|  | Stuffed Robot Fifth Year Fellows Bill Brown ('08) and Jessie Vogel ('08) started a company that manufactures and sells an original line of stuffed robots and robot paraphernalia. The two originally set up shop in the sculpture studio in Scales Fine Arts Center, purchasing fabric and supplies from local stores. Now, the company's designs are manufactured by outside vendors and sold online. Their site has already been linked on gizmodo.com--a popular online review site of cutting-edge consumer gadgets and electronics. See their website at http://www.stuffedrobot.com. | | Adia Adia (ah-DEE-yah) means "valuable gift" in Swahili, and valuable gifts are exactly what Fifth Year Fellow Ali Carroll ('08) seeks to provide. She creates unique, hand-crafted, Kenyan beaded jewelry and uses the profits to help support African Leadership, a charitable foundation focusing on building Africa from within. Carroll also aims to empower and inform her customer base by promoting the growing healthcare, education, and economic needs in Kenya. Carroll is in the process of expanding Adia and moving the production of the jewelry to Mbiriri, Kenya, in order to provide jobs for Kenyan women. For beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry that supports a great cause, visit the website at www.adiabeading.com. | | Character Resources Foundation
Overcoming several challenges throughout his life, Wake Forest graduate John Pyle knows the value of character-building experiences. In hopes of helping our nation’s schools develop and instill positive values in their students, Pyle founded the Character Resources Foundation, which seeks to provide materials and experiences that encourage young people to be caring, honest, generous and loyal individuals. For more information, read John's profile on www.speakermatch.com. | |
Justees: For Justice
Designer Martha Napier is not only fashion conscious but socially conscious as well. Martha began her company, Justees: For Justice, as an internet-based business through which she sells personalized fashions for the greater good. Justees and their customers give back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds to the women’s non-profit, "Be Bright Pink", a foundation focused on educating young women on preventative health care to eliminate breast cancer. To order these feel-good frocks, contact Martha Napier at
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Urskinz
Recognizing students’ desire to personalize their computer with stickers or cases, Junior Finance major Chris Knight and Sophomore Business major Will Langevin decided to act and fill this niche with their business, Urskinz. Urskinz sells a semi-permanent, computer-safe sticker with easy removal so that students can feel free to express themselves on their laptops without causing permanent damage. Eventually, they hope to advertise on Facebook and other affordable venues that will attract the attention of their targeted audience. To find out more information, contact Chris Knight at
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The Unique Sheep
Wake grad Laura Bullins has turned her love for knitting into more than just a hobby: with her new business, The Painted Sheep, her interest has become an entrepreneurial endeavor. The Painted Sheep, which was founded in April of 2007, produces high quality, hand-painted yarn suitable for knitting and crocheting. Undyed yarn is purchased, dyed by hand, and then resold through her website, theuniquesheep.com, and by retail yarnshops. For more information, visit the website or contact Laura Bullins at
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|  | Backpacks Abroad.org Junior Hillary Francis founded Backpacks Abroad, a charity foundation that helps provide school supplies and financial support for impoverished children around the world. http://www.backpacksabroad.org. | |
Out Of Line Apparel
Brad Chitty and Phil VanFossan founded Out of Line Apparel, a t-shirt company allowing students across the country to share their collegiate experience through t-shirts. OutOfLineApparel.com is a conduit for buying, blogging, and browsing creative college tees designed by the people who know it best—the students. Through contests, which provide opportunities to win big, students submit t-shirt ideas that are voted upon by the rest of the student population. Through this medium, friends comment on designs, buy shirts, and e-mail others their favorites to share their unique college experience. By providing this creative avenue for merchandise, Out of Line brings student’s ideas to life. | |
E-Trip
Founded and managed by Wake Forest students Mariusz Adamski, Seth Yetter, and Brad Chitty, E-Trip is a professional provider of European educational tours. The company partners with the Centre for Tourism and Education, “Socrates”, located in Poznan, Poland, to organize and operate tours geared primarily for high school students. | |
Fayetteville Impact Productions
Co-founded by junior theatre and psychology major Rebecca Cannon, Fayetteville Impact Productions (FIP) provides opportunities for Fayetteville, NC high school students to explore new creative outlets and become actively involved in theatre. In 2005, FIP produced Gunplay, and in the summer of 2006, a group of high school students helped launch the second production for FIP, Nothing But the Truth. Click here to visit the website. | |
TimeShare
Founded by Wake Forest students Bill D’Alessandro and Landon Mossburg, TimeShare is a software package that allows academic institutions to manage, share, and view dynamically updated and personalized calendars and to-do items pertaining to classes and university-wide events. The software is currently in the development phase and the company hopes to release a beta version in the next several months. | |
MEDmarketplace.com.
