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Nutree Naturals

Mark Chrysler

I started Nutree Naturals because I want to help make people, and the world around them, a healthier place. I love creating supplements and feel like we have an obligation to leave the planet better than how we found it.

Growing up I enjoyed trying new supplements and seeing how they helped me in my everyday life. I was the kid in high-school plugging my nose while gulping down a tbsp of MCT oil while making my own BCAA intra-workout shakes. Combined with growing up on a farm, the next house being a mile away and the Rocky Mountains being a couple hour drive, I got to experience all the benefits that come only when you're around nature.

Combining my love for supplements and nature is how Nutree Naturals was born.

Nutree Naturals sells to people who enjoy being active outdoors whether is hiking, mountain biking or just going for a weekend camping trip. People that enjoy the outdoors and want to do their part in protecting it.

Nutree Naturals provides health products that benefit our customers first and foremost hoping they help keep them active, healthy, and happy. All while making the world a greener place.

On top of striving to provide their body with the best nutrients available, our goal is to be the most environmentally progressive supplement brand on the planet. It's our way of making a better world for future generations. That's why for every product sold we plant 10 trees through non-profits around the world.

The first mission I have for Nutree Naturals is to plant 1,000,000 trees by 2022.

Currently I'm selling one product and going to be launching a second since I'm in the first 3 months of the company. I'd like to use the $5,000 to help expand my product line or to help grow my customer base so I can launch more products effectively to help more people learn about my mission.

Brand Name TBD

Adama Nesil

My name is Adama and I have two kids with food sensitivities. They both really love their sweet treats (so do I!). They are also very sensitive to sugar, which can cause behavioural changes.  

We all love sweet treats as a family and I really feel for them, especially during holidays and special occasions, because not only do I need to say no to the dairy and gluten treats but the sugar in those products make me feel very uncomfortable.

It's more than worrying about them getting rotten teeth even. I am concerned for their metabolic health, their immune systems, their cognitive health. I personally get bad sleep after eating sugar. I get severe brain fog and it hits my immune system. Sugar is not my friend and it's not my children's friend.

There must be other families out there like us, who have issues with dairy and gluten but are not okay with all of the sugar in the sweet treats. I haven't found something that I am crazy about, that I feel good about myself when I offer it to my kids, so I decided to go on a journey to create something that I AM mad about and feel good to offer the children.

I want the sweet treats that I eat and that my kids eat to support their health rather than negatively affect them and I think I can create a damn good chocolate bar to do just that.

I serve low-carb families with children who are also sensitive to dairy and gluten. These families need to juggle between offering their children 'free from' low-allergy sweet treats which are often loaded with sugar.

I will offer chocolate as the first product on their journey, followed by hot chocolate, cookies, brownies, lattes for kids, puddings and ice cream.

I am reaching out to potential manufacturers whilst building my audience. Receiving a scholarship would help me to build my audience, create branding assets and to develop the first version of the chocolate, so that I can build momentum for launching on Amazon.

Nutrition Dork

Mayra Luz Colon

Hi I'm Mayra, some call me the nutrition dork because I've been obsessed with nutrition, health and wellness all my life. I studied Integrative Nutrition and became a Health Coach because I wanted to spread awareness of using food and nutrition as medicine, and help people live healthier lifestyles. That is how nutritiondork.com was born. I wanted to create a blog to share everything I learned throughout my own journey including recipes, health and wellness resources, as well as healthy alternatives to our favorite foods.

Nutrition Dork's products ‘Healthy Rican’ will serve latin food lovers that enjoy living a healthy lifestyle. We’ll provide easy access to high-quality seasonings and ingredients needed in Latin cuisine as well as personal coaching, books, guidance on how to prepare foods in a healthy way. Most importantly, Nutrition Dork will offer the support people need to achieve better health and wellbeing.

I am currently in the beginning stages of my business. Receiving a scholarship would help me invest in prototypes, and initial inventory, as well as, upscale marketing resources. Most importantly, it would allow me to launch the products sooner than later. Allowing people to have access to the products, and help them get an earlier jumpstart on healthy cooking and a healthier lifestyle.

Mindfully Natural

Maggie Aldana

About me:
I am a former elementary school teacher now homeschooling mom of three amazing children ages 20, 11, and 6. My two oldest boys were diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum within four months of each other while I was pregnant with my daughter.

