The anticipated Seed Round of the 2024 Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition is over! This year, eight teams of aspiring entrepreneurs presented their startups to judges on Wednesday, March 27, in Dicke Hall's Mabee Auditorium. The teams competed for the chance to win $5,000 in seed funding for their startups.
Allergen Life, FitQuest, LxR Motors, SunGuard Shield, and Powerlifting Depth Checker won the 2024 Seed Round. They will advance to the Trinity Accelerator, a 10-week summer program that allows teams to build connections and develop their startups with guidance from former Stumberg finalists and local entrepreneurs. After the accelerator, the teams will return and compete in the final round in the fall for a chance to win $25,000.
This year, Trinity University welcomed Carmen Aramanda as the new director of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Carmen is very excited about the lineup this year. She notes that the students worked hard with former finalists, the faculty in entrepreneurship, and the entrepreneur in residence to prepare their startups for the competition.
Carmen emphasizes how the Seed segment allows students to understand their chosen industry, hone their skills in crafting a compelling pitch, and develop support materials to increase their venture’s potential in the market. “Similar to many of our entrepreneurship programs, the Seed Round offers invaluable learning experiences for students,” she says.
Carmen aims to make entrepreneurship more accessible and inclusive, and she and her team have introduced new initiatives to make this possible. “We've already introduced two new workshops designed to expand access to students at the very start of their entrepreneurial experience, along with expanding access into the Trinity Venture Mentoring Service and the Trinity Accelerator as a program separate from the Stumberg Venture Competition,” Carmen says.
Entrepreneurship can be intimidating for many, and Carmen wants to combat this fear and encourage students to explore entrepreneurship confidently. StartHER, a program designed to increase interest and support for women in entrepreneurship, is another initiative aiming to help students start their entrepreneurial journey. Carmen hopes these initiatives will help students gain the resources and confidence to flourish in entrepreneurship and the next Stumberg Seed Round.
Meet the startups that competed in this year's Stumberg Seed round!
- Allergen Life
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Nathan Ashworth ‘26
Allergen Life is a mobile application specifically designed for individuals with food allergies. It offers a holistic approach to solving various food allergy-related problems by combining multiple solutions in one place. Allergen Life assists in ensuring that your child's Epi-Pen is always with them, alerts you of any EpiPen expiration, and helps you find safe restaurants in your area. It's a one-stop shop for all your food allergy needs.
- Bean Ink
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Marcus Vondrak '26, Jaidyn Soverall '27, and Collin Bishop '26
Bean Ink, a forward-thinking company, proactively gathers used coffee grounds and strategically repurposes them to minimize waste. Our primary methods of reuse involve transforming these grounds into ink, which we then utilize in pens, printers, art tools, etc. Additionally, we filter the remaining grounds to create a nutrient-rich fertilizer that enhances garden soil. Bean Ink is committed to environmental sustainability, leveraging the rich color and nutrients in coffee grounds to benefit our products and the planet.
- FitQuest
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Hailey Lynd '24, Marcos Morales De Leon '25, Mollee Priddy '24, and Kevin Han '26
FitQuest is a tech company developing a mobile application that combines fitness tracking with role-playing game elements. Building off successful conceptions of gamification, such as Peloton, Habitica, and Strava, Fitquest is taking gamification a step further by integrating fitness into an entire Role-playing game (RPG).
- FuzeTune
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Kassen Dilworth '27, Salvador O’Brien '27, and Thomas Vollmer '27
FuzeTune is a website dedicated to connecting aspiring Musicians with Music industry professionals and vice versa. Once they each create an account, there is a separate interface for each party. Music professionals can browse a feed full of young unsigned artists, and filter based on what they are looking for. While musicians will be able to reach out to the professionals through a built-in contact system. FuzeTune is the only platform working to bridge the vast gap between aspiring musicians and their dreams in the industry.
- LxR Motors
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Legend Grigsby '25, Mackenzie Gasner '23, M'25, and Donald Allison '25
LxR, founded in 2024, is dedicated to revolutionizing the motorcycle industry with innovation and sustainability. Our flagship product, "The Elixir Bike," combines traditional motorcycle allure with futuristic eco-conscious design. Led by seasoned Engineers Legend Grigsby and Rees Allison, our team brings expertise in electric vehicles, design, and business development. We offer an exhilarating yet environmentally friendly riding experience and we aim to lead the charge towards a cleaner, more sustainable future in transportation. Ride into the future with LxR, where every journey is both thrilling and eco-conscious.
- Powerlifting Depth Checker (PDC)
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Faysal Al-Zang '24 and Lindsey Foushee '25
Powerlifting Depth Checker (PDC) is a groundbreaking fitness device designed to precisely monitor squat depth for powerlifters, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts alike. PDC consists of a leg strap phone holder and a depth-checker app, offering unparalleled accuracy and convenience for an affordable price. For powerlifters, PDC ensures compliance with competition standards for all squats, while for athletes across various disciplines, it confirms optimal muscle engagement through verification of sufficient squat depth.
- SunGuard Shield
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Jose Mora '27 and Antoniya Deleva '27
SunGuard Shield is at the forefront of tech-powered solar exposure solutions. Our solar indicator stickers utilize a sophisticated color-coded mechanism to precisely gauge the level of sun exposure on plastic packages. With growing concerns about the release of harmful chemicals from sun-exposed plastics, such as endocrine disruptors linked to serious health issues, SunGuard Shield empowers consumers with a visual awareness indicator across all plastic-packaged products, promoting safety and well-being.
- The Engineering Clubhouse
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Kassandra Pineda '25, Aakriti Acharya '25, Cora Lewis '25, and Bich-ly Nguyen '25 (not pictured)
The Engineering Clubhouse provides a subscription-based model for middle and high school students, offering affordable access to comprehensive engineering education. With a focus on bridging educational gaps, we develop engaging projects that empower students to pursue their passion for engineering. Through our subscription, students progress from basic concepts to designing and building their creations, fostering a deeper understanding of engineering principles.
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