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Startup

Innovative Disruptions — Richard Castle

Alumni from the Rady School of Management share how they used their degrees to disrupt their industries to bring innovative ideas, products and programs to the market.

Richard Castle – The Future of Hospitality Management

When booking a vacation or business trip, consumers want things to run smoothly. From check in to check out, hotel staff work tirelessly to ensure the needs of guests are not only met, but exceeded. But how do hotel operations ensure everything about a guest’s stay is as perfect as possible? Enter Cloudbeds, a company developed by Richard Castle (MBA ‘13) and Adam Harris.

Cloudbeds provides hospitality software that helps independent operators run their properties’ operations. The Cloudbeds system provides a variety of services, including the software the property uses to check people in, manage reservations, run important reports, distribute inventory and more.

Thanks to the internet, travelers have the technology at their fingertips to book accommodations anywhere in the world. Thanks to Cloudbeds, booking is easier for travelers and managing operations is easier for providers. The streamlined platform is making waves in the industry – Cloudbeds programs are used by tens of thousands of properties in more than 100 countries to help properties generate more reservations and provide a better guest experience.

“Powerful property management and channel management software was previously only available to the largest hotel brands in the world,” Castle said. “Cloudbeds provides a flexible, cost-effective software solution that helps independent properties navigate an ever-changing industry.”

Castle’s time at the Rady School of Management was integral to the creation of Cloudbeds. From an emphasis on innovation and creative thinking to courses dedicated to providing insight on starting a business, Castle credits the Rady School for helping his business interrupt the hospitality industry.

“As Cloudbeds grows, the skills that I acquired at Rady continue to apply and I feel that I’m continuously reflecting on all of my coursework, faculty lectures, and conversations with my fellow alumni.”

March 19, 2018 0 comment

Alumni

Innovative Disruptions — Suman Kanuganti

written by Rady School

Alumni from the Rady School of Management share how they used their degrees to disrupt their industries to bring innovative ideas, products and programs to the market.

Suman Kanuganti – Helping Others Navigate the World

When Suman Kanuganti (MBA ’14) arrived at the Rady School of Management, he knew he wanted to leave with an idea that would change the world – he just wasn’t sure where to start. A fateful course in entrepreneurship inspired Kanuganti to pull from his experience to address a societal need. The question was posed to the class – How can entrepreneurship inspire positive change in the lives of others? Inspired by a perseverant friend with deteriorating vision, Suman decided to use his engineering skills to help empower visually impaired individuals to achieve their full potential.

Launched in 2014, Aira was created to help visually impaired individuals navigate the world with more freedom and autonomy. By leveraging leading technologies, such as smart glasses and mobile devices, Aira connects users – or Explorers – with a network of trained remote human agents, to provide Explorers with instant access to information and assistance in the physical and digital world, when and where they want it.

“Aira is introducing disruptive technology to solve an age-old and often forgotten problem facing the low vision: how to go beyond the white cane, guide dog and limited assistive devices to help people who are blind gain enhanced mobility independence and quality of life,” Kanuganti said.

Powered by the latest in augmented reality artificial intelligence, Explorers are able to connect to agents who are able to see an Explorer’s location and surroundings, providing a clear, live auditory narrative of the user’s environment in virtually any daily activity.

Since its inception at the Rady School of Management, Aira has received countless awards, accolades, recognition from top publications and numbers of rave reviews from Explorers.

“After coming to the Rady School as an engineer with an interest in the business world, my time at Rady enabled me to gain the innovative and entrepreneurial skills I needed to establish a vision, launch my company and make a real impact on the lives of the visually impaired.”

March 14, 2018 0 comment

Startup Students

UCSD Accelerator Launches Socially Conscious Student Endeavors

written by Rady School

One of the most important aspects of entrepreneurship is adaptability. Being able to shift focus to meet the needs of ever-changing market trends, cycles and consumer interests at the drop of a hat is crucial for succeeding in the marketplace. When UC San Diego students expressed interest in learning more about one of the most popular current business models – Social Innovation — experts at the Rady School of Management launched a unique accelerator designed to meet the needs of these social entrepreneur hopefuls.

