For UC Davis MBA Alum, it all Started With the Big Bang
A UC Davis Graduate School of Management alum got an auspicious jumpstart during his MBA studies.
Tim Keller (’08) earned the grand prize of $15,000 in the school’s Big Bang! Business Competition, which funded his first successful venture, VinPerfect.
The company produces a revolutionary screwcap (the ‘SmartCap’) for wine bottles. The cap contains a lining which regulates the amount of oxygen that enters the vessel over time. As CEO of the company, Keller and his partner, COO Colin Casper, engaged in an extensive research and development period for the product that involved winemakers and scientific minds alike.
“Our Big Bang! and GSM connections [were] integral to our growth,” said Casper of the pair’s venture.
One of Keller’s greatest challenges was acquiring the resources he needed to create the first prototype. Keller and Casper invested in a numerical control milling machine, and in the stuff of startup fairy-tales, Keller began producing SmartCaps in the basement of his then employer.
This DIY spirit then led Tim Keller to his next venture, a tech business incubator called Area 52. Here, entrepreneurs and makers will have access to a production facility in which they’ll turn their own ideas into reality.
Area 52 will officially launch this fall in Davis. It will comprise a 38,000 square foot space, and will be shared by innovators in robotics, alternative energy sources, medical device technology, and aerospace.
Recalling his own experience, Keller said, “With startups, it takes money to build a prototype and you don’t have it…but most people don’t want to invest until they see the prototype.” Area 52 will provide serve as a creative hub. Members of Area 52 will pay $750 per month, and will have access to a two person private office, a machine shop, conference rooms, and the added perks of a fitness center and racquetball court.
About the Author
Maggie Boccella
Maggie Boccella, a lifelong resident of Philadelphia, is a freelance writer, artist and photographer. She has consulted on various film and multimedia projects, and she also serves as a juror for the city's annual LGBTQIA Film Festival.
