In a reception to be held this afternoon, The Clemson University Renaissance Center and Spiro Institute in association with SC Launch! and the Greenville Chamber will announce the launch of the first class of the NextStart entrepenreurial program. Modeled after Y-Combinator, and other programs designed to attract and develop entrepreneurs, NextStart brings four technology startups to Greenville for mentoring, workshops, and to develop connections in the community. In addition to the training and consulting, each of the startups receive $10,000 in seed capital in exchange for a 10% stake in the company.
The four companies and teams are listed below:
The Classical Connection web-based service allows musicians to create profiles showcasing their talents, find performance opportunities, and compose and record music online. Classical Connection will also serve as a recruiting venue for universities, conservatories, and other musical organizations seeking talented musicians.
The founding entrepreneurs:
- Grady Ashby: BA, Music Theory, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music; MBA, Charleston Southern University
- Kristen Miller: BA, Music, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
- Brent Baker: BS, Computer Engineering , Clemson University
Context Aware Solutions is bringing venue-specific information to the mobile devices of the venue’s patrons. The end user can use their services for navigation, social networking and e-commerce, thus allowing the venue to provide better customer service while simultaneously marketing its products and services.
The founding entrepreneurs:
- James Massett: MBA candidate, Clemson University
- Will Pressly: PhD Candidate, School of Computing, Clemson University
- Dr. James Martin: Associate Professor, Computer Science, Clemson University
The Parkinsor cost-effective comprehensive diagnostic tool assists physicians in diagnosing and treating Parkinson’s disease patients. This tool will help to streamline and standardize the data collection process for physicians, resulting in consistent disease ratings for patients that will facilitate optimal treatment regimens.
The founding entrepreneurs:
- Rahul Mitchell Jairaj: MS candidate, Electrical Engineering, Clemson University
- Sravya Durugu: MS candidate, Bioengineering, Clemson University
- George Thomas: MS candidate, Electrical Engineering, Clemson University
Student Retention Solutions is enabling universities to objectively accept students who are most likely to fit in and succeed at their institution by comparing personality traits of prospective students to those of existing students. This technology will equip universities with the tools to recruit highly qualified candidates who will remain at their institution.
The founding entrepreneurs:
- Jennifer Roberdeau: MBA candidate, Clemson University
- John-David McKee: MS candidate, Marketing, Clemson University
- Sebastian Forkmann: MS candidate, Marketing, Clemson University
- Robert Blank: MS candidate, Computer Science, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
via: NextStart
