The Mercer University – Eugene W. Stetson School of Business & Economics has recently announced the inaugural class of Mercer Innovation Fellows, who will be aided by the Mercer Innovation Center (MIC) in launching two new businesses.
HeadNoise is the first of two companies selected as Mercer Innovation Fellows and was developed by recent Mercer graduates Micah Givens and Marcos Zacarias. Together, the two men won the MIC’s Next Big Idea business pitch competition, placed as semifinalists at the Techstars Global Startup Battle, and were named the top senior design project at the School of Engineering’s annual Engineering Expo. HeadNoise is a revolutionary new headband which allows the wearer to listen to music through the conduction of sound to the inner ear through skull bones.
The next startup, KUDU Safari Braai, is a wood-burning grill developed to allow users to cook multiple items simultaneously through the use of interchangeable attachments. Stebin Horne, graduate of Mercer and the University of Georgia, developed the project.
“It is a great honor to be named as a fellow at the Mercer Innovation Center,” said Horne. “As a graduate of Mercer, I understand the rich heritage and close-knit community that the University represents.”
This new group of Mercer Innovation Fellows will each receive a prize package for their startup including $20,000 in funds, housing on Mercer’s campus, access to Mercer facilities, office space and MIC membership for one year and mentoring from the MIC advisory board, among other benefits.
Director of the Mercer Innovation Center, Dr. Samantha Lankford, commented on the concrete nature of the two startups. “Who could ask for a better group of entrepreneurs to launch a legacy?” she asked.
Students across the world can apply to be a Mercer Innovation Fellow through the application found here.