Like others who bike, ride a scooter or skateboard in traffic, Luke Melcher and his friends learned quickly that a few seconds' warning can separate them from calamity.
That prompted Mr. Melcher, 24, of Ross, and three fellow engineering students at California University of Pennsylvania to develop a helmet-mounted device that can alert bikers and others that cars and trucks are encroaching on their space.
It’s a pretty good idea. But is it marketable?
So began a quest last August that will bring the four Cal U undergraduates before a statewide television audience on PCN Wednesday night as the State System of Higher Education holds the finals of its annual Startup Challenge.
The Cal U entrepreneurs, all majoring in mechatronics engineering, are competing against students from Kutztown University in the east and Shippensburg University mid-state. The finalists were culled from 60 or so teams from the 14 universities with nearly 89,000 students.
First place prize is $10,000 to further cultivate the potential product. Second- and third-place finishers will receive $5,000 and $2,500.
The finals air on PCN (live on PCN Select at 7 p.m.). Mr. Melcher said he's excited and — sure — a bit nervous about the TV appearance.
"We're not business majors. We're just engineering students, and we are learning how the business world works,'' he said. "Even if we don't win, it's great exposure. It's a great experience."
That's exactly the point, say State System leaders.
Colleges and universities want to produce graduates with the soft and hard skills that help drive innovation. When they learn to work outside their comfort zone, they are better able to adapt to the work world.
"Making a business plan — it's actually complicated," said State System Chancellor Daniel Greenstein.
“Educating and supporting student entrepreneurs is a priority for State System universities, and these amazing finalists demonstrate the innovation coming from our students and supported by our faculty,” said Board of Governors Chairwoman Cynthia Shapira. “Several past winners have launched their own businesses from the ideas born of this real-life experience, and I look forward to the new businesses that may emerge from this year’s competition.”
The Cal U project, dubbed the “Vispec Safety System,” can be mounted to any helmet and provides full 360-degree road monitoring. Vispec, with a motion sensing camera and a computer, works to reduce accidents involving personal ride transportation such as bikes, scooters, longboards and Segways.
It uses a display suspended above the operator's right eye that shows potential intrusions.
The Cal U team also includes George D’Angelo, Joseph Donatucci, and Connor Egan — all, like Mr. Mechler, are Mechatronics Engineering Technology seniors at Cal U.
Students from Shippensburg and Kutztown are relishing their trip to the finals, too. They include:
— Shantal Ewell, MBA student, and Kevin Smyth, Master’s in Student Affairs student, at Kutztown University: Their Schedule Degree Planner is an online platform that would change the way college students and advisers interact. The platform creates a personalized degree plan so students can avoid unnecessary courses to graduate in four years or less while improving the efficiency of advisers and the graduation rates of universities.
— Erin Burney, Business Management senior at Shippensburg: IRE Productions is a prop making company that primarily services cosplayers with high-quality and affordable pieces. Customers can select from exclusive designs of weapons, armor and other accessories to complete a cosplay ensemble or enjoy the experience of providing their own design and the company will bring the item to life.
The event Wednesday night is not "Shark Tank," where entrepreneurs on national TV go before celebrity investors such as Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, who ultimately vote "I'm in" or "I'm out" after trying to get a piece of the investment.
Judges Wednesday will include Laura Haffne, region bank president, senior vice president, Greater Pennsylvania region for Wells Fargo; Matt Lutcavage, vice president of team experience and chief human resources officer for The Giant Company; Manny Mar, vice president for Bank of America; Mary Oliveira, chief membership officer for Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry; and Nandish Patel, an entrepreneur.
Bill Schackiner: bschackner@post-gazette.com, 4122631977 and on Twitter: @Bschackner
First Published: April 12, 2022, 10:00 p.m.
Updated: April 13, 2022, 12:08 p.m.
