{"id":712582,"date":"2026-07-29T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=712582"},"modified":"2026-09-15T14:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:25:11","slug":"student-entrepreneurs-become-business-founders-712582","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/student-entrepreneurs-become-business-founders-712582\/","title":{"rendered":"Student entrepreneurs learn business by starting one"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With professional guidance and proximity to assets, URochester students launch and build companies as part of their campus experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1402,"featured_media":712682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[27172,42,39442,40082,40762,18742,18802,23312,18632,16072,10406,37032,42582,40512],"class_list":["post-712582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-ain-center-for-entrepreneurship","tag-alumni","tag-class-of-2025","tag-class-of-2026","tag-class-of-2027","tag-department-of-biomedical-engineering","tag-department-of-computer-science","tag-department-of-mechanical-engineering","tag-hajim-school-of-engineering-and-applied-sciences","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-simon-business-school","tag-student-life","tag-undergraduate-business-program","tag-undergraduate-program-in-digital-media-studies"],"acf":{"external":"","hide_featured_image":false,"related":"show_related","style":[517362,648382,677162],"content_modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"table_of_contents","anchor_id":"","css_classes":"pt-0","title":"

With professional guidance and proximity to assets, URochester students launch and build companies as part of their campus experience.<\/h2>","content":"One idea began in an operating room. Another took flight after watching a drone clean a downtown building. Others grew from research on the brain\u2019s self-cleaning cycle and the frustration of a broken-down car.\r\n\r\nAs different as they are, all four startups took root while their founders were still students at the 糖心传媒<\/a> last academic year, drawing on URochester\u2019s courses, research labs, clinical partnerships, faculty mentors, and entrepreneurship programs to turn promising ideas into thriving ventures.\r\n\r\nThose stories illustrate a growing culture of student entrepreneurship across the University. Over the last academic year, 116 business concepts took shape at the Ain Foundry Program<\/a> at URochester\u2019s Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/a>. The program helps students develop business ideas through mentorship, customer discovery, and hands-on entrepreneurial training.\r\n\r\nMany of those ideas continued to gain momentum beyond campus. Twenty-two URochester teams competed in the New York Business Plan Competition<\/a> last spring, with six teams advancing to the finals. Those numbers reflect a surge of entrepreneurial energy across URochester, as students transform classroom assignments, research discoveries, and customer conversations into ventures with real-world potential.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat I love about our students is their willingness to get into \u2018good trouble,\u2019\u201d says Rebecca Crocker \u201924W (MS), director of the Ain Foundry. \u201cThey may sometimes have doors slammed, but they\u2019re getting in spaces that most people aren\u2019t.\u201d\r\n\r\nStudents are now advancing to national competitions and accelerators while launching companies that span healthcare, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies. The student entrepreneurs profiled here, having earned top recognition at the NYPBC, continue to develop their ventures.","bg_color":"#ffffff","layout":"standard_width","image":"","call_to_action":"","aceppted_headings":["h3"],"ignored_headings":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-0","title":"","content":"

Guidus Medical: Helping surgeons seat hip implants correctly the first time<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_712932\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]\"Student Timothy Guida, founder of Guidus Medical, placed third at both the 2026 New York Business Plan Competition and the Ain Center\u2019s annual Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition. (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAs a graduate student in biomedical engineering<\/a>, Timothy Guida \u201925, \u201926 (MS) was not expecting to start a business. But he was eager to identify unmet clinical needs that engineering could help solve. As a master\u2019s student with URochester\u2019s Center for Medical Technology and Innovation<\/a> (CMTI), Guida joined other students seeking experience in building prototypes of medical devices and bringing them to market. In the process, he spent hundreds of hours observing orthopedic surgeons at URochester Medicine\u2019s Strong Memorial Hospital<\/a>.\r\n\r\nGuida\u2019s faculty advisor Greg Gdowksi<\/a>, a professor of biomedical engineering and the executive director of CMTI, encouraged him to join the program.\r\n\r\n\u201cRather than developing technology in isolation, CMTI emphasizes the need to identify real clinical needs to produce devices that solve meaningful problems and, ultimately, improve patient care,\u201d says Guida. \u201cThis need-driven innovation is truly unique to Rochester.\u201d\r\n
Orthopedic interventions involve measurable forces, motion, stability, and performance. Translating engineering principles into devices that objectively improve patient outcomes is the most fulfilling work.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\nGuida also credits URochester\u2019s integration of engineering, business, and medicine with accelerating the project. Within a short walk, he could observe surgeries, prototype solutions, discuss commercialization with business students, and receive feedback from faculty mentors.\r\n\r\nGuida\u2019s conversations with orthopedic surgeons, both at Strong and at large health systems across the country, highlighted a recurring challenge. During dual-mobility hip replacement surgery, surgeons lacked a standardized way to confirm that the metal liner inserted into the artificial hip socket was fully seated. Misalignment can contribute to complications ranging from metal debris and tissue damage to revision surgery.\r\n\r\nThat observation evolved into Guida\u2019s startup, Guidus (pronounced GUIDE-us) Medical, and his prototype for Align-a-Liner, a patent-pending surgical guidance device for one of the most technically demanding steps of a hip replacement. Drawing on his coursework in materials science, biomechanics, and medical device design, Guida developed a prototype that helps guide the metal liner into the correct position and helps surgeons confirm it has locked into place.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_712852\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"2000\"]\"Close-up (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cIn terms of entrepreneurship, orthopedics is a wellspring,\u201d Guida says. \u201cOrthopedic surgeons are among the most frequent end-users of medical devices. Orthopedic interventions involve measurable forces, motion, stability, and performance. Translating engineering principles into devices that objectively improve patient outcomes is the most fulfilling work.\u201d\r\n\r\nThrough the Ain Foundry, Guida connected with MBA students and entrepreneurship mentors at Simon Business School<\/a>, who helped him test the business model, refine his pitch, and think beyond engineering toward manufacturing, reimbursement, intellectual property, and FDA approval.\r\n\r\n\u201cI realized that even the best ideas need robust systems behind them,\u201d says Guida, who will start medical school this fall.\r\n\r\nToday, Guidus Medical is preparing for additional testing, advancing its intellectual property strategy, and exploring commercialization opportunities with industry partners.","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-0","title":"","content":"

