This story is part of a series featuring each of the fourteen startups in the CYstarters 2022 summer cohort. Each student has the opportunity to focus on their startup or business idea while receiving $6,500 or up to $13,000 (per team), along with mentorship, accountability, and educational sessions on how to build a business.
By Samantha Dilocker, ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship
Age: 19
Education: Junior majoring in aerospace engineering
Hometown: Elk Grove Village, IL
Currently working on: Safety Scan, a software company that uses a variety of modern technology including, machine learning and computer vision, paired with mobile and desktop applications to protect workers’ lives.
Have you always seen yourself starting something?
No. It took me a while until I got older. I realized working for someone else, doing things under other people’s control, wasn’t my favorite thing. I think taking the lead on something myself was something that interested me more.
When did you start working on Safety Scan, and who or what inspired you?
I started working on Safety Scan after the ISU Innovation Prize in November of 2021, but I didn’t really work on it full speed until the end of January 2022. The inspiration behind Safety Scan comes from my background in construction. I love construction, and I always wish I had done that instead of going to school. So being connected to the future of technology but also staying where I enjoy, which is construction, is really a good combination for me.
What excites you about being an entrepreneur?
The freedom and the endless possibilities. There are so many people who are super supportive of you. It’s so cool to be able to say, “This is the project I’m working on,” and have people support you.
What is your biggest goal for your business?
I’d love to become an international brand if I’m really shooting for the stars. I’d be interested in potentially selling the company in a few years. That would be cool. But if nothing comes of it, that’s cool, too, because even still, I’ve already learned so much, and I’m going to continue to learn more over the years.
What has been your biggest challenge thus far, and how have you overcome it?
There’s been a lot of challenges. I don’t even know if there’s a biggest one; it’s just one big challenge. In school, you’re really taught how to do a project super outlined, and when you look at entrepreneurship, you have to rethink how things are done and figure out how to do things your way. That’s been fun to learn but also very challenging. I’m working to overcome these challenges by connecting with people who have more experience than I do. There’s so much out there, and usually, people are so willing to help you out. Learning from them is super cool. But also, just taking the risk and not being afraid to fail is helping me to overcome these challenges. I’d never learn from anything if I never failed.
How has entrepreneurship at Iowa State impacted you?
Entrepreneurship at Iowa State has taught me what I really want to do in my career. I can be my own boss and not have to abide by anyone else, which isn’t really the norm for many aerospace engineering students. But entrepreneurship has taught me that anyone can be their own boss.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student?
Try everything. You don’t have to know everything because you will learn so much more when you’re open to learning and receiving feedback when you try new things. When I go into something for the first time, I act as though I’ve never talked about this, and I don’t know anything so that I can learn as much as I can. I don’t go in with any assumptions, so I can always be learning. Just be open to learning. Get out there and try new things. There are so many opportunities; you may as well try all of them.
How can we support Safety Scan?
Helping me connect with people in the safety industry would be really helpful! Long term, be open to change. So many people here in CYstarters have really innovative ideas, and they’re so much easier to implement when people are open to change.