Senior John Michael Baratta and his cousin developed the concept for a website that would allow people to recycle (i.e. sell) used medical equipment; this includes items like crutches, walkers, and motorized scooters. People with items to sell can list them on the website, and those in need of medical equipment can visit the site to purchase used items. The need was clear. After only two years, MEDmarketplace.com has more than 6,000 regular participants and is growing rapidly. Click here to read more. Medmarketplace.com | |
Dreams Come True.
Junior Ritu Bhattacharya is the founder of "Dreams Come True," a drop-out prevention program for elementary and high school students with an emphasis on the use of technology and career explorations. Working with Hanes Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, North Forsyth High School, and Mount Tabor High School, "Dreams Come True" brings together volunteers from Wake Forest, Salem College, and Winston-Salem State University. The program began recruiting volunteers in fall 2005, and continues to recruit. Click here to read more about Ritu and Dreams Come True. |  College-Nation.com
College-Nation.com, a website launched by Seniors Tim Chilleri and Thaddeus Rolle, was designed to be a common meeting area that provides college students with information, resources and content through Message Boards. This web forum, which serves as an effective networking tool for students across the country, allows users to find or offer information on groups, events, entertainment, academics, etc. Users search and post information within their own campus network or share on the national campus one. For more information, email Tim Chilleri at
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or Thaddeus Rolle at
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Holiday Parade
Andy Albert divides his time between being a typical Wake Forest student and being the lead vocalist and songwriter for his up-and-coming band, Holiday Parade. Albert, an Economics major and an Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise minor, recently received the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award for Artistic Venture for his outstanding work with the band. Click here to find out more about Andy Albert and Holiday Parade.
College Garage
College Garage was founded in the summer of 2006 by juniors Drew Crofton, Will Rawley, and Bill D'Alessandro. College garage is a virtual marketplace for college students. Students post free classifieds to sell textbooks, furniture, cars, and other items. College Garage helps students help other students, bypassing college bookstores and garage sales. College Garage is in the process of expanding beyond Wake Forest to 5 other colleges this fall. Visit the site at http://www.collegegarage.com
AudioFusion
Started by MBA students, Mark Hendrickson, Josh Schwartz, Zack Luszcz, and Deborah Fray, AudioFusion will produce revolutionary patent-pending technology used in Tinnitus Sound Therapy.
The Peter Ayoub Foundation
Founded by Wake Forest senior Peter Ayoub, the Peter Ayoub Foundation is organized to financially support and organize educational pursuits outside of the classroom. The Foundation recently launched its Field Trip Grant Program, an initiative aimed at ensuring that teachers have the funds needed to extend the learning experience outside of the classroom. The first grant was awarded this year to a school in Bridgeport, CT. The Foundation continues to raise funds and look for new initiatives to support. Click here to read more.
Retina Software
Graduate student Chandler Carruth (Computer Science) and ’06 alum Anthony Pecorella (Mathematics) created an innovative science fiction, action-based computer game. After receiving a small seed grant from the University last spring and loads of support from faculty and the Office of Entrepreneurship and Liberal Arts, the two are currently finalizing a business plan and a technology demo for potential investors. The game itself will be a science fiction top-down shooter game with more plot and depth than the average action game. Anthony and Chandler hope to incorporate sophisticated graphics, role-playing, and a distinct story line. They are currently talking with artists in Canada and Utah about design for the technology demo. Aqualutions, LLC
Aqualutions, a company started by a combination of biology and business students here at Wake Forest under the direction of Dr. Ray Kuhn, is marketing a disease-test kit that will allow fish farmers to more accurately and efficiently monitor the health of their fish. Dr. Kuhn developed the test kits for catfish and salmon farms. The students have done extensive research on their primary market and have set up a management team and Board of Advisors. Their hard work is paying off. They are seeking SBIR funding from the USDA for this endeavor and have recently expanded their product pipeline. Recently, Aqualutions won a business plan competition sponsored by the Peidmont Triad Entrepreneurial Network and are using the funds to further support research. www.aqualutions.net
GroupVine
GroupVine, founded by ’06 alums Charles Beck, Josh Hemphill and Scott Hurff. GroupVine is a web-based platform that provides management, fund-raising, event coordination, and communication tools for club organizations. They are initially targeting fraternities and sororities with a beta version of their software.
