Penn State’s inaugural Summer Founders Program proved to be a valuable investment in bright young entrepreneurs. On August 27, students from the six participating teams presented their work during Demo Days, bringing some incredible businesses to the forefront, including:
Project Vive, led solely by Mary Elizabeth McCulloch: Mc¬Culloch designed an affordable device for those who can’t speak. The Project Vive glove requires small hand movements to form full sentences. This solution to overcome non verbal communication barriers brought on by cerebral palsy and other disabilities costs a fraction of what current devices cost.
Gastrograph, led by Jason Cohen (founder and CEO): Cohen’s team created machine learning and artificial intelli¬gence based sensory tools for the food and beverage industry. This software has applications in quality control, flavor profile optimization and product development, production process optimization, demographic targeting, and cognitive market¬ing. It can also identify and predict defects and contamina¬tions in real time with over 99.99% accuracy.
ResumeRuby.com, created by Mitch Robinson, Spencer McCollough, and Zach Zimbler: This website features tools that allow individuals to easily create outstanding resumes and cover letters and to practice for interviews.
MichelAngelo, consisting of Linggiu Jin, Brennan Cornell, and Robert Chisena: The team is in the process of designing a less painful and less invasive endoscope for patients suffering from gastrointestinal issues.
Mobium Solutions, consisting of Kevin Paroda and Justin Kennan: This group developed ECHOdrive, an add on for 3D printers that allows you to print multiple parts out in an assembly line fashion (without human intervention).
Undeniably Fit, LLC, created by Samuel Jackson and Grant Dean: This group created UFit Thrive, a fitness program de¬signed for those suffering from diabetes. Jackson and Dean say they created UFit because diabetes can be stopped and they want to be a part of the movement against it.”
Those in attendance at Demo Days were impressed with the progress all of these young entrepreneurs have made in just a few months! To learn more about the Summer Founders Program, visit