The Social Venture Accelerator housed at the Rady School supports students interested in creating social impact through entrepreneurship through workshops, mentorship sessions, pitch practice and more. Born out of a need to create more socially-conscious companies, the Social Venture Accelerator helps students scale and develop innovative companies addressing important social issues. The pilot program recently wrapped up, launching six business endeavors with companies ranging from sustainable farming to technology that prevents senior citizens from falling.

From November through February, more than 20 students gathered at six workshops to learn about relevant topics. Topics included creating the perfect pitch, developing business models, crowdfunding, key traits of social entrepreneurs and more. The pool of participants was diverse – from nascent state ideas to emerging companies, each team had the opportunity to grow their venture guided by experts from the Rady School.

“The Social Venture Accelerator is a vital part of UC San Diego’s entrepreneurial blueprint because we see social impact ventures becoming a much bigger part of the start-up ecosystem,” said Kim Davis King, Co-Director of Accelerator Programs. “We cover different social impact corporate structures so participants get a comprehensive look at what it takes to launch a successful social venture.”

Although the accelerator is open to the entire campus, the majority of participants were Rady School students eager to bring their innovative ventures to life. Mauricio Varon (MBA ’19) developed a luxury bed and bath linens brand where for every bed sheet purchased, a recycle fiber blanket will be donated to Peruvian communities located in the Andes region.

“I chose to get involved with the Social Venture Accelerator because I believed it was a good idea to gain knowledge, network and exposure to my idea,” Varon said. “Throughout the process of the accelerator program I learned about social venture business models. I am planning to leverage my time with the Social Venture Accelerator and lessons learned in my MBA classes to make this company successful.”

The program also caught the eye of Scripps Institution of Oceanography graduate of the Masters of Advanced Studies program Brant Chlebowski, who was searching for programs on campus in support of student ventures. His company, California Seaweed Co., provides a sustainable approach to developing high quality native seaweeds for the culinary market while supporting scientific research and development of aquaculture technology.

“The Social Venture Accelerator stands out on campus, as it was uniquely focuses around the social transformative component,” Chlebowski said. “I learned there is a wide range of models and methods available for businesses to include a social and transformational component in their strategy. A company has opportunities to support positive social outcomes at every stage of the business model from human resources, full supply chain management, marketing and end user engagement.”

The accelerator culminated with a pitch presentation where six teams shared their companies to JoAnne Starr, the Rady School Assistant Dean, Strategy, Curriculum and Rankings, and Ayelet Gneezy, a professor at the Rady School. The teams received feedback on their presentation and business ideas.

Due to the success of the pilot program, the Social Venture Accelerator will launch another program in the fall.

“Our participants really enjoyed the program, but also provided some feedback on what they would have liked more of,” said Lada Rasochova, Executive Director of the California Institute for Innovation and Development, housed in the Rady School. “Participants mentioned they would have liked more time with mentors and a broader audience to pitch to at the final presentations, so we will be incorporating their suggestions into our curriculum for the next cohort.”

Moving forward, King and Rasochova are anticipating the growth of the accelerator.

“UC San Diego and the Rady School are committed to providing innovative and relevant approaches to entrepreneurship,” Starr said. “The Social Venture Accelerator meets the needs of our socially-conscious and entrepreneurially-minded campus community and supports their ideas that will change the world for the better.”

The Social Venture Accelerator is funded by the Center for Social Innovation and Impact – a center dedicated to inspire students and alumni to address the big issues and big challenges our society is facing. The development and launch of the accelerator is one of the actions that Rady is taking as part of our role in the broader Changemaker Campus plan at UC San Diego, which encourages the campus community to actively engage in serving the global community.

March 13, 2018 0 comment

Alumni

Innovative Disruptions — Byron Myers

written by Rady School

Alumni from the Rady School of Management share how they used their degrees to disrupt their industries to bring innovative ideas, products and programs to the market.