Scyntek: Detecting blood clots earlier with a wearable device<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_712942\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]\"Student Synctek founder Karthik Ramakrishnan nabbed second place at the 2026 New York Business Plan Competition in the Health and Wellbeing category. (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAfter finishing college in North Carolina, Karthik Ramakrishnan arrived at URochester for graduate school with coats, boots, and a business concept.\r\n\r\nIn 2024, Ramakrishnan cofounded Scyntek as an undergraduate. The venture had received support and vetting through the National Science Foundation\u2019s I-Corps program, a rigorous testing ground for ideas in medical technology.\r\n\r\nDuring customer interviews with nurses, physicians, surgeons, and patients, one problem surfaced repeatedly: deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially life-threatening blood clot that often develops after patients return home from surgery.\r\n\r\nRamakrishnan chose URochester to pursue his doctoral studies with Douglas Kelley<\/a>, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering<\/a>, who examines how the brain clears waste during sleep. While Ramakrishnan\u2019s research and startup address different medical problems, they rely on many of the same principles for measuring fluid flow.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_712832\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"630\"]\"Close-up (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nSynctek\u2019s wearable device uses photoplethysmography (PPG)\u2014similar to the technology in smartwatches\u2014to noninvasively detect changes in blood flow that may flag a clot.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur goal is to make monitoring accessible and affordable,\u201d says Ramakrishnan. \u201cPatients can scan their legs in 60 to 90 seconds from home, reducing unnecessary hospital visits while helping identify people who need immediate care.\u201d\r\n\r\nThrough the Ain Center, Ramakrishnan worked with Crocker and entrepreneur-in-residence Roberto Colangelo<\/a> to hone Scyntek\u2019s business strategy and connect with the UR Health Lab<\/a> at URochester Medicine.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Ain Foundry has welcomed Scyntek with open arms from the moment I met them,\u201d says Ramakrishnan. \u201cThey have been excellent in connecting us with mentors, both at Simon and in the field of venture capital, and funding opportunities.\u201d\r\n\r\nWith positive responses from the US Food and Drug Administration, Ramakrishnan is advancing Scyntek toward clinical studies while refining its technology and business model.","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-0","title":"","content":"

