Shoemaker Scholars Evan Zona and Risvaa Phillips get it, this Shoemaker Innovation Center opportunity, this chance to help Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering students and others achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
Zona and Phillips understand that wisdom sometimes comes from pain, and that the start-up idea challenges they faced will help them guide others.
“Whether you come with no knowledge or a lot of knowledge,” said Zona, an Informatics Senior with a business cognate, “we can connect you with someone who has everything you need.”
Added Phillips, a junior Informatics major who minors in computer science, data science and human-centered computing: “I want every student to have access to the technology specialists we have so that if someone has an idea, it should come to life. There should be no (obstacles) that gets in the way of that.”
Welcome to the reimagined Shoemaker Innovation Center, a university-wide center focused on innovation and entrepreneurship programming for student inventors and entrepreneurs. Part of the Luddy Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program, the center offers workshops to facilitate technical skill development and aid in the successful implementation of startup concepts.
Through the efforts of Travis Brown, Senior Executive Assistant Dean of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, the Shoemaker Innovation Center has a new purpose and the same goal -- help student entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into reality.
That was showcased during the Oct. 18 open house at the center’s Luddy School location. Ten Shoemaker Scholars and four Technical Specialists joined with Brown to meet with interested students.
“We have answers,” Brown told them. “All you have to do is ask.”
During the open house, Brown discussed the center’s new mission and how it differs from the previous approach.
He highlighted the newly established Cheng Wu Build Clinic. Under director Bryce Himebaugh, Associate Chair Intelligent Systems Engineering and Associate Clinical Professor of Engineering, the Cheng Wu Build Clinic reinforces the Luddy School’s role as a force in student innovation and entrepreneurship at Indiana University. Students get academic credit and engage in real-world work to benefit clients.
The open house also included information on the Shoemaker Scholars and Technical Specialists programs.
Shoemaker Scholars are undergraduate students from all disciplines selected for their interest in and knowledge of technology innovation and product development and management. Hands-on experience comes with financial support. Brown said their role is to directly support the Shoemaker Innovation Center’s educational programming, which is designed to foster student innovation and entrepreneurship.
The other scholars are Charlie Fisher, David Jankelowitz, Timothy Gilmore, Noah Bakken, Saharsh Sriram, Riley Ramirez, Reed Klein and Pranav Bollapragada.
Technical Specialists are graduate Luddy students. Brown said their role includes supporting the partnership between the Shoemaker Innovation Center and IU Innovates by holding mentoring sessions weekly at the Von Lee and within the Shoemaker Innovation Center.
Brown said Technical Specialists will run a program that invites IU-Bloomington students to dive into a dynamic, hands-on experience where creativity meets entrepreneurship.
This year’s specialists are Adarsh Vulli, Priya Jain, Sanskriti Bhatnagar and Veda Charitha Bellam.
“Working in teams, students will brainstorm bold ideas, tackle real-world challenges, and transform concepts into impactful solutions, all with the guidance of seasoned mentors,” he said.
Himebaugh said the Cheng Wu Build Clinic will enable students to work on engineering design and prototype development with clients. Students will do feasibility analysis, requirements development, concept design, detailed design, and prototype construction.
“Students working in the clinic will get experiential learning,” he said. “Clients will get engineering services at low or zero cost. These services will enable student entrepreneurs to access engineering expertise at the pre-incubator stage of their company.
“Additionally, the clinic will provide continuity for student team projects in the engineering capstone class, enabling a smoother transition between student design teams from year to year.”
Himebaugh said engineering work for modeling a system through analysis and prototyping, critical to determining feasibility, is expensive.
“That can be a barrier for projects like early student startups and non-profit companies,” he said. “Our clients will receive design analysis and prototyping services. At the same time, students in the clinic will gain experience applying the engineering design and technical skills learned through the other parts of the curriculum. We hope to provide the clinic's students with experiences and skills that will be directly transferable to industry.”
As a Shoemaker Scholar, Zona said he’s focused on developing technical students and giving them the opportunities and skills they need to follow their business dreams.
“A lot of times, technical students don’t know how to move forward with their business,” he said. “Other times, students might be more business-oriented and not as technical.
“We’re looking to bridge that gap so students can build their own solutions. We are the conduit between the technical specialists and students who might not be sure what to ask.”
Phillips said she never developed her freshman idea for creating an app that appreciates works of art because of her perceived lack of resources. Those resources are now available through the Shoemaker Innovation Center.
“Many of us have ideas, but they don’t come to life because we’re not sure how to start or don’t have any professional advice from someone to help us out,” she said. “That’s what I want to do -- help students.”
The Shoemaker Innovation Center and Cheng Wu Build Clinic are made possible through the generous support of Donna and John Shoemaker, and Cheng Wu. John Shoemaker, a pioneer in the high-tech computing industry, and his wife Donna are long-time IU and Luddy School supporters. Wu is a successful serial entrepreneur who has founded and led multiple businesses spanning a wide range of industries.