Seth Hickerson, Founder of My Steady Mind, is no stranger to high-pressure situations. A two-branch Military Veteran, Hickerson served five years in the US Navy, stationed in Tokyo, Japan, Rota, and Spain, and four years in the Air Force Reserve at Langley AFB in Virginia. Hickerson's passion is to use his military training and experiences to help individuals incorporate mindfulness and resiliency training into their everyday lives. His timing could not be better as there is a renewed sense of importance and awareness on mental wellness and the feelings of burnout, stress, and mental fatigue exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19.
Groundswell Startups, in partnership with the University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, has launched a pilot program to connect top engineering and business students to Space Coast-based startups for summer Virtual Internships. The partnership is part of a broader initiative to showcase the Space Coast as a destination for students upon graduation. The two organizations recently announced a collaborative partnership that enables startups in the Groundswell ecosystem to access UF’s supercomputer, a result of a 100-million-dollar public-private partnership with the university and Silicon Valley-based technology company NVIDIA.
Groundswell Startups is proud to announce a collaborative partnership with the University of Florida Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering that will bring companies on Florida’s Space Coast access to the most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputer in academia.
Make-Print, a Melbourne-based software startup, took home the $5,000 second place prize from the 2021 Embry-Riddle Launch Your Venture Competition. The annual pitch competition is amongst the most prestigious in Florida for student-led startups. The state-wide competition is focused on disruptive technologies impacting the aviation, aerospace and engineering industries. The prize money is often the first dollar these student-led startups receive to explore their idea and launch their company.
Chris Marot is a familiar face around Groundswell Startups and no stranger to growing new businesses. An entrepreneur with specialized experience, he has started MotorCo Electric, a company that is creating modern, efficient and domestically-sourced electric motors. During his time in the United States Army, Chris learned there is a substantial demand for better electric motors, especially with a new national mandate to move away from electric motors, permanent magnets and rare Earth materials that are produced overseas. With a clear market need, Chris teamed up with Groundswell Member Andrew Katrina, Groundswell Founder John Vecchio and Scott Hrastar MotorCo began.
Mindstamp, a Melbourne-based software startup, took home the $25,000 grand prize this past week from the 2021 Crummer Rollins Venture Plan Competition. The annual Rollins Venture Plan Competition is amongst the most prestigious in Florida. Companies selected as finalists have a track record of success, generating over $55 million in revenue and raising over $36 million in investment capital since the competition started in 2012.
If there is one thing everyone can agree on, it is the non-negotiable need for sterile surgical instruments in our hospitals. That is why the partnership between RTP Systems Inc. and Trinetics Group is so incredibly important. These two companies have collectively come up with a machine that produces 1 MILLION surgical instrument sterilization wraps annually.
Andrew Katrina of AK3D is excited about the future of additive manufacturing, the ever-growing technology known more commonly as 3D printing. Through the use of additive manufacturing, AK3D is breaking down barriers for entrepreneurs by reducing the costs to getting a prototype made and providing small-run manufacturing. This allows inventors to get their product into the hands of customers and gain valuable early-stage feedback.