Meet the Andrews Launch Accelerator 2022 Cohort
The Andrews Launch Accelerator is meant to give NC State founders the opportunity to jumpstart their entrepreneurial journeys. The program gives founders access to funding, human capital, resources and guidance that helps take their startup to the next level.
This year’s cohort is full of promising ventures that are being run by some of NC State’s best founders. Let’s meet the teams.
Cervu
Cervu is a company that is working to create an intervaginal device that helps women perform their at-home pelvic floor physical therapy. Cervue was created by a team of three master’s students in the joint biomedical engineering program between NC State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alan Rosenbaum, a Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (TEC) program student, represents Cervu and is looking forward to his experience in the Andrews Launch Accelerator.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: The number one thing I’m most excited about is getting connected with a bunch of NC State entrepreneurs and people that have been down the same path. Being able to chat with Chip Andrews about the problems that we’re facing and having all of his experience, and that of other entrepreneurs in residence or connections that we make, to help us out so we don’t make the same mistakes is what I’m looking forward to.
McCarthy: There’s a lot we can learn in every aspect as we’re both very young and new to this. So getting advice that’s related to our problem but touches on other aspects of business is good because a lot of the time we’re focused on a handful of things and can miss some of the bigger picture stuff.
Zuzu for Kids
Zuzu for kids offers a place for parents to find some of the best activities for their kids to do near them, including information like reviews from other parents, and filters to make sure the experiences are best for them. Before ZuZu, the team was working under Potter Media Group, where they were creating a few different website ideas and products.
Around this time, in 2018-2019, Dr. Zach Potter was putting together lists of kids activities in the areas he was visiting with his own, and it got to a point where other people began asking him for the lists. In April 2020, Dr. Potter, David Fine and Mandi Biondi began working specifically on ZuZu for Kids, and incorporated the company. Today, the company has a few more members helping them with marketing and development.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
How did you hear about the Andrews Launch Accelerator, and why did you apply?
McCarthy: We heard about it through NC State since we are both recent graduates. We actually applied to the Andrews Launch Accelerator last year, and looking back, we were way too early and didn’t have enough built out or going on to make full use of the program. Luckily, we got in this year and we’re looking forward to learning all we can.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: The number one thing I’m most excited about is getting connected with a bunch of NC State entrepreneurs and people that have been down the same path. Being able to chat with Chip Andrews about the problems that we’re facing and having all of his experience, and that of other entrepreneurs in residence or connections that we make, to help us out so we don’t make the same mistakes is what I’m looking forward to.
McCarthy: There’s a lot we can learn in every aspect as we’re both very young and new to this. So getting advice that’s related to our problem but touches on other aspects of business is good because a lot of the time we’re focused on a handful of things and can miss some of the bigger picture stuff.
Zuzu for Kids
Zuzu for kids offers a place for parents to find some of the best activities for their kids to do near them, including information like reviews from other parents, and filters to make sure the experiences are best for them. Before ZuZu, the team was working under Potter Media Group, where they were creating a few different website ideas and products.
Around this time, in 2018-2019, Dr. Zach Potter was putting together lists of kids activities in the areas he was visiting with his own, and it got to a point where other people began asking him for the lists. In April 2020, Dr. Potter, David Fine and Mandi Biondi began working specifically on ZuZu for Kids, and incorporated the company. Today, the company has a few more members helping them with marketing and development.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What is your company’s biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: I think our biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator is to convert our data customers and get feedback to start onboarding new paying clients.
McCarthy: Our biggest goal, as of today, is to get at least 10 recurring monthly paid users on our site. We just launched our redesign yesterday, so we’re working fully on customer acquisition and client onboarding.
How did you hear about the Andrews Launch Accelerator, and why did you apply?
McCarthy: We heard about it through NC State since we are both recent graduates. We actually applied to the Andrews Launch Accelerator last year, and looking back, we were way too early and didn’t have enough built out or going on to make full use of the program. Luckily, we got in this year and we’re looking forward to learning all we can.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: The number one thing I’m most excited about is getting connected with a bunch of NC State entrepreneurs and people that have been down the same path. Being able to chat with Chip Andrews about the problems that we’re facing and having all of his experience, and that of other entrepreneurs in residence or connections that we make, to help us out so we don’t make the same mistakes is what I’m looking forward to.