Byron Myers – Changing the Face of Oxygen Delivery

More than 15 million Americans use oxygen therapy to assist with a range of health complications. But traditional oxygen therapy is cumbersome – patients have historically received their portable oxygen therapy from large and heavy oxygen tanks that deliver a limited supply. Inspired by a close relative struggling with the complications and restrictions of traditional oxygen therapy delivery systems, Byron Myers (MBA ’10) and his team developed Inogen, a company that aims to ensure mobility and freedom for oxygen therapy patients.

“Inogen is innovation in oxygen therapy – we are a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets oxygen concentrators used to deliver supplemental long-term oxygen therapy to patients suffering from chronic respiratory conditions,” Myers said. “Inogen’s technology generates oxygen from room air so the patient never needs to worry about running out of oxygen in a tank.”

Gone are the days of lugging a hefty tank with a finite oxygen supply. Inogen’s disruptive design combines portability with recyclable air filtration technology to provide a constant supply of oxygen. But the technology is not the only disruptive aspect of Inogen – the unique business model is also shaking up the industry.

“As the only manufacturer in oxygen therapy with a true direct-to-consumer business model, Inogen is creating patient awareness of our technology and the benefits it can provide to increase freedom and independence,” Myers said. “Our technology innovations made us successful; the distribution strategy was a complete game changer.”

Lessons on innovation and challenging the status quo helped Myers establish the $2.5 billion company – lessons Myers credits the Rady School of Management for helping launch and sustain his flourishing business.

“My time at Rady helped me establish a mindset that there is no room in a competitive market for complacency, there is no other option than forward progress and it must be actively sought.”

March 12, 2018 0 comment

mystartupxx Startup Students

8 Teams Join Female-Led Accelerator

written by Rady School

The mystartupXX program is a one-of-its-kind accelerator that was created to increase and encourage diversity in entrepreneurship. Participants take part in mystartupXX workshops focused on various aspects of launching startups – team building, leadership, performing a market assessment and obtaining customers’ feedback, creating a value proposition, validating business models, and understanding financing strategies needed to launch the business. Each startup works with a mentor and meet regularly with advisors to monitor and encourage their progress.

Eight new teams joined the most recent cohort.

Beggy

Beggy gives women convenience and connectivity with a highly functional and stylish Smart Bag.

Celeride

Celeride is America’s first “open market” ridesharing platform that gives users pricing power, ensures all rides/drivers are insured, and assists drivers with collecting and remitting taxes.

GoboEco

At GoboEco we are redefining the way you buy mascara.

ICE Cosmetics

ICE Cosmetic provides you high level of customization/personalization of cosmetic products and high involvement in cosmetic making classes/events.

Melio Labs

Rapid Broad-Based Platform for Microbial Identification.

Navega Therapeutics

Our technology enables precise, long-term, and addiction free pain management, thus enabling a new paradigm for improving the quality of life in patients with debilitating pain.

OsteoLux

By implementing a bone cement curing device to improve operating room efficiency, OsteoLux aims to minimize the financial burden of orthopedic surgeries on the U.S. healthcare system and eliminate ergonomic hindrances for orthopedic surgeons.

ThrIV

ThrIV offers revolutionary vitamin/electrolyte delivery through microneedle skin patch technology to enhance performance and overall health.

March 5, 2018 0 comment

Alumni Startup

#RadyMade Company Develops First Blockchain and Cryptocurrency-Mining Router

written by Rady School

A technology company and router distributor developed by a Rady School of Management alumna is making waves in the worldwide cryptocurrency market.

Emma Russell (MBA ’15) is the CEO of Gmine, which is the seller and distributor for the Newifi 3 router in the U.S. Gmine distributes routers that can share bandwidth and storage. In return, users will be assigned tokens through smart contract. The Newifi 3 router, the first blockchain-powered router in the world, launched in the U.S. on January 30. Emma is also the CEO of Newifi Global.

The success of the Newifi router was noticed by technical giant Tencent, a Chinese multinational investment holding conglomerate. Tencent decided to explore crowdsourced content delivery networks provided by Newifi 3 router to accelerate its self-developed game, King of Glory. This top-grossing game is the mobile version of League of Legends, which already has 200 million users in China and also generated $5 billion revenue in 2017.