DroneGurus: Identifying hidden flaws with AI-powered inspection<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_712952\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]\"Student DroneGurus student entrepreneurs (l-r) Nate Bogdan, Kohli Guruansh, and Spencer Johnson secured second place in the Safety, Power, and Mobility category at the 2026 New York Business Plan Competition. Ditto at the Ain Center\u2019s Charles and Janet Entrepreneurial Competition. (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nGuruansh Kohli \u201926 looked toward the sky to expand his horizons.\r\n\r\nThe computer science and business double major was working as a valet in Rochester when he saw someone use a drone to power wash the exterior of a downtown building.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat experience got me reimagining cities, especially Rochester,\u201d Kohli says. \u201cI stood on the sidewalk looking up, thinking of skylines as a whole new domain.\u201d\r\n\r\nThat moment sparked DroneGurus, a company Kohli leads alongside fellow URochester students Nate Bogdan \u201926, a digital media studies<\/a> major who directs branding and communications, and Spencer Johnson \u201926, the company\u2019s chief financial officer. Together, they are developing AI-enabled drone technologies for building inspection, thermal imaging, infrastructure assessment, and autonomous systems.\r\n\r\nBut turning a spark of inspiration into a business took more than an idea.\r\n
\u201cThat class prepared me not just to run a business, but to build one.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\nKohli credits a class taught by Scott Walker<\/a>, an adjunct faculty member at Simon Business School, for helping him shape the idea into a business.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat class prepared me not just to run a business, but to build one,\u201d says Kohli, who was selected for the Experiential Five (e5) Program<\/a> that gives students a tuition-free fifth year to turn promising ideas into ventures.\r\n\r\nCustomer discovery, mentorship, and support from the Ain Foundry helped DroneGurus gain traction beyond the classroom.\r\n\r\nAs the team interviewed industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and potential customers\u2014and ran simulations on the video game Minecraft\u2014DroneGurus evolved into more than building-cleaning services. Today, the company is developing machine learning tools that use thermal imaging to identify fa\u00e7ade cracks, leaks, insulation problems, and other structural issues, with applications ranging from commercial real estate to infrastructure and public safety.\r\n\r\nBut the student entrepreneurs aren\u2019t just trying to improve drone technology. They also hope to reshape public perceptions of it.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe often hear about drones in ways that make us uneasy,\u201d says Kohli. \u201cBut we don\u2019t hear about their benefits: how they can promote security and job growth and make our lives easier.\u201d\r\n\r\nBogdan, a digital media studies major, hopes creative storytelling and splashy imagery, in the style of Red Bull campaigns<\/a>, can reshape public perceptions of drones.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe want people to think about what drones can do to help society,\u201d he says, \u201crather than destroy it.\u201d","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-0","title":"","content":"

OrbitPhone: Turning dealership expertise into better customer service<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_712962\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]\"Stephen Stephen Lim (left) and Walter McDonald, cofounders of OrbitPhone. The 2026 New York Business Plan Competition awarded the duo second-place honors in the Software and Service category. (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWalter McDonald \u201927 and Stephen Lim \u201927 discovered that entrepreneurship sometimes means walking away from your first idea.\r\n\r\nThe original version of their company, OrbitPhone<\/a>, built AI-powered receptionists for small businesses. McDonald, majoring in computer science<\/a> and finance<\/a>, gained crucial experience in voice systems and natural language processing over the summer working for Soleo Communications<\/a>, a position he secured through the summer internship program at the URochester-based New York State Center of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence<\/a>. After a few months of development, McDonald and Lim, a data science major, launched OrbitPhone<\/a> last fall.\r\n\r\nBut then, generative AI exploded. Instead of choosing to compete in an increasingly crowded marketplace, the student entrepreneurs drew on the advice from the Ain Center to pivot and adapt to change.\r\n\r\nCustomer discovery led them to automotive dealerships, where they uncovered a much more specific challenge: helping sales teams answer detailed questions about inventory, vehicle specifications, and financing. Their first client, Ralph Honda, supplied its inventory data for McDonald and Lim to build a custom chatbot.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe dealership solution is so nuanced,\u201d says Lim, \u201cthat it only could have come from us asking around.\u201d\r\n\r\nLim says starting a company like this is a dream come true, fusing his interests in both software programming and business. He says URochester\u2019s open curriculum<\/a> gives him the flexibility to pursue both paths, and he is glad to have found in McDonald a collaborative friend and business partner.\r\n\r\nToday, OrbitPhone is developing AI tools that gather dealership-specific information to provide more accurate, personalized customer interactions.\r\n\r\nThe experience taught McDonald and Lim an important lesson: The best startup isn\u2019t always the first one you build.","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-10","title":"","content":"

URochester student entrepreneurs learn by launching<\/h3>\r\nTogether, the startups illustrate the culture of student entrepreneurship at URochester. It is not something students wait to pursue after graduation but something they build alongside research, coursework, and campus life.\r\n\r\nWhile the companies look different, each follows a remarkably similar process: Identify a problem, listen to customers, build a prototype, seek mentors, test assumptions, and improve. Each student-driven business evolved through connections between researchers and clinicians, engineers and business students, faculty mentors and alumni, classrooms and community partners.\r\n\r\nThe Ain Foundry regularly adds workshops, mentoring opportunities, and new programming based on student feedback, from subscription-based business models to using generative AI tools to build websites.\r\n\r\n\u201cThrough our guidance and framework,\u201d says Crocker, \u201cthe entrepreneurial mindset is fused into the student experience.\u201d","background_color":"#ffc70a","width":"width-medium"}]},"yoast_head":"\nStudent entrepreneurs learn business by starting one<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"糖心传媒 student entrepreneurs have built and launched companies as part of their campus learning experiences.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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