McCarthy: There’s a lot we can learn in every aspect as we’re both very young and new to this. So getting advice that’s related to our problem but touches on other aspects of business is good because a lot of the time we’re focused on a handful of things and can miss some of the bigger picture stuff.
Zuzu for Kids
Zuzu for kids offers a place for parents to find some of the best activities for their kids to do near them, including information like reviews from other parents, and filters to make sure the experiences are best for them. Before ZuZu, the team was working under Potter Media Group, where they were creating a few different website ideas and products.
Around this time, in 2018-2019, Dr. Zach Potter was putting together lists of kids activities in the areas he was visiting with his own, and it got to a point where other people began asking him for the lists. In April 2020, Dr. Potter, David Fine and Mandi Biondi began working specifically on ZuZu for Kids, and incorporated the company. Today, the company has a few more members helping them with marketing and development.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What got you interested in entrepreneurship?
Ferree: During high school, I would cut people’s lawns and found odd jobs and I started to get that feeling of making my own money by not really having to work for other people. Regardless, I feel like entrepreneurship kind of fell into my lap because of TSV Analytics coming out of this undergraduate research. I wasn’t really seeking out entrepreneurship, but it (TSV Analytics) seemed like a great opportunity to really test the waters and see what it is all about.
McCarthy: I honestly did not expect to go into entrepreneurship, at least not for most of my time in college. Once we started doing research and seeing its success and heard that we should commercialize our project, we decided to pursue it. We’ve just been doing entrepreneurship since.
What is your company’s biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: I think our biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator is to convert our data customers and get feedback to start onboarding new paying clients.
McCarthy: Our biggest goal, as of today, is to get at least 10 recurring monthly paid users on our site. We just launched our redesign yesterday, so we’re working fully on customer acquisition and client onboarding.
How did you hear about the Andrews Launch Accelerator, and why did you apply?
McCarthy: We heard about it through NC State since we are both recent graduates. We actually applied to the Andrews Launch Accelerator last year, and looking back, we were way too early and didn’t have enough built out or going on to make full use of the program. Luckily, we got in this year and we’re looking forward to learning all we can.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: The number one thing I’m most excited about is getting connected with a bunch of NC State entrepreneurs and people that have been down the same path. Being able to chat with Chip Andrews about the problems that we’re facing and having all of his experience, and that of other entrepreneurs in residence or connections that we make, to help us out so we don’t make the same mistakes is what I’m looking forward to.
McCarthy: There’s a lot we can learn in every aspect as we’re both very young and new to this. So getting advice that’s related to our problem but touches on other aspects of business is good because a lot of the time we’re focused on a handful of things and can miss some of the bigger picture stuff.
Zuzu for Kids
Zuzu for kids offers a place for parents to find some of the best activities for their kids to do near them, including information like reviews from other parents, and filters to make sure the experiences are best for them. Before ZuZu, the team was working under Potter Media Group, where they were creating a few different website ideas and products.
Around this time, in 2018-2019, Dr. Zach Potter was putting together lists of kids activities in the areas he was visiting with his own, and it got to a point where other people began asking him for the lists. In April 2020, Dr. Potter, David Fine and Mandi Biondi began working specifically on ZuZu for Kids, and incorporated the company. Today, the company has a few more members helping them with marketing and development.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What got you interested in entrepreneurship?
Ferree: During high school, I would cut people’s lawns and found odd jobs and I started to get that feeling of making my own money by not really having to work for other people. Regardless, I feel like entrepreneurship kind of fell into my lap because of TSV Analytics coming out of this undergraduate research. I wasn’t really seeking out entrepreneurship, but it (TSV Analytics) seemed like a great opportunity to really test the waters and see what it is all about.
McCarthy: I honestly did not expect to go into entrepreneurship, at least not for most of my time in college. Once we started doing research and seeing its success and heard that we should commercialize our project, we decided to pursue it. We’ve just been doing entrepreneurship since.
What is your company’s biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: I think our biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator is to convert our data customers and get feedback to start onboarding new paying clients.
McCarthy: Our biggest goal, as of today, is to get at least 10 recurring monthly paid users on our site. We just launched our redesign yesterday, so we’re working fully on customer acquisition and client onboarding.
How did you hear about the Andrews Launch Accelerator, and why did you apply?