MagicMouth Productions
Wake Forest ’06 alums Ben Whiting and Matt Gutschick spent their senior year developing a non-profit theatre company, MagicMouth Productions, and put on their first performance in February 2006 on the MainStage Theatre of Scales Fine Arts Center. Entitled Awakening, this one-man fusion of drama and grand illusion uses elements of theatre and magic to amaze, inspire, and personally connect with the audience in a totally new way.www.magicmouthproductions.com
PurchaseCoolStuff.com
Jason Mosberg ’05 created a website, Purchasecoolstuff.com, where consumers can go to find appealing, interesting, original, eccentric, and rare products. The website is set up with various categories: gifts for dad and mom, sports equipment, gifts for girlfriend/boyfriend, gag gifts, prank products, etc. Check out Purchasecoolstuff.com to find gifts for all those on your shopping list, including yourself! http://purchasecoolstuff.com\ Art on the Internet
Art on the Internet. Wake Forest '05 alum, art major Rebecca Boswell is developing a system to digitize her portfolio and place it on a custom designed website. This effort will be used to market her work to gallery directors and curators. One unique aspect of her project is the development of a "work in process" section which will show progressive stages in the development of her paintings. http://rebeccaboswell.com Project Bokonon, founded by '04 alum Rosita Najmi.
Project Bokonon is a 503c not-for-profit organization founded in 2002. The company raises money through donations and contributions, purchases medical equipment, and ships the equipment to medical practices in Benin, West Africa. Rosita graduated from Wake Forest in 2004, but recruited a new management team to continue running the company, and appointed a Board of Directors. The team is forming plans to expand their efforts to other college campuses around the United States. For more information see http://www.projectbokonon.org/.
J.L. Lane, founded by '04 alum Jennifer Woodsmall
During a trip to Vietnam Jennifer Woodsmall observed finely-crafted handbags made by Vietnamese women. She founded J. L. Lane to design and import handbags manufactured in Vietnam. J. L. Lane handbags are distributed in department stores in the Midwest and southeast, as well as on the web. A portion of the company's profits are donated to the International Federation of Women, which supports women entrepreneurs in third world countries. For more information see http://www.jllane.com/.
Sandbox Learning Company, founded by MBA students Amy McGuire and Desiree McClimon
Sandbox Learning Company was formed by these two students because of their interest in providing a service for professionals and parents working with children with disabilities and specifically autism spectrum disorders. Amy and Desiree won multiple student entrepreneurship business plan contests, and have since located their company in the Wake Forest University Demon Incubator. For more information see http://www.sandbox-learning.com/.
Together Intune, founded by Enrique Rodriguez-Pastor
Together Intune promotes character development and multicultural inclusion through multilingual music and film. It offers a creative hands-on enrichment program in which kids help teach universal life lessons to our global community by creating music videos with the use of Together Intune's original music. This project began in 2008 and it emerged from the widespread need to promote both character development and multicultural inclusion among children and youth. To learn more, please visit http://www.togetherintune.org/.
BuddyGopher, founded by '04 alum Nick Gray and '02 alum Ryan Farley.
BuddyGopher is a web-based software program that simultaneously checks the away messages of your favorite AOL instant messenger buddies. BuddyGopher had a beta test in 2003, went live with an updated version in 2004, attracting thousands of users across the United States and receiving nationwide media coverage. The program is being updated in order to become scalable. For more information see http://buddygopher.blogspot.com/.
Blue Ocean Software founded by '88 alum Russ Hobbs. After graduating with a degree in philosophy, Hobbs began working in the information technology department of a large company. In 1990, Hobbs quit his job to start Blue Ocean Software. Within 10 years, the company became a leading developer of help desk, PC inventory and full-featured systems management solutions. Blue Ocean Software was listed as one of the fastest growing companies in the country for three consecutive years on Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list. It was also named to Software Magazine's list of the top 500 largest software companies in the world. Hobbs sold Blue Ocean Software to Intuit in 2002 for $177 million. Click here to read more about Russ Hobbs and his visit to WFU on April 12, 2007.
Pat Williams, '62 is the Co-founder and Senior Vice President of the NBA's Orlando Magic. He is a best-selling author, motivational speaker, acomplished leader and father of 19. Click here to read about his visit to WFU on April 19, 2006.
Visit his website at www.patwilliamsmotivate.com
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