49er iChallenge finalists to compete in Charlotte Venture Challenge

UNC Charlotte senior Trevon Stoddard is among Ventureprise’s 49er iChallenge student finalists who will compete in the 2018 Charlotte Venture Challenge on May 1.

His innovation, an application to assist calculus students in solving problems, was inspired by personal experience.

“I was taking calculus at Clemson a few years ago and the TA (teacher assistant) had extreme social anxiety. He wasn’t able to teach the course, and I had to find outside resources to get me through the class. I didn’t want other students to struggle the way I did,” said Stoddard.

According to Stoddard, his app uses machine learning to highlight common problem areas and to provide feedback where the user needs improvement. As a computer science student, Stoddard built the app and then participated in Ventureprise’s customer discovery program, Ventureprise Launch NSF I-Corps, where he learned about potential customers and what he needed to do to improve the product.

The 49er iChallenge is an opportunity for UNC Charlotte students to pitch their innovative ideas to the Ventureprise team for a chance to participate in the Charlotte Venture Challenge. This year’s iChallenge participants pitched a variety of innovations, ranging from artificial intelligence to consumer products. The three finalists were selected for the Charlotte Venture Challenge based on their ideas, milestones, go-to-market strategies and traction to date.

Seniors Mohammad Aboufoul and Mohammad Salad are another finalist team, Tijarah. The duo has designed a shopping app that several retailers can use simultaneously to save consumers from downloading and keeping track of several different apps.

Aboufoul conceived the idea after continually experiencing long wait times at checkouts; he approached Salad about the idea.

Salad noted, “We had several ideas for this but reached out to professors and others to get feedback. We didn’t include some of the features we originally thought we needed to have and are looking forward to more feedback, networking and making connections at Charlotte Venture Challenge.”

The third 49er iChallenge finalist team, Guap, seeks to connect college students to jobs in the area. Daniel Peccerilli and Christopher Pereira, who grew up together in the Northeast, knew they wanted to design a labor app and needed to do market research to understand the types of jobs needed. They participated in Ventureprise’s customer discovery program, where they tested their market theories and services by interviewing more than 30 potential customers and partners in the Charlotte area.

“We have learned to stay flexible and look at what potential customers need. We went through a few pivots after learning more about our market,” said Peccerilli and Pereira.

They formed their company this past winter and are currently focusing on growing their labor team, consisting of UNC Charlotte students. They will offer customers a variety of services, such as moving managers as well as a flexible, reduced-cost moving, cleaning and/or hauling services.

The 49er iChallenge is to highlight innovation on UNC Charlotte’s campus and encourage students to think through their ideas and utilize the entrepreneurial resources on campus.

Ventureprise Associate Director Devin Collins said he likes to see students “test their ideas with real potential customers which means actually going out and talking to people not just googling for answers.”

Thus far, Peccerilli has learned “be prepared to be wrong about your assumptions and be flexible to pivot when needed.” Stoddard added, “Start working on your idea as soon as you can.”

Collins stated, “Every year we hear how much the Charlotte Venture Challenge attendees enjoy seeing the innovative ideas from UNC Charlotte students.

At this year’s challenge on May 1, teams will have five minutes to pitch their ideas and will receive feedback from the panel. They will be competing for a $1,000 cash prize.

The 2018 Charlotte Venture Challenge will focus on Ventureprise Launch participants and highlight these innovation-based ventures from UNC Charlotte researchers and students and the Charlotte community. The event will feature a keynote by NC IDEA FOUNDATION President and CEO Thom Ruhe, followed by a panel of local startups that have received foundation funding. A reception will follow.

There is no charge to attend the Charlotte Venture Challenge; RSVPs are required.