McCarthy: We heard about it through NC State since we are both recent graduates. We actually applied to the Andrews Launch Accelerator last year, and looking back, we were way too early and didn’t have enough built out or going on to make full use of the program. Luckily, we got in this year and we’re looking forward to learning all we can.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: The number one thing I’m most excited about is getting connected with a bunch of NC State entrepreneurs and people that have been down the same path. Being able to chat with Chip Andrews about the problems that we’re facing and having all of his experience, and that of other entrepreneurs in residence or connections that we make, to help us out so we don’t make the same mistakes is what I’m looking forward to.
McCarthy: There’s a lot we can learn in every aspect as we’re both very young and new to this. So getting advice that’s related to our problem but touches on other aspects of business is good because a lot of the time we’re focused on a handful of things and can miss some of the bigger picture stuff.
Zuzu for Kids
Zuzu for kids offers a place for parents to find some of the best activities for their kids to do near them, including information like reviews from other parents, and filters to make sure the experiences are best for them. Before ZuZu, the team was working under Potter Media Group, where they were creating a few different website ideas and products.
Around this time, in 2018-2019, Dr. Zach Potter was putting together lists of kids activities in the areas he was visiting with his own, and it got to a point where other people began asking him for the lists. In April 2020, Dr. Potter, David Fine and Mandi Biondi began working specifically on ZuZu for Kids, and incorporated the company. Today, the company has a few more members helping them with marketing and development.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
All of the different resources that you all are pulling in for us. Accelerator is a great word for it. There are things that we would probably be doing on our own, but they’re happening in a much more structured and accelerated way and that’s very exciting for us. You know, I think I’ve been kind of given a gold star as well by getting the recognition of being in the Accelerator since it’s a pretty competitive program. We’re very happy to be a part of it.
TSV Analytics
Current-day social media management tools are often focused on telling you what just happened, but our next company, TSV Analytics, is focused on telling you what is about to happen on social media. TSV Analytics is a prescriptive social media analytics growth tool designed to help build brands on social media.
The company started after an undergraduate research project conducted in the Poole College, during which they were helping track what conversations were happening on social media about different chemicals being used in paint coatings. After a while, the team saw the applicability of this research elsewhere and started TSV. The team consists of two founders, Trevor Ferree and Aidan McCarthy. Ferree earned a Bachelor of Science in economics with a minor in 2020 while McCarthy received a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in information technology in 2021.
What got you interested in entrepreneurship?
Ferree: During high school, I would cut people’s lawns and found odd jobs and I started to get that feeling of making my own money by not really having to work for other people. Regardless, I feel like entrepreneurship kind of fell into my lap because of TSV Analytics coming out of this undergraduate research. I wasn’t really seeking out entrepreneurship, but it (TSV Analytics) seemed like a great opportunity to really test the waters and see what it is all about.
McCarthy: I honestly did not expect to go into entrepreneurship, at least not for most of my time in college. Once we started doing research and seeing its success and heard that we should commercialize our project, we decided to pursue it. We’ve just been doing entrepreneurship since.
What is your company’s biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: I think our biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator is to convert our data customers and get feedback to start onboarding new paying clients.
McCarthy: Our biggest goal, as of today, is to get at least 10 recurring monthly paid users on our site. We just launched our redesign yesterday, so we’re working fully on customer acquisition and client onboarding.
How did you hear about the Andrews Launch Accelerator, and why did you apply?
McCarthy: We heard about it through NC State since we are both recent graduates. We actually applied to the Andrews Launch Accelerator last year, and looking back, we were way too early and didn’t have enough built out or going on to make full use of the program. Luckily, we got in this year and we’re looking forward to learning all we can.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: The number one thing I’m most excited about is getting connected with a bunch of NC State entrepreneurs and people that have been down the same path. Being able to chat with Chip Andrews about the problems that we’re facing and having all of his experience, and that of other entrepreneurs in residence or connections that we make, to help us out so we don’t make the same mistakes is what I’m looking forward to.
McCarthy: There’s a lot we can learn in every aspect as we’re both very young and new to this. So getting advice that’s related to our problem but touches on other aspects of business is good because a lot of the time we’re focused on a handful of things and can miss some of the bigger picture stuff.
Zuzu for Kids
Zuzu for kids offers a place for parents to find some of the best activities for their kids to do near them, including information like reviews from other parents, and filters to make sure the experiences are best for them. Before ZuZu, the team was working under Potter Media Group, where they were creating a few different website ideas and products.