“Thanks to my MBA classes at the Rady School, I can see the big picture, understand entrepreneurial mindsets and know how the real business operates,” Russel said. “Also, my MBA courses gave me the great opportunity to learn and improve my leadership skills, professional knowledge and teamwork values. The Rady School helped me turn my previous role into entrepreneurial one.”

Newifi’s blockchain technology breaks the traditional concept of content delivery network service providers and cloud service providers. Newifi 3 is the only smart router currently available for cryptocurrency mining in the global market. This means that every household can have a premier router to share idle bandwidth and storage resources. Another feature of the Newifi 3 is that the router can become a private cloud by plugging in a portable hard drive. The Newifi 3 also features photo album backup, unregistered device alerts, multi-screen interaction and security protection. All these features make Newifi 3 a popular network attached storage for everyone from typical users to photographers and videographers.

February 6, 2018 0 comment

Alumni Startup

Aira Partners with Lyft to Encourage Exploring

written by Rady School

The Rady School of Management is home to a number of innovative startups launched by students and alumni with the goal of changing the world for the better. One of these companies has been making waves since its inception in 2014, recently launching a partnership with one of the world’s leading ridesharing services.

Aira – an operating system that enables individuals who are or visually impaired to navigate their world with instant access to information – recently secured a partnership with Lyft to ensure transportation is accessible for blind or visually impaired individuals.

So how exactly does this unique company operate? A customer of Aira – dubbed an explorer – uses Smart Glass technology in conjunction with a smartphone device to connect with a network of highly trained people, called Aira Agents, allowing the agents to see a real-time video feed of the user’s surroundings. These agents stay on the line with the explorer to help locate items at the grocery store, navigate through crowded airports, and even compete in marathons.

The partnership with Lyft allows explorers to connect with a driver while staying on the line with an Aira agent, rather than ending an Aira call, contacting Lyft and getting back in touch with an agent once the Lyft request is placed. Aira agents can help explorers navigate to designated pick-up spots, identify vehicles and drivers, provide ETAs, cost estimates, and other ride details.

Aira’s commitment to encouraging explorers to embrace autonomy pairs perfectly with Lyft, which supplied 160 million rides to users in 2016. The new partnership supports Lyft’s commitment to increasing accessibility for their diverse community of riders.

“Lyft is an extremely popular service used by a large number of Aira explorers,” said Amy Bernal (MBA ’14), Vice President of Customer Experience for Aira. “This integration makes it easier for explorers to identify their ride in a busy location, or know which car theirs.”

“Lyft is committed to be a model for the type of community we want our world to be: diverse, inclusive, and safe,” says Suman Kanuganti, Aira Founder and CEO. “Aira’s mission is to give people who are blind or low vision the power of information. I am psyched about this partnership as it’s designed to provide an end-to-end enhanced experience that makes transportation more accessible to all blind and low vision people, anytime and anywhere.”

Suman Kanuganti (MBA ’14) launched Aira during his time as a student at the Rady School of Management as part of the Lab to Market sequence which helps students transform ideas into functioning startups.

January 12, 2018 0 comment

Alumni

How a Rady MBA helped me build San Diego’s 1st Organic Beer Company

written by Rady School

I graduated from the Rady School of Management with the Flex-Weekend 2017 MBA cohort and since graduation, it has been an incredible journey! My team and I were bootstrapping Protector Brewery when I enrolled at Rady. The idea for Protector Brewery started in 2010 and we opened for business on June 2, 2017. I was a Navy SEAL for 11 years I learned that the one variable you can control is the amount of work you put into anything. Although it has been a ton of work, there was so much value in building a company while simultaneously pursuing an MBA because the material in every class was immediately applied to my business plan. Building a company has been as humbling as my experience in the military. However, the support from the San Diego community and recognition for creating San Diego’s first and only organic beer company has made it all worthwhile.

Taking some lessons from my marketing class at Rady and my experiences in business thus far, people are very interested in what the goals of a company are, not just the product. I really enjoy listening to TED Talks and there is a session by Simon Sinek called “How great leaders inspire action” which reinforces that people are inspired by the “why” of a company. There were a lot of these “why” factors that influenced the seven-year process to start Protector Brewery. However, there is one important “why” factor which is ranked at the top.

