Katherine Olives
This marks the second in a new blog series, “Spotlight,” where we'll give you a sense of what makes a Zahntrepreneur. In this blog, you'll meet Standard Chartered Women+Tech4NYC finalists StreetLabs and Frip.
If you're a driver in the city, potholes are your car's worst nightmare. But StreetLabs believes that even New York's average commuter is affected by potholes. Have you ever stepped in a puddle that you thought was shallow and ended up being a four-inch deep pothole full of who knows what? Day ruined. StreetLabs is creating a smarter system for NYCs roads, allowing the DOT to make faster and more efficient repairs. Their technology monitors the conditions of roads, alerting the DOT to when potholes are forming so that the city knows when to fix them. The data collected from their device will also allow the military to fix roads caused by their equipment in foreign countries, or companies like Google could incorporate the information into existing technologies and apps.
The StreetLabs team came up with the idea at October's Idea Jam4NYC. The event gathered college students to solve New York City's civic and social issues. Ahsin Sabbir and Peter Geras met at the event and quickly brought on Jaweria Afreen and Christina Moawad to help make StreetLabs complete. All four members graduated this May with degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Mathematics. As the Grand Prize winner of the Standard Chartered Women+Tech4NYC Prize, they'll use the $25,000 to begin pilot testing in Harlem. They'll also participate in our Summer Accelerator Program.
The StreetLabs, like many of our Zahntrepreneurs, absolutely kill it in the classroom. Christina had the second highest GPA in her department. But they're also friendly and social. StreetLabs' members were already friends with OnPointe and Hybridia before they came to the Zahn Center, and are responsible for the great community we have this year! Fun fact: Ahsin built a car as his senior design project. I see where the obsession with getting rid of potholes comes from….
While StreetLabs was inspired by a problem in New York City, Frip was inspired by all of the good things about our city. The Frip team believes all students should go on field trips to the city's best landmarks, museums, and businesses as a way to expand their knowledge outside of the classroom. Unfortunately, it's becoming increasingly difficult for teachers to plan field trips. Many teachers spend hours of their free time planning field trips, only to find that either the venue didn't work out, or the principal didn't accept it. That's why Frip developed a platform that makes it easy for teachers to find, plan, book, and organize field trips in the city. Frip is not just a new innovation, it's a necessary resource for modern teachers.
From the start, Frip built a well-balanced team. The idea is the brainchild of kindergarten teacher and CCNY alum Angela Choi and Moustafa Elshaabiny, a recent Computer Science grad. They recruited Karina Ortiz, an Anthropology major and Hank Lin, a graduate student in CCNY's BIC Program. Since beginning the Accelerator, they've added Kevin Navarra (formerly from Migo!), a Management/Economics major. Together, they make up a dynamic team ready to use the $5,000 they won as runner up in the Zahn Technology Prize to develop their web platform and app to test with teachers and venues this summer!
Frip is an incredibly friendly and outgoing team. Naturally, they all love to go on field trips, so you'll often find them at various events and attractions throughout the city. They manage to keep their company's culture strong by having team dinners and tea sessions (yes, they're tea people). Fun fact: Angela secured a partnership with Patagonia (who doesn't do field trips) while buying a jacket. Talk about a saleswoman!
You'll hear more about these two teams soon. Tomorrow, they'll visit the Mayor's Office of Technology and Innovation to have a meeting with Minerva Tantoco and the rest of her team.