One of the University of Virginia's more prominent efforts to promote entrepreneurship is the i.Lab, a startup incubator based out of the Darden School of Business and supported by collaborators around the university. This incubator accepts applications not just from students in the MBA program, but also take joint projects between students and faculty—and even from people in the community who might have no connection to the school. We've picked out seven of the most eye-catching startups to highlight—check them out to get a feel for the latest UVa-born innovations.
DreamPower - DreamPower installs energy-saving devices like LED bulbs, energy monitors, programmable thermostats and more, and takes over paying the client's now much lower energy bill. The company charges a flat fee to clients that is still lower than what they were paying before, but still makes a profit just due to how much energy—and therefore money—is saved with the changes that are made.
Foodio - Foodio creates mobile apps and websites for restaurants to arrange take-out and delivery services. The startup basically makes it easier for restaurants—whether unique or franchises of bigger brands like Dunkin Donuts—to have a high-quality app and Web service without having to go through the process of building it themselves. The startup also includes its own payment platform in its services, which aim to make it easier to split bills among many people, an important issue to address especially in a college town. Foodio is focused just on Charlottesville right now.
Gigdog - Gigdog is an online music streaming platform—but with the twist that it just plays the music of bands that are scheduled to perform locally in the weeks ahead. The idea is to help promote bands that no one might have heard of, leading to more people wanting to go to their concerts. It boosts the venues hosting the bands as well. Right now the only option is for the Charlottesville area, but the model that could theoretically be used in any city.
RelishMBA - Created to help solve the difficulties around the MBA recruiting process, RelishMBA is a platform that connects MBA students, schools and companies looking to hire graduates of business-administration programs. The founders refer to it as "Match.com for MBAs." RelishMBA completed a pilot program that connected UVa students with 30 companies looking to recruit them and has launched its post-pilot website and platform.
Elegant Solutions - A product development firm, Elegant Solutions has a long list of services including mobile app development, engineering and product modeling and quality assurance testing. The company has worked on high-profile projects including helping create the exoskeleton for small communications satellites (known as cubesats); building models of jet engines; and building apps for pet owners to track information about their dogs. It's also developed organizational and analytic tools in-house that may be used on future products.
SelfieStyler - An online shopping tool, SelfieStyler (formerly LoveThatFit) lets users "try on" different clothing options themselves. Rather than just letting you see how the clothes would fit on models, the tool lets you upload photos and input body measurements to project what the outfit might look like on you (it also lets your friends comment how it looks.) The goal for the technology is to make it more adaptive to users' needs over time, with a better understanding of body-type and even the ability to offer suggestions. The website is still in beta.
Apprenticeship Connections - Apprenticeship Connections is a platform to match up entrepreneurs interested in having younger people come learn skills with them. That includes blacksmiths, designers, butchers and other trades that use more traditional apprenticeship teaching methods—but that might be harder to find for students.