I took a class in my undergrad that quantified the dependence of humans on the environment and had to complete an assignment that measured my carbon footprint. I plugged information into a program about where I lived, what type of vehicle I drove, how often I bought locally sourced foods, etc … The result was powerful – if every person on Earth lived the same way I did, it would take 3.5 Earths to sustain that dependency. In terms of sustainability, I have always felt a personal responsibility to future generations and that “why” has been a powerful factor for the seven years it took to build Protector Brewery from idea to opening (2010-2017). An important lesson I learned at Rady was to look at the unmet need and understand what “job” your product is satisfying with the consumer. So, I saw there were no organic beer companies in San Diego, but there were a lot of organic restaurants and supermarkets. With that in mind, I tried to match my motivations to brew beer and satisfy an unmet need in the market place.

All the professors at Rady were open to letting me use my startup idea for projects in class. I have found that pursuing a MBA increases your chances of success in a startup. My Marketing and Brand Management class gave me the tools to lead with our company’s brand. When I took Marketing Analytics, the data pulled from our analysis showed a high utility value for Alcohol by Volume (ABV) percentage in a beer. Taking principles from our New Product Development class, we added a non-alcoholic beverage on tap and to our surprise; customers were mixing the drink with other beers to create more new products. The Negotiations course saved us thousands of dollars when bidding out construction projects to contractors. My class in Operations helped identify “bottlenecks” in the brewery and calculate our “safety stock” of beer during high demand events. Lab to Market has been a key component in the strategy development of our company. Creativity and Innovation has propelled us into constantly creating new beer styles and our Hazy IPA, which has been extremely popular, is a product of that initiative. Finance, Strategy, Business Law & Supply Cost Management have guided our growth in so many ways – even with hiring employees.

I think the journey of an entrepreneur has to start with an intrinsically motivated factor. There is an element of extrinsic motivation, which is related to making money, but the internal “why” is what I believe propels people past their limits. In my experience, there is an important commonality that links the journey of a SEAL and an Entrepreneur. That commonality is that you can give up on your dream anytime you want. The journey of a startup is so difficult that I often compared it to some hardships I endured when I was a Navy SEAL, just in different ways. I have learned that pursuing the “why” with the right people will attract positive involvement in the community.

Recently, I was featured on the Stay Wealthy San Diego podcast, which explores the minds and experiences of the entrepreneurs that make the San Diego community interesting and energetic. They ask entrepreneurs what “wealth” means to them, not necessarily just tied to money. In the interview, I go into depth about our trademark dispute, licensing for breweries, organic application, etc … I also argue that San Diego is starting to rival Silicon Valley in terms of innovation. Protector Brewery managed to beat everyone to market as San Diego’s first and only organic beer company and we even received a Proclamation Letter signed by Councilmember Chris Cate for that achievement. Furthermore, we even become a finalist for the 2017 San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ) Manufacturing Awards. Finally, our connection to Rady is still ongoing and we are providing our first lager to the 2017 Rady School of management Oktoberfest!

In summary, I developed a mantra for myself and morphed it into an alliteration to easily remember during the difficult times – Endless exposure, endless experimentation and endless endurance. I accepted that there are no easy days from this point forward and 18-hour workdays are okay. This is a very important way to frame the journey in your mind because it is a very different path than many of the peers you may measure your workload against. When it gets tough, keep the destination in mind, but remember that that is ALWAYS the minute-to-minute journey. The thousands of unfinished tasks and choices to be made in a short period of time will be daunting. But, if you can appreciate the small victories and be grateful for the daily opportunity to pursue your dream, then I believe you are already successful.

Sean Haggerty (MBA ’17) is a corporate coach, performance coach for SEALFIT and collegiate leadership coach. He is also the founder and president of Protector Brewery. Haggerty is a Navy SEAL Chief with 11 years experience, 4 deployments to the Middle East & 116 combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. He holds a BA in Business from Ashford University & MBA from the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego.

