and recent grad Andrew Ullmann.
They believe that social media can turn traditional advertising into content people will love and enjoy. Their marketplace connects people with the brands they love most, and empowers them to create the next great ad campaign.
Signing up and getting connected with Bee is easy, and they’re likely to feature excellent content from other Trojans on their Instagram, too!
Mira Labs, Inc.
USC Trojan Ben Taft created Mira Labs, Inc. and both the company website and products are likely to blow your mind. Mira Prism lets you interact with holographic images overlaid on the real world, sharing images in augmented reality. Alone or with friends, the Prism brings your world to life.
The creators invite you, no matter where you are, to open the Mira app on your smartphone, slide it into the Prism headset, and begin exploring the wonders of interactive holographic content. In Spectator Mode, you can watch your friend’s AR experience in real time from your own phone or tablet.
Taft and his team have gathered the attention of Mashable, Variety and Business Insider; hopefully, they’ll gather yours, too!
Happy Pill
Happy Pill is a website founded by USC student Daniella Mohazab. The site contains stories of everyday people who are diagnosed with mental illnesses, as well as social media channels with memes, quotes, and more. Topics range from trendy, fun, flirty, depressing, and honest in nature.
Her team is made up of students from a variety of universities across the United States, including only one other fellow Trojan in the Public Policy program. The website, though, is a must see for students anywhere who are looking for community and inspiring stories!
The FAM
Last but not least is The FAM, a company that utilizes a branded app! Senior Aaron H Raus started this music career development community January in his Entrepreneurship class at USC. Akin to LinkedIn, it emphasizes the importance of building long-term symbiotic relationships in person as opposed to over social media or other digital communication.
You can peek at what The FAM is up to as Aaron builds his project!
Wishing many more successes to these Trojan entrepreneurs! Happy STEM day!
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