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Design Team Gets Juicy Win

April 28, 2014

Design Team Gets Juicy Win

A team that included students and alumni from the Department of Design has won first place in the Undergraduate Track of the Fisher College of Business 2014 Business Plan Competition, which took place in early April. The competition, which seeks to stimulate and nourish the entrepreneurial spirit, includes conceptual rounds, a business plan portion, and a presentation to a panel of judges of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, private investors and faculty.

The “Juiceboxx” team included students Scott Scherpenberg (industrial design), Andrew Lien (industrial and systems engineering), and design alumni Lucas Williamson and Samuel Silverman.

Their Juiceboxx project is a protective case for a MacBook charger that features a clean, simple aesthetic with a unique design that guides the cord into exiting the power supply with a gentle curve, significantly reducing areas of high-stress.

In addition to significantly reducing the probability of cord failure, the case will be manufactured in an array of color combinations to offer the user with a unique identity apart from the standard MacBook user.

For the win, the team received a $5,000 cash prize, $5,000 in consulting services from Tech Columbus, $1,500 in lawyer fees, and even new suits from Pursuit, a local suit company started by an Ohio State MBA student.

Juiceboxx launched a Kickstarter campaign April 6, seeking capital for production costs. They currently are 81 percent funded, with more than $20,000 of their $25,000 goal. The funds will allow them to work with a local manufacturer and professional designers to create high-quality snap-fit mechanisms for the product.

“We will also expand our product line concepts and pitch to angle investors and venture capitalists to raise capital during our seed round of funding,” explained Scherpenberg. “That capital will help bring on new employees, purchase prototyping equipment and cover overhead costs.”

Photo at top: from left, Kevin Gadd (Sponsor and donor of $5,000 from Venture Highway, where he is CEO), Scott Scherpenberg, Lucas Williamson, Samuel Silverman, Andrew Lien.

-V. Ellwood

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