Around this time, in 2018-2019, Dr. Zach Potter was putting together lists of kids activities in the areas he was visiting with his own, and it got to a point where other people began asking him for the lists. In April 2020, Dr. Potter, David Fine and Mandi Biondi began working specifically on ZuZu for Kids, and incorporated the company. Today, the company has a few more members helping them with marketing and development.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What is your biggest goal during the accelerator?
We’re looking to raise money. Towards the end of summer, we’ll probably do a more formal seed round and we hope to raise a series A within the next 18 months to two years. I think the accelerator will help us get there by giving us exposure to some relationships in the startup community that would be harder for us to develop otherwise.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
All of the different resources that you all are pulling in for us. Accelerator is a great word for it. There are things that we would probably be doing on our own, but they’re happening in a much more structured and accelerated way and that’s very exciting for us. You know, I think I’ve been kind of given a gold star as well by getting the recognition of being in the Accelerator since it’s a pretty competitive program. We’re very happy to be a part of it.
TSV Analytics
Current-day social media management tools are often focused on telling you what just happened, but our next company, TSV Analytics, is focused on telling you what is about to happen on social media. TSV Analytics is a prescriptive social media analytics growth tool designed to help build brands on social media.
The company started after an undergraduate research project conducted in the Poole College, during which they were helping track what conversations were happening on social media about different chemicals being used in paint coatings. After a while, the team saw the applicability of this research elsewhere and started TSV. The team consists of two founders, Trevor Ferree and Aidan McCarthy. Ferree earned a Bachelor of Science in economics with a minor in 2020 while McCarthy received a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in information technology in 2021.
What got you interested in entrepreneurship?
Ferree: During high school, I would cut people’s lawns and found odd jobs and I started to get that feeling of making my own money by not really having to work for other people. Regardless, I feel like entrepreneurship kind of fell into my lap because of TSV Analytics coming out of this undergraduate research. I wasn’t really seeking out entrepreneurship, but it (TSV Analytics) seemed like a great opportunity to really test the waters and see what it is all about.
McCarthy: I honestly did not expect to go into entrepreneurship, at least not for most of my time in college. Once we started doing research and seeing its success and heard that we should commercialize our project, we decided to pursue it. We’ve just been doing entrepreneurship since.
What is your company’s biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: I think our biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator is to convert our data customers and get feedback to start onboarding new paying clients.
McCarthy: Our biggest goal, as of today, is to get at least 10 recurring monthly paid users on our site. We just launched our redesign yesterday, so we’re working fully on customer acquisition and client onboarding.
How did you hear about the Andrews Launch Accelerator, and why did you apply?
McCarthy: We heard about it through NC State since we are both recent graduates. We actually applied to the Andrews Launch Accelerator last year, and looking back, we were way too early and didn’t have enough built out or going on to make full use of the program. Luckily, we got in this year and we’re looking forward to learning all we can.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: The number one thing I’m most excited about is getting connected with a bunch of NC State entrepreneurs and people that have been down the same path. Being able to chat with Chip Andrews about the problems that we’re facing and having all of his experience, and that of other entrepreneurs in residence or connections that we make, to help us out so we don’t make the same mistakes is what I’m looking forward to.
McCarthy: There’s a lot we can learn in every aspect as we’re both very young and new to this. So getting advice that’s related to our problem but touches on other aspects of business is good because a lot of the time we’re focused on a handful of things and can miss some of the bigger picture stuff.
Zuzu for Kids
Zuzu for kids offers a place for parents to find some of the best activities for their kids to do near them, including information like reviews from other parents, and filters to make sure the experiences are best for them. Before ZuZu, the team was working under Potter Media Group, where they were creating a few different website ideas and products.
Around this time, in 2018-2019, Dr. Zach Potter was putting together lists of kids activities in the areas he was visiting with his own, and it got to a point where other people began asking him for the lists. In April 2020, Dr. Potter, David Fine and Mandi Biondi began working specifically on ZuZu for Kids, and incorporated the company. Today, the company has a few more members helping them with marketing and development.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
Potter: I’ve always kind of liked it. I like the challenges and solving different problems in a creative way. And I’m always dissatisfied with the status quo. Even in my other jobs, I’m always trying to find ways to solve problems and fix problems. I feel like this is a really good opportunity to do something like that, solving a problem that I personally needed, and that is helping me and other people like me.
