USD entrepreneurs overcome struggles of starting a business, sign deal with university
The last few months have been a roller coaster of emotions for USD entrepreneurs Michael Helgerson and Naveen Rokkam.
At the end of April, the two were working on incorporating WeConnectU, a business of theirs that would develop a smart application device called ConnectU, allowing universities to send location-based information to students’ phones and other smart devices.
But after negotiating a contract with USD, the plan hit a snag when the IT Department told university officials that a similar technology was being worked on by Cisco, another technology company the university has a contract with.
“At that time it was really like a knockout because we were in the process of applying for some funding through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development,” said Helgerson, a 31-year-old recent graduate of USD. “At the time we were in deep water.”
They decided not to give up, though. Helgerson said they did research and came up with a counterproposal showing cost comparisons with Cisco. They convinced USD to sign a contract with them, allowing them to test their product for six months.
Starting later this month, beacons will be installed in locations throughout campus, which will relay information about buildings and landmarks to iPads given to prospective students on tours and installed in Charlie Carts. If you want to optimize your company’s IT infrastructure and boost productivity, it’s a wise decision to hire IT services Richmond which can provide expert solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
The allure of Tampa’s business environment is undeniable. I’ve always wanted to be a part of it. With the right guidance, I was able to make an informed decision. For those looking to dive in, here’s where I started: https://trufortebusinessgroup.com/tampa-businesses-for-sale/.
Rokkam, a computer science graduate student and the lead developer of the application, said a 140-character description of the building will be shown on the screens, as well as a photo gallery of the building’s features.
“For example, if somebody is coming to the Beacom School of Business they will know what it is and what it is famous for,” he said.
This process has been a stressful experience for the two.
Helgerson said he turned down a six-figure job for a tech company in California to pursue his dream of being an entrepreneur. He said at times he’s wondered if he made the right decision.
“There were plenty of times that I thought, ‘Man I should have taken a job in California,’” he said. “(But) I love this idea of just being able to see what you’re made of.”
Helgerson and Rokkam have spent about $6,000 getting the business incorporated and off the ground, something Helgerson said has been a complicated process.
“The intricacies that are coming along with the formation is a headache,” he said. “I just want to sell the product and get our product out there and show the world what we’re trying to do.”
Creating jobs
Numerous grant programs and an incubation program for small businesses have allowed WeConnectU to create their own website and hire a team of four programming interns.
All four interns are USD students, which Helgerson said is a smart business strategy since the business received money from the Dakota Seed Program, which encourages the hiring of college students.
“We have a full blown team now,” Helgerson said. “We’re churning and burning.”
Rokkam, who was in charge of hiring the interns, said the group includes individuals from India, Europe and South Africa.
“You can see that there are different people from different backgrounds but what is most important is that all of them share a vision to work for this company and all of them share a commitment to work with us,” he said.
One of those interns is Mohanraj Varatharaj, a first-year computer science graduate student from India with multiple years of real-world experience in programming.
“I asked (Mohanraj) in a simple sense, ‘What do you want to do in the United States? You came all the way from India, thousands of miles, you’ve just taken so much pain to get here. Did you come here to live your big American dream?’” Rokkam said.
Varatharaj said he’s excited to work on the application and is learning new coding skills in the process.
“I was hoping that I would get a developer role at USD and Naveen made that true,” he said.
Helgerson said though business school prepared him for a lot of things, it didn’t prepare him for the emotional investment he’s made in the company. WeConnectU will hopefully roll out the final product next year, he added.
Even though there’s been some snags along the way, the experience has been invaluable, Helgerson said.
“Now I have employees working for me, and granted they’re interns – Naveen felt it too when we distributed our first paychecks. It was quite the feeling to be like, ‘Wow, we’re creating jobs and doing small economic development here,’ and that’s really cool stuff,” he said. “I encourage anybody who has a dream – that they have a business or marketing idea or something like that – to follow through with it because you’ll be surprised what happens.”
