Anyone could hear the loud buzz of voices just by standing at the bottom of Willson Hall’s only stairway on March 26th. Had they walked up, the sound would only have gotten louder as they entered Accelerate’s Hot Seat event.
Seventeen teams of Wentworth students from a variety of disciplines showcased at Hot Seat, eager to share their ideas for a product or service to a crowd of mentors, students, friends, and curious others. Some of the teams had been working on their ideas for months, some even years.
True to a well-attended event, the buzzing of the vibrant room had attendees speaking in full-voice to the person beside them. Many had learned about the Hot Seat through the twitter chatter that day (Follow us here if you haven’t already), and everyone came for a unique reason.
Nelson Dewitt, a documentary filmmaker and entrepreneur, attended the Hot Seat as a Mentor was both a way to give back and reminisce a little too. “I can see myself in the students and I wish that this was something I had when I was a student here.” Nelson has also worked with Accelerate as one of our past Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and guest speaker.
One brand new team on the rise at Hot Seat was Delta X, a team inspired by a personal connection
Caiytlin Richmond speaks about Delta X at Hot Seat
to the problem they were trying to address. They presented a project originally conceived in their Engineering Design class. The team, comprised of Caiytlin Richmond (BSME ’18), Stephanie MacDonald (BMED ’17), and Kenneth Andrade (BMED ’17) brought to the table a medical device which helps to correct posture, particularly in stroke patients. The night proved fruitful for the team as they eagerly listened to feedback from the many mentors, faculty ambassadors and industry experts who shed light on other possibilities with their idea.
“The social impact of this is huge!” Stephanie excitedly explained to one of the mentors. “With this technology, we could even use it for sports related aspects - if someone hyper-extends and potentially injures themselves.” The team has just started working with Accelerate, but credit their coach, Greg Affsa (BIND ’15), for his encouragement and help to make it to the Hot Seat.
Other new teams included a new way to play. Sean MacNab (BIND ’17) created “Organic Connections”, toys consisting of wood laminated pieces that connect together in any way imaginable, using silicone connecting bands. Much like the famous LEGOs brick, this toy has two requirements: you must use your creativity and abandon direction.
Along with new teams, veteran teams had their ideas on the Hot Seat as well. Notably present was Zen Biometrics (formerly Piinc) with their concussion detection headband. The group proudly displayed their working prototype, which Mechanical Engineering Professor Chomysak also proudly modeled at one point in the evening.
So what is next for all the Accelerate teams? You can catch many of them at our second and final Pitch Round of the semester on April 9th at 5:30. Select teams will be pitching to an esteemed panel of innovators and entrepreneurs in hopes of receiving funding to further their ideas. Come to the PitchRound on the second floor of Willson Hall to see the teams put their Hot Seat advice into action!
For more details about the Pitch Round, or to learn more about Wentworth’s Accelerate Program, visit Accelerate at www.wit.edu/accelerate , find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@WITXLR8) or stop by at our Williston Hall location.
