Accelerator Alumni

Fall 2022 cohort

Breaking Crucial Boundaries

Breaking Crucial Boundaries is a podcast that focuses on stories about people from all walks of life. Mani Williams, a senior digital marketing and eCommerce major, is founder and host.

CryptoShovel

CryptoShovel operates a consumer-focused, cloud-based crypto-mining service. The company, started by senior finance major Payton Walker, allows customers to start mining cryptocurrencies with no technical knowledge.

Efficient and Autonomous Vehicles Lab at WMU

Efficient and Autonomous Vehicles Lab at WMU is developing a commercialization strategy for a product that allows automated vehicles to safely drive in snow. Bryan Hagenbarth, a junior integrated supply management major, is focused on the effort on behalf of WMU.

Happy Horn

Happy Horn is the brainchild of Joseph Schwarz, a junior entrepreneurship major, and allows cars to have multiple horn sounds: normal horn, happy horn and cheerful horn.

Hidden Gallery

Hidden Gallery, founded by senior digital marketing and eCommerce major Dior Rouseau, is a clothing company on a mission to inspire progress.

The Polish Express

The Polish Express is an Instagram page where instructional food and beverage videos, peppered with humor, are curated by founder Bartek Scheibe, a senior entrepreneurship major. Included with each dish is a recipe name, ingredient list and instructions.

Viva Travel Lernen

Viva Travel Lernen is a travel community, founded by senior personal financial planning major Alexia Gomez, which hosts group trips to different countries, exploring cultures and promoting language learning.

Fall 2021 cohort

Crypto Shovel

Payton Walker presents in front of a large screen CryptoShovel is a cryptocurrency-mining, computer-building company. The company develops and operates mining systems for various clients through an equipment leasing structure. The company creates a user-friendly ecosystem that allows strategic partners to purchase crypto equipment leases.

LifeSaver

Dennivan Brunt presents in conference room, wearing a dark suitLifeSaver is a social media app with a focus on peer counseling. LifeSaver aims to bridge connections between users by allowing users to talk about their different life experiences with each other—including problems and questions that they may have regarding situations they are experiencing. The goal is to build a sense of understanding with one another, offer mentorship and guidance, and create connections.

SheMakings

Siera Gunnett presents in front of monitors in conference room, wearing olive green pants and white t-shirtSheMakings is a sustainable clothing line that aims to create a more accessible option for sustainable clothing. The world's second largest pollutant is the fashion industry, and in order to make substantial change, environmentally friendly fashion needs to be more accessible. SheMakings saves articles of clothing and textile waste from hitting landfills, giving them a new life by screen printing original designs by hand onto them. Through this, SheMakings clothing has the ability to have an original style at a lower price point that benefits both the consumer and planet.

Sportwatch LLC

Seth Byrne presenting in conference room, wearing black suit and red shirtAlthough many coaches preach the adage “practice like you play,” most track and cross country coaches aren’t recording data during practices. Sportwatch LLC is an app-based business that offers coaches a digital stopwatch with an integrated team roster to facilitate the effortless capture of practice-based performance. The app is also accessible to athletes, so they can view their progress over the season and receive personalized metrics in their workouts.

The mission of Sportwatch is to improve the way teams practice by bringing simple and accessible tools to power data-driven performance analytics. The company strives to show athletes where they’ve been, where they are now and the potential that lies ahead.

Fall 2020 cohort

AgraGeospatial LLC

The world is facing an increasingly dire climate crisis—people, plants and the environment are suffering. AgraGeospatial LLC works with organic farmers and cultivators to solve this problem. We provide insights on the health of crops and effectiveness of their organization. Using the latest geospatial technologies, AG LLC shows cultivators what their plants need to thrive. We teach organizations how to keep their personnel safe, happy and effective. In the next three to five years, AgraGeospatial aims to use maps and the science of behavior to solve the world’s biggest problems.

Chlo's Clothing

Chlo's Clothing is an online clothing shop that offers custom made crochet apparel, custom embroidered tops and other designed items all sustainably and ethically handmade by Chloe LePine. Chlo’s Clothing offers a wide variety of fashion styles such as vintage, retro, festival/rave and loungewear styles. Chlo’s Clothing takes great pride in creating colorful, unique and one-of-a-kind custom pieces that can be ordered in any size and made for any fit. Chlo’s Clothing’s mission is to create fashionably fun handmade items that are made sustainably, are body inclusive and of the most stylish design.