Biondi: My interest in entrepreneurship sort of stemmed more from my parents. I never considered that as a career for myself, but just from my own research, podcasts and things like that, I was like, “Oh, entrepreneurship is actually pretty cool.”
What are your company’s biggest goals in the accelerator?
Potter: We want to launch our app, ramp up our marketing and try to dramatically increase our user base, and we want to see if we can start to monetize or formulate a plan that will put us on a clear pathway towards monetizing.
Fine: From a project perspective, I’m focused on two things. One, optimizing the site for SEO, so doing things like logos and creating a blog on the site. The second thing is really building out our analytics so we can learn about how to reach someone with a google ad campaign.
What are you hoping to get out of being in the accelerator?
Potter: I’ve also learned a lot during the different experiences. You can read books and things, but learning from real entrepreneurs’ real-world experiences is just incredibly valuable. And also having access to these folks to ask questions if we run into an issue to help avoid major pitfalls, to me, is one of the key aspects of steering a new startup in the right direction.
Biondi: I think the most exciting thing so far has been meeting mentors and other people in startups. We’re getting lots of advice and feedback from people who’ve done it or are interested in it. I think that the feedback has been helpful so far and it’s really just exciting meeting lots of cool people.
Fine: I’m excited about the benefits like the Cloud Credits and the funding. It’s all extremely helpful. But the other thing I’m most excited about is getting the connection to the people. Haley Huie has already been hooking us up with people and it’s been super valuable. This is stuff we can’t get anywhere else since none of us are super plugged into the entrepreneurship scene in Raleigh.
How did you react to getting into the accelerator?
Biondi: Honestly, I was shocked. You know, this is just an idea that we’ve had as a small team, but getting that third-party validation for your concept gives you a lot of confidence, and also a lot of motivation.
What got you interested in the entrepreneurship route?
I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship. I actually had a few small little companies throughout high school and college. Nothing that could be considered full-time, but just part-time things that I like to do. If I wanted to try to start a bigger company, I thought a good time to do it would be before I got married, had children and had a mortgage. Recently, I saw the opportunity and I thought it was good timing with my wife.
What is your biggest goal during the accelerator?
We’re looking to raise money. Towards the end of summer, we’ll probably do a more formal seed round and we hope to raise a series A within the next 18 months to two years. I think the accelerator will help us get there by giving us exposure to some relationships in the startup community that would be harder for us to develop otherwise.
What are you most excited to get out of the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
All of the different resources that you all are pulling in for us. Accelerator is a great word for it. There are things that we would probably be doing on our own, but they’re happening in a much more structured and accelerated way and that’s very exciting for us. You know, I think I’ve been kind of given a gold star as well by getting the recognition of being in the Accelerator since it’s a pretty competitive program. We’re very happy to be a part of it.
TSV Analytics
Current-day social media management tools are often focused on telling you what just happened, but our next company, TSV Analytics, is focused on telling you what is about to happen on social media. TSV Analytics is a prescriptive social media analytics growth tool designed to help build brands on social media.
The company started after an undergraduate research project conducted in the Poole College, during which they were helping track what conversations were happening on social media about different chemicals being used in paint coatings. After a while, the team saw the applicability of this research elsewhere and started TSV. The team consists of two founders, Trevor Ferree and Aidan McCarthy. Ferree earned a Bachelor of Science in economics with a minor in 2020 while McCarthy received a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in information technology in 2021.
What got you interested in entrepreneurship?
Ferree: During high school, I would cut people’s lawns and found odd jobs and I started to get that feeling of making my own money by not really having to work for other people. Regardless, I feel like entrepreneurship kind of fell into my lap because of TSV Analytics coming out of this undergraduate research. I wasn’t really seeking out entrepreneurship, but it (TSV Analytics) seemed like a great opportunity to really test the waters and see what it is all about.
McCarthy: I honestly did not expect to go into entrepreneurship, at least not for most of my time in college. Once we started doing research and seeing its success and heard that we should commercialize our project, we decided to pursue it. We’ve just been doing entrepreneurship since.
What is your company’s biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator?
Ferree: I think our biggest goal during the Andrews Launch Accelerator is to convert our data customers and get feedback to start onboarding new paying clients.
McCarthy: Our biggest goal, as of today, is to get at least 10 recurring monthly paid users on our site. We just launched our redesign yesterday, so we’re working fully on customer acquisition and client onboarding.