Author: Brett Atkin

Featured Startup: Maker Factory

At zWORKS, we’ve seen how beneficial collaboration can be. One zWORKS startup is looking to bring collaboration to the engineering world in Indy.

Brian Hull is one of the founders of Maker Factory and his goal is to start a maker space in Indianapolis.

A maker space is coworking for engineers and builders. It provides the tools and supplies needed like lasers, welders, 3D printers, design software, tools, etc.

“I’m a part of zWORKS because I think it’s similar,” Hull said. “It’s a coworking space and I think the next generation of workers are experimenting with coworking.”

Featured Startup: Parker Gwen

zWORKS startup redefines online shopping experience

The cacophony of a typical shopping experience can be overwhelming. From hundreds of different TVs at Best Buy to 12,000 Amazon results to the endless pages of Google.

One zWORKS entrepreneur is changing the online shopping landscape.

Matt Phillips has worked in the retail industry over a decade. He went from Best Buy to Groupon to H. H. Gregg. For him, online shopping needed a more personalized touch.

“I felt that there is opportunity, not only from my retail experience but as a consumer, to really focus in on how you create an online environment that also has a personal touch,” Phillips said.

He has spent a long time watching the digital transition in retail and in 2017 he and his business partner, Tiffanie Rosencranz, decided to take matters into their own hands.

Polo in Zionsville recap

Thanks to everyone involved with Polo in Zionsville for making it such a success! A big shoutout to our sponsors as well as our volunteers for making this sold-out event happen.

We enjoyed partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Boone County and together we raised over $12,000 for our organizations! And lastly we wanted to thank Ryan Woodall for taking the pictures.

zWORKS startup builds houses in Haiti

A former pastor has turned her mission work into a non-profit startup called Zanmi Fondwa. Zanmi is the Creole word for “friend” and Fondwa is the area in Haiti in which they build houses.

Jamalyn Peigh Williamson and her husband, David, met in a graduate school at Duke Divinity School. Jamalyn ended up taking a trip to Haiti where she got some advice that would change their lives.

The professor on the trip suggested to live outside the country before leading churches (they wanted to become pastors).

Jamalyn and David moved to Haiti in 2003 and lived there for two years – she was an administrator at the school and he taught English. Ever since, they have been taking trips down to Haiti.

Featured Partner: The Growth Coach

Zionsville resident and zWORKS member Bob Paden is now the owner of The Growth Coach Indianapolis North franchise. He and his team are focused on supporting Boone and Hamilton County business owners grow their companies while maintaining balance.

Paden was operating an independent firm called Tier321.

“Becoming a Growth Coach franchise allowed me to throw gas on a fire I had already been working on for three years,” Paden said.

After leaving a 25-year long career in corporate America, Paden branched out on his own in one-on-one consulting with TIER321 firm. During his past two months with The Growth Coach, Paden said it has been like drinking from a fire hose – in a good way – better tools, better materials and a great support system.

Featured Startup: BestQuote

Lifelong entrepreneur heads new startup

He’s been interested in startups since middle school.

Jeff Wraley’s very first foray into the world of entrepreneurship involved harvesting pachysandra in middle school. That effort evolved into a full-fledged landscaping business in high school.

“I have ideas all the time and sometimes too many ideas,” Wraley said.

After helping a few friends with their startups as well as working for a boutique startup consulting firm, Wraley decided to make the plunge.

“I guess I have always been working toward an entrepreneurial endeavor,” he said.

Featured Startup: Perfit

The Perfit solution to in-store shopping

From left: Tre Plowman, Jason Fordham and Casey Reagan

It all started at American Eagle in Circle Center Mall. Jason Fordham’s wife was trying on jeans.

As is the popular question for most issues now-a-days, Jason wondered if there was an app that made the fitting room experience less cumbersome.

Different size? Different brand? Shoes to go with those jeans? Jewelry?

And so, the Perfit solution started to form.

Jason brought back his idea to a few of his coworkers at the time, Casey Reagan, Jamal Khan and Tre Plowman.

“We wanted this to be a consumer-driven product,” Fordham said. “That’s the one thing that’s consistent. No matter if people shop online or in-stores, they want to own the experience from start to finish.”

Featured Startup: Predictive Wear

Burgeoning startup combines textiles and technology

Their mission is in their name. Predictive Wear focuses on making connected clothing that monitors your health.

Dane Albaugh, the CEO, and Pablo Argote, the CTO, are Purdue graduates and are working together with six other graduates to make their mission a reality.

The team of eight met while studying biomedical engineering at Purdue. They melded their various expertise after cofounding a student organization and eventually started the company, Predictive Wear.

“We created a solution both as a service and product that can center around the patient and have an ecosystem focused on predictive analytics, health informatics and wearable technology,” Argote said. “We believe the future is going this direction, especially in medicine.”

Featured Partner: Indiana University

zWORKS partners with IU entrepreneurship program

Jason Whitney has always lived amongst small businesses and startups. His grandfather was a typical Indiana Main Street shop manager and Whitney worked closely with him.

Whitney ended up owning several small businesses in Richmond, Indiana including a pizza restaurant.

“Through those experiences I learned the value of knowing people on a personal level and not on a transactional level which helps me to do business effectively today,” he said.

Featured member: Lindsey Bullinger

Atlanta professor calls zWORKS home

One zWORKS member doesn’t commute across town, she commutes across the country.

Lindsey Bullinger flies to Atlanta, Georgia about once a week and is technically considered a super-commuter.

Bullinger does public policy research and teaches at Georgia Tech. Her education route included an undergrad at Miami University, a master’s at Syracuse University and a doctorate at Indiana University.

“What I enjoy about doing this is that these decisions that people are making everyday are affecting people everywhere,” Bullinger said. “It’s important to know if public policy is doing what it’s supposed to be doing.”