Editor's note: Each year, DC Inno and the Washington Business Journal spotlight some of the region’s top young innovators under the age of 25, and this year we’re featuring a diverse group of nine disruptors, philanthropists and venture capital enthusiasts determined to shake up the status quo. Click here to read the other profiles.
Steven Pang, CEO, co-founder, Orbit
- Age: 19
- Hometown: New York
- College: Georgetown University, class of 2026
- Major: Computer science
- First job: Teaching assistant at Georgetown University
Tell us a bit about your business: We [Pang and co-founder Colton El-Habr] make noninvasive brain-computer interfaces to enhance immersion and excitement in gaming. By sending electrical signals to the movement centers of the brain, we create illusions of flying and spinning and all sorts of other motions, making people feel like they are actually inside of video games.
What was your inspiration for idea? I always believed in magic as a kid, and people would tell me magic isn’t real. Now, we are building something so magical that nobody can tell me magic isn’t real anymore.
Who are, or will be, your customers? Gamers! Virtual reality, traditional PC and console, and maybe even mobile gamers.
How will the business generate revenue? By selling our product direct to consumers.
How much in funding have you received to date? About $550,000 — $50,000 from non-dilutive competitions and $500,000 from venture capital.
What has been your biggest challenge so far? Building stuff that people tell us is impossible. What’s funny is that we’ve already built a bunch of stuff really knowledgeable people told us we would never be able to build — and we are going to build the rest! It’s kind of magical to do stuff people tell you can’t be done.
Where do you see yourself five years from now? In five years, we are going to building stuff straight out of sci-fi novels. If I told you now, you wouldn’t believe me. You’d probably tell me it was impossible — but that would just be music to our ears.
What advice do you have for other young entrepreneurs? Trust your logical reasoning! If there is a logical reason to be optimistic, then BE optimistic.
Favorite book? “Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology,” by Valentino Braitenberg
What do you do to unwind? Hahaha. I don’t really unwind — and I don’t feel a strong need to.