Impak Marketing & Promotions LLC 

Impak Marketing & Promotions LLC is a promotional products distributor based in Southwest Michigan. The sole purpose of our business is to provide companies and organizations with custom print materials, promotional products and apparel to help create lasting impressions and brand awareness. We also provide help in product recommendation for events and industry specific products to market to your target audience. A few of the capabilities Impak can offer is the ability to provide small businesses and start-ups smaller quantities and fast turnaround times, with no rush charges on most items.

Peak Development

Peak Development is a brand, ideology and mentality to embrace throughout daily life. The core of Peak Development is found through public YouTube content created by Jake Myers that focuses on physical, mental and financial development.

Transparent Beauty Co.

Transparent Beauty Co. is an eCommerce beauty retailer that focuses on helping customers determine the ingredients that irritate their sensitive skin. On our website, customers can input products that have caused irritation in the past and we will help identify the specific problematic ingredient to ensure consumers never have to guess what skincare products will work for their skin again. All products and brands sold on our site are cruelty-free, because we believe nobody should have to choose between finding products that work and doing the best thing for animals and the environment.

Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Starting Gate 2020-21

Kiaer Research

Kiaer Research is a firm that conducts applied social research studies to provide new knowledge, tailored solutions and program, policy and product evaluation for businesses, nonprofits and public entities. The insight-gathering tools include quantitative and qualitative methods like survey research, focus group sessions, in-depth interviews, data scraping and statistical analysis.

  • Nathan Browning, M.S.'20, founder and principal

Fall 2019 cohort

Ethereal Motion, LLC

Video of Ethereal Motion, LLC
Ethereal Motion, LLC is a motorcycle technology-based company focused on creating innovative products to enhance the riding experience. Our company is backed by a highly knowledgeable team that is constantly working to develop new technology for the motorcycle industry. As we grow we will continue to release new lines of products, our specialty being in sportbikes and supersports. Whether you ride on the road or track, our products are designed to give you a more comfortable and superior experience.

Team member

Feeding the Sheep

Video of Feeding The Sheep
Hungry people aren't just people who need their stomach fed. Many are physically filled, but their soul still craves for a different type of food. Our mission is to design a more effective and impactful Bible application that gives users a better understanding of the scriptures and also a feature that allows users to take notes during sermons. Users will have the ability to incorporate scriptures in these notes. The application also includes gospel rap and other types of gospel music.

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Gel Sleeves

Video of Gel Sleeves
Gel Sleeves is a company dedicated to restoring confidence in the elderly and those on blood thinners. Our cutting-edge design incorporates gel pockets into a soft cotton/lycra material, strategically placed over high impact areas. This design prevents bruising before it happens, rather than curing the bruising after the fact.

Team members

Kiaer Research

Video of Kiaer Research
Kiaer Research is a firm that conducts applied social research studies to provide new knowledge, tailored solutions, and program/policy/product evaluation for businesses, nonprofits, and public entities. The insight-gathering tools include quantitative and qualitative methods like survey research, focus group sessions, in-depth interviews, data scraping, and statistical analysis.

Team member

Quantabella

Video of Quantabella Sustainable Furniture
Quantabella Sustainable Furniture is a design-centered brand that utilizes local, repurposed, or upcycled materials and turns them into minimal contemporary furniture. Quantabella aims to provide the utmost quality in craftsmanship, sustainable awareness, and an authentic piece of furniture to our customers.

Team members

Replicators

Replicators is a design company that aims to enhance user experience with outdoor activities as they record videos and take photos. By using interlocking mini blocks that can be assembled into wearable connectors such as wristbands and headbands, users can easily attach their electronic devices to the assembled blocks as they activate their device to take pictures and videos.

Team members

Viral News Network

Video of Viral News Network
Viral News Network is the news of the future. VNN is a social media news page for the millennial audience. The way VNN will achieve this is by getting its content from viral videos that are surfacing the internet. The reason VNN will report on this content is because of the general lack of context in these videos. The demand of context for viral videos is shown in the comment section. Also, since these videos are getting millions of views, shares, and likes, we understand that this is the content that viewers want to see on the VNN pages.

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Fall 2018 cohort

ABB Enterprises

Video of ABB Enterprises
ABB Enterprises LLC is a supply chain distribution company. This minority owned company distributes car accessory products to retailers and potentially manufacturers. The sole purpose of this company is to distribute new innovative products where demand for it can be proven so that they can be sold in stores. ABB Enterprises LLC is doing business as The Great Utopia.™ The Great Utopia™ sells and provides the data that will be utilized to prove demand for a product.

