Ventures | LaunchU at Oberlin College

The Creativity and Leadership Program at Oberlin College & Conservatory is pleased to announce that five groups of entrepreneurs won a Venture Development Award at the inaugural LaunchU Accelerator Pitch Competition on January 26.

An adjudication panel of five investors and entrepreneurs entertained pitches from 28 current students and alumni, given in front of a public audience in Clonick Hall. Four ventures received $4,000 in support of their business development; a fifth team was recognized with an honorable mention award of $1,000.

VENTURE DEVELOPMENT AWARDS:

BINSTORED

James Foust '13, Dean Ginsberg '12

BinStored provides liberal arts college students with a convenient and affordable summer storage option. BinStored saves students the hassle of renting a storage unit and transporting their items off campus, allowing them to drop their items off at a conveniently located on-campus storage stations. BinStored then take their belongings to a nearby storage facility and returns everything to them in the fall.

BOOKALOKAL

Evelyne White '04, Shane Boris '04

Bookalokal is an online marketplace that enables “guests” seeking a local and social food experience to search for, connect with, and dine with local people. “Hosts” offer a variety of local food experiences while earning extra money doing what they love: cooking, hosting, and sharing a piece of where they live.

CNXN

Brian Verne '09, Jack Dunn '10, Michael Eppich

CnXn aims to become the sole digital destination for the modern global athletic community; Linkedin for the athletic resume and Amazon for the athletic marketplace. A digital “baseball card” to show off, complete with a profile of personal footage and achievement and a timeline of athletic development.

COMPOLOGY

Jason Gates, Ben Chehebar

Food waste recycling rates remain low because of the inefficient collection infrastructure. To increase these rates, Compology is building a low-cost “Smart Dumpster” for food waste that integrates fermentation and sensing technologies to improve disposal process hygiene and optimize waste hauling routes.

HONORABLE MENTION:

KENYA READS

Peterson K. Njamunge '14, Shauna Godfrey '14

Kenya Reads is an initiative working to promote literacy in rural Kenya by providing students from poor backgrounds with access to educational resources. In the initial phase, Kenya Reads established two school-based libraries. The next project is to establish a community center.