November 29, 2021
Branches named 2021 Best of Student Startups
Best of Student Startups (BOSS) is an annual program hosted by the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship that provides students a series of workshops on problem identification, business model development, marketing strategies and pitch deck development culminating with a pitch competition.
Over the course of the autumn semester, 25 student teams participated in the workshops and, five teams were selected to be part of the 2021 BOSS Finale after a first-round of pitches.
The finale was held on November 17 at 99P Labs in Columbus, Ohio, and welcomed over 70 in attendance with all BOSS participants, Ohio State faculty, staff, and students and community members
The 2021 BOSS Finale awards went to:
Branches ($2,000 first place) – is a science-based learning management company founded on the psychological principle of spaced repetition. The Branches platform allows users to directly convert their handwritten notes into a hierarchy of flashcards designed to help them acquire long-term memory. Team members: Mel Gunawardena (College of Engineering), Blaise Tayese (College of Arts and Sciences), and Luke Ritter (College of Arts and Sciences).
Yulo ($1,500 second place) - simplifies the oral care routine into one product with a reusable handle and multiple cleaning attachments, reducing plastic waste by 80%. Yulo operates as an oral care subscription service under the domain yulocare.com. Team member: Andrew Gilgen (Fisher College of Business).
Grains ($500 people’s choice) - is a software as a service (SaaS) taking the form of a web-based mobile app that helps recipe creators better connect with recipe consumers. The goal is to centralize all of the world’s food content onto a single platform that helps creators build communities as unique as their food while maximizing income. Team members: Richard Giang (College of Arts and Sciences), Sri Uppalapati (College of Engineering), Yasmeen Quadri (College of Arts and Sciences), Owen Myers (College of Arts and Sciences), and Devon Sever (College of Engineering).
Teams delivered an 8-minute pitch assessed on presentation skills, slide deck, problem opportunity, solution, execution, strategy and next steps.
Sarah Wharmby in the Keenan Center manages the BOSS educational programming and finale.
A special thank you to 2021 BOSS finale judges and workshop leaders.
Finale judges:
Mark Fleming Jr. is a Miami University alumni in finance. Fleming has been recognized by Business First Fast 50 multiple times, brings expertise across business services and was the founder and CEO of Signature Closers, LLC (acquired by Stewart Title Company in February 2021).
Tina Provost is an Ohio State alumni in psychology. Provost is an experienced leader in continuous improvement and strategy execution, head of continuous improvement at Covetrus, the founder of Pep!.
Lee Salisbury is an Ohio State alumni in visual communication design. While a student at Ohio State, Salisbury launched UnitOneNine in 2003 and has fostered creative work ranging from small startup companies up to large multinational corporations including JLL, BEAM Suntory, and Tesla.
Alex Zoringer is an Ohio State alumni in business (MBA) and was 2020 BOSS 1st place awardee. Zoringer has held multiple leadership roles with different consumer-facing startups, is passionate about all things related to entrepreneurship, technology, cleantech, and sustainability, and is currently the vice president of business development at a Columbus-based startup commercializing hydrogen fuel cell technology, Power to Hydrogen.
Workshop leaders:
Scott Griffin is an Ohio State alumni and led the BOSS workshop on “The Entrepreneurial Mindset.” Griffin is the Director of Entrepreneurial Programs and Talent in the Keenan Center.
Naveed Iqbal is a Florida Institute of Technology alumni in applied mathematics (PhD) and co-led the BOSS workshop on “Marketing, Finance, and Operations Strategy.” Iqbal is the CEO of Dolr.
Mike McCann is an Ohio State alumni in business (MBA) and co-led the BOSS workshop on “Pitch 101.” McCann is the chief business officer at Rev1.
Alex Michaels is a University of Florida alumni in business (MBA) and co-led the BOSS workshop on “Marketing, Finance, and Operations Strategy.” Michaels is the co-founder of Dolr.
Alicia Oddi is an Ohio State alumni in business (MBA) and co-led the BOSS workshop on “Pitch 101.” Oddi is a managing director at Rev1.
