Durabilika: Joshua Teo

An entrepreneur has the ability to recognize when there is a piece of a puzzle that doesn’t work and can be improved. Joshua Teo, a graduate research assistant at Western Michigan University and co-founder of Durabilika, experienced this while pursuing his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. “I used a lot of engineering software, and all of it had a pretty steep learning curve designed for complex industrial solutions. I thought there must be a better and easier way for students to run a simple fatigue analysis with a simple, easy-to-use program,” says Teo. From this realization, Teo founded Durabilika.

Durabilika is an interactive cloud-based durability analysis software. The product was created when Teo and his team noticed that all other available similar products were either extremely expensive, difficult to learn, or both. Durabilika seeks to conserve time and money for durability analysis through utilizing low-risk payment plan options and offering easy-to-learn and self-explanatory software.

Working with Starting Gate, Western Michigan University’s student business accelerator, Teo says he has seen significant improvements in his business and has had many opportunities to compete and improve his business plan. “We made it as one of the finalists at the WMU PITCH Competition—only six out of 24 teams were chosen,” says Teo.

Teo cites the professional connections he has made through Starting Gate as some of the most beneficial aspects of the accelerator. “Lara Hobson, the director of Starting Gate, offered us support that was really inspiring and gave us the confidence to go further with our idea,” says Teo. Making connections and using the Starting Gate network has offered opportunities for mentorship and improved product functionality for Durabilika.

In the next five years, Teo says that he hopes Durabilika will be known as an simple cloud fatigue software for small and medium companies. “By 2021, we expect to see a sales revenue of $5 million,” says Teo. “Our passion to assist manufacturers is what keeps us excited every day on this journey.”