ASU student entrepreneurs win cash investments for businesses on Demo Day

Several Arizona State University student entrepreneurs who secured major cash investments for their ventures on Saturday expressed gratitude not only for the money, but also for the support they found in Venture Devils.

Uzoma Ndulue, an industrial design graduate student, won $25,000 for her fashion company Good Road Collection. Ndulue’s venture was one of nearly 70 pitched Saturday as part of Venture Devils, a program to support ASU students, staff, faculty, alumni and community founders within ASU’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute.

More than $250,000 was awarded. Venture Devils also gain access to mentorship and space.

“Sometimes we feel like our dreams are not what people want to see,” says Ndulue, born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria.

“My business is fashion and I currently wear my brand and I think it is so important to have an African fashion brand.”

Ndulue was on stage at SkySong 1951 with Tracy Lea, director of venture development at the Edson E+I Institute. She remembered how she met Lea a few months ago.

“I felt like everything had to be very innovative, and it was, ‘Should I do that or not?’ And you encouraged me,” said Ndulue, who admitted she was shaking with excitement.

“Thank you so much for trusting me and believing in this company.”

Lea remembered meeting Ndulue.

“I’m so glad you got past the ‘Should I do this’ thing and just did it,” she said.

“Whether you win start-up financing or not, you keep going. You look at other pitches and make refinements.”

Edward Lee, a marketing major, is CEO of the company Tradies, a social networking platform to help students connect personally that won $15,000.

He said the company has come a long way in a year.

“I remember a year ago, on Demo Day, and I was sitting there wondering, ‘Are we going to get something or not?’” he said.

They did not.

“And it completely destroyed our confidence,” he said.

“We didn’t want to talk to our mentors and we didn’t want to pick up our phones and talk to people. But after a year I am so proud to stand on this stage and present our company to everyone.”

Tristan Tierce founded the company Allergy Voyage, which organizes restaurant menus for people with food allergies, and won $15,000 on Saturday. He is trained in art studies and business entrepreneurship.

“I’m graduating this semester and I’ve been at ASU with Venture Devils every semester for four years,” he said.

“It means a lot to be on this stage again.”

Good Road Collection, Tradies and Allergy Voyage have won the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative funding round, aimed at early-stage student-led businesses. Other winners in that group were: Legion Platforms and 10 Shots of Soju, $25,000 each; Illumishade and Streamline, $10,000 each; and Eggcentric, SPLIT, Accompanion, Next Prospect and Dosed Labs, $5,000 each.

Other winners on Demo Day were:

Edson E+I Social Impact Venture Challenge: Airgel Coating Technologies, $5,000; JurisPrep, $4,500; Lake Waste Solutions, $3,000; Uplighten and Zunuo Farms Limited, $2,500 each; Matter Squared, $2,375; and EFP, $2,000.

Edson E+I Health Venture Challenge: Visven, $12,000; Koko Ni, $10,000; Sonobuddy, $6,000; and Easy, $2,000.

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Venture Challenge: DMB Translation Services, $10,000; eighty-nine, cocoa potash and zobucha, $6,000 each; Thriving Learners Institute, Zunuo Farms Limited and Godsway’s Agri House, $3,000 each; Toda Healthy Beverages, Fruits on Wheels, Sua IT, Intellectual Property Hub Zambia, CivulaNova Technologies, Enlighten, NanoMed Adaptive Technologies, Afriscribe, 3Dinkra and Emicon Group, $1,000 each.

The eSeed Challenge, supported by the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and Venture Devils, for early-stage student projects: Bojuf Solutions, $10,000; Pro Tek, Stava.IO and Adpt, $4,000 each; Illuminate, $2,000; and Hued, $1,000.