September 27, 2017 0 comment

Alumni

Rady Alum Wins Biocom DeviceFest

written by Rady School

Adding to his already impressive list of accomplishments, recent Rady School of Management graduate Jonathan Wilensky (MBA ’17) and his company Braykion took home four out of five awards at Biocom’s DeviceFest pitch contest, as well as the overall Five in 5 in the Hot Seat challenge for the event.

The 10th Annual DeviceFest & Digital Health Summit featured five innovative companies. The companies were challenged to deliver five-minute pitches to a panel of judges and investors at the conference, while receiving on-the-spot critiques.

Braykion, which was started while Wilensky attended the Rady School of Management, is a company that developed a wearable device that uses an advanced sensor fusion algorithm to monitor, record and remind healthcare workers when they need to wash their hands, preventing the spread of infections.

In addition to the recent win, Braykion also won UC San Diego’s Entrepreneur Challenge, was a finalist in the TCA Quick Pitch Competition, is currently in the EvoNexus incubator and received admission into the CONNECT Springboard program.

More than 140 people attended the event to network and learn about the next generation of medical technologies.

September 1, 2017 0 comment

Alumni MBA

My Rady MBA: Shining the Spotlight on Female Founders, Funders

written by Rady School

by Silvia Mah

When I entered the Rady MBA program, my goal was to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills. I never envisioned myself leading a nonprofit that helps businesses to launch and scale, but that’s exactly what I’m doing as executive director of San Diego-based Hera Labs. I also didn’t see myself as an investor, but I’ve personally angel funded 13 startups in Southern California and supported business micro-loans for two domestic violence survivors. I love paying my MBA degree forward and through Hera Labs, I’ve helped launch more than 100 startups and boosted 150 small businesses to the next level.

UC San Diego has been very good to me over the past several years. Not only did I receive several degrees here, but I’ve never really left. I’ve served as a Teams in Engineering Service program manager in the engineering school and I currently serve as a curriculum designer and strategic advisor to The Basement at UC San Diego.

I use lessons from the Rady MBA program every day in my job, whether I’m helping an inventor refine their concept in our Hera Labs Idea Potential Lab or helping an existing business expand through our SCALE Intensive workshop.

Though I love touching the lives of entrepreneurs here in San Diego, I wanted to expand my reach on a more global scale, especially because I’m originally from Caracas, Venezuela. Last year, we hosted entrepreneurs from Russia, Jamaica, Mexico and Venezuela at Hera Labs’ headquarters in Sorrento Valley. I also traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia to conduct the first ever female startup weekend, which was (amazingly!) covered in Forbes Woman Russia.

I wanted to keep riding the wave of mindfully impacting global innovation ecosystems, so in June 2017, I launched She Invests!, a podcast featuring female angel investors, which I think are the real unicorns (as opposed to startups valued at over $1 billion, which are known as unicorns in the investing world). The podcast’s goal is to bolster angel investors’ knowledge about how to invest and find likeminded individuals they can collaborate with. It’s essential for women startups and investors to find synergies and allies with a tribe of other women like them.

So far, we’ve spoken on the podcast with remarkable women including Trish Costello, founder of entrepreneurial investing platform Portfolia; Dr. Alicia Robb, founder and CEO of Next Wave, which provides early stage financing and advising to young firms; and most recently, Xandra Laskowski, startup consultant and cofounder of OSEA Angel Investors. The learning doesn’t stop after you leave school and I’ve learned so much from the women I’ve interviewed so far in my new endeavor as a podcaster.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the world of startup funding and angel investing, I personally invite you to join Hera Labs for Hera Venture Summit on September 16 at University of San Diego. The one-day event will bring together women from both sides of the investing table. Guests will get to hear from experienced investors and entrepreneurs who’ve successfully navigated the tidewaters of funding. You can learn more and register, here. I look forward to seeing you there.

Dr. Silvia Mah received her PhD in Marine Biology from UC San Diego in 2004 before earning her MBA from the Rady School of Management in 2010. She is founder and director of nonprofit business accelerator Hera Labs, and she recently launched a podcast, She Invests, which puts the spotlight on the rising tide of female angel investors.

August 25, 2017 0 comment

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