Team member

Aria Décor

Aira aims to offer furniture to rent to students and other temporary residents in college towns. It will help students make a hassle-free transition from their homes to their college towns without having to worry about a comfortable lifestyle. The concept of garage sales in the country also is at its peak—where households sell their goods at extremely lower prices, and then end up not selling much of their goods. Aira Décor would bridge this gap by procuring the furniture from garage sales across college towns and cater to the demands of the students by either selling the furniture or renting out the furniture.

Team members

BeOfficial

BeOfficial is an online business propelled by the BeOfficial Movement, encouraging young adults and teenagers to get involved with officiating sporting events. By providing high-caliber interactive online training to our users, BeOfficial prepares officials for in-game situations on and off the floor. BeOfficial promotes a lifestyle of a tailored professional personal image, healthy nutrition habits and money management.

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Video of GoPoint Technology
GoPoint Technology

GoPoint Technology provides consumers with a safer way to travel with a small USB plug-in device that disables your phone while your vehicle is in motion. GoPoint plans on making the road a more enjoyable and less frustrating place to travel. Our device is smaller, more convenient, and more affordable then similar products in the market. The GoPoint NIX wants people to feel confident while driving around others in what would have been an unsafe driving environment.

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Video of Grill Hanger
Grill Hanger

GrillHanger is an early stage product idea that provides barbecuers with a vertical roasting option for their chicken, ribs or steak that hangs over the grill. GrillHanger plans to sell to barbecuers, outdoor chefs, grilling enthusiasts, restaurant, and potentially grill accessory manufacturers through the channels of direct to consumer and distributors for B2B. A few immediate goals we have for the company include refining the prototypes/MVP, applying for a patent, establishing relationships with the early evangelists, and developing digital marketing strategies. Our vision is to provide all barbecuers with new, innovative products to enhance the barbecuing experience.

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Video of Grue
Grue

Grue is an online platform that matches you with pet funeral parlors to ensure a pleasant journey for your furry friend. Grue provides personalized pet funeral services to assure the best fit for your furry loved ones. As your pet approaches their golden age, Grue allows you to pre-plan in a transparent, digital way, in order to curb any surprises that may come down the road if you were less prepared. Grue provides you with a service that allows you to compare different services, allowing you to make an informed decision without burning a hole in your pocket.

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Video of Leaving our Footprints
Leaving our Footprints

Leaving Our Footprints is an intentional tourism company focused on improving the lives of those who travel with us and the communities we travel to. Our business is self-improvement and service-oriented, impacting the world in the most positive way we can. Each trip is focused on one aspect of self that travelers may wish to improve upon. We are changing the language around tourism and taking it from just lying on a beach to really impacting and connecting with the world around us.

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Video of Motley Measurements
Motley Measurements

Motley Measurements is a startup company in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that seeks to find profit by engineering innovative solutions to both household and industrial measurement needs. Motley Measurements demands a higher standard of precision in daily tasks requiring measurements, and aims to introduce new methods of convenience to compete with current products. With their batch-manufacturing business model, Motley Measurements will serve the industrial and residential atmospheres alike, impacting any specific measurement procedure with efficient solutions.

Team members

Video of Nonstop Music Live
Nonstop Music Live

Nonstop Music Live is a website for the streaming of live music. The purpose of our service is to give musicians the ability to market themselves to a global audience. Music enthusiasts receive the benefit of discovering new music with all the excitement of listening live. Nonstop Music Live is a vehicle of opportunity that will promote change in the music industry, giving everyone an equal opportunity to grow and learn.

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Video of Turtle Jump Technology
Turtle Jump Technology

Turtle Jump Technology LLC is a software development company focused on building software applications for the fields of behavior analysis and behavioral psychology. Our products will enable clinicians to provide more accurate, timely, and efficient services to their clients. Our first product is a mobile application for business analysts to collect and track continuing education credits at conferences. CE Lock is a mobile app available on Google Play and the Apple App store. Conference administrators use CE Lock to reduce the time spent on logging and producing paper certificates of attendance. Conference attendees use CE Lock to check in and check out of each session from the comfort of their seat rather than waiting in a line.

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Video of UnderDAWG Visuals
Under Dawg Visuals

UnderDAWG Visuals is a professional media company geared towards building the brand of the modern artist and entrepreneur. Started by Nick Dimas in 2016 out of Chicago, the company has spent the last two years building up the skills necessary for the craft as well as a steady client base coming from the Chicago, Detroit and Kalamazoo areas. Our services offer videography, photography and graphic design, all shaped around building a fully original media presence around a client’s professional brand. We specialize in music videos for artists and are well known for our use of special effects in a similar style to the editing process of Cole Bennet. On several occasions have created our own original special effects.

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