Four years ago a terrifying car accident took me out of the classroom. I was left in unbearable pain with a flattened spinal cord and a couple of surgeries to repair the neck and nerve damage. Through the use of natural medicine, acupuncture, and lifestyle modifications my doctor helps control my fibromyalgia and other issues as they pop up.

Brand Inspiration:
My determination to improve my health and create a healthy environment for my family helped me realize that there were a lot of toxins in our personal care products.  

With a daughter who is 6 and a son who is 11, I found it difficult to find personal care products that were not full of harmful chemicals, even when “natural” was used on the label.

I set out to research and learn about the ingredients we used in our daily personal care routine and was horrified with what I found in products labeled for “kids.”

I began by making my own hair conditioning oils with nut and essential oils.

This became our lifestyle. Recently, my 11-year-old son came up to me and said: “Mom, interesting fact: otters take baths after every meal.” We got into a conversation that led to us making soap at home (which he sold to other kids later)!!!

But as a busy mom, I can’t stop every single time to mix up a remedy or homemade solution. I really wished I could buy what my kids needed.

I imagine you’re busy too! So I thought I’d help.

Who:
Mindfully Natural products are created for kids who have outgrown the baby aisle and are learning about hygiene. They still have thinner skin than adults which can allow more of the harsh synthetic chemicals and fragrances to be absorbed. If they are still too young to be using adult products, why is it their only option?

We serve the child who likes having a choice in hygiene products purchased by moms who actively pursue wellness for themselves and their children through healthy lifestyle choices, personal care routines, and proper nutrition.

How:
Mindfully Natural personal care products have carefully selected ingredients that moms can feel good about offering their children.

Products like our (future) body wash, bubble bath, shampoo, and shower tablets help create pleasurable evening routines.

Let’s be honest for a minute, can we agree that we all have sensory preferences? Maybe you like baths and your partner enjoys showers. By having a personal care line designed just for them, children get a choice in at least one daily activity about the level of sensory input they have to endure.

Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to struggle with them come bath time each night?

Colorful, fizzy bombs and bubble baths with essential oils create a sensory experience for the child who finds the water pressure from being immersed soothing for their body.

Other children look to avoid sensory stimulation after an exhausting day at school and extracurricular activities. Are you aware that water temperature, the smell of the soap, water on their head, and/or the air temperature may be too much to handle for some children? Lightly scented or unscented body washes and shower tablets can help make a quick job of this uncomfortable activity.

Our goal is to spread smiles because HAPPY KIDS= RELIEVED PARENTS!

Our magnesium balm is set to launch late January- early February 2020. Children between ages 4-12 can benefit from magnesium because it can be soothing for the overstimulated child and can help them sleep along with calming with those uncomfortable growing pains.

In personal care, I am aware that there are large players in this competitive market.

How big is the market? Have you considered that the babies that have a whole department grow into the kids we are talking to and they have been overlooked for too long?

The scholarship would help with initial inventory, packaging, and marketing costs. The time to get the body wash to market would be reduced.

The plan is to launch a body wash that is ideal for the quick shower in the morning or the bath avoider. It can also double as a bubble bath for those children who enjoy a nice warm soak.

Do you have a child who could benefit? I'd love to help 🙂

Talonport

Matt Kostan

Started my career in pharmaceuticals sourcing products worldwide. As you probably could guess, it required extensive travel. While seeing new places was fun, actually traveling was not. Delays, cancellations, line ups and bad customer service was the norm.

After an airline lost my checked luggage while traveling with my wife, I snapped. The customer service was just unimaginably bad - they managed to make it seem like it was my fault for not having a luggage tag.

Not wanting to EVER experience something like that again, I went looking for luggage tags. But, I couldn’t find a luggage tag I liked, so I figured I would make my own. It became my mission not just to make one heck of a luggage tag, but also to create a company that ACTUALLY gave great customer service. This is how Talonport was born.

Talonport creates quality travel accessories that make you feel first class every time you travel. We make traveling less stressful and help you feel more confident as you breeze through the airport.  Our accessories are unique, useful and gives you that feeling of exclusivity.

We make indestructible stainless steel luggage tags that hide your private details. You’ll spot your bag instantly on the carousel and be on your way faster. You’ll also be more confident in knowing your bag won’t be lost and will arrive with you. The tags are stylish and sophisticated and come with a no-nonsense lifetime guarantee.

We also make a keyless TSA approved luggage lock (no combination to forget or keys to loose). The unique design means you don’t carry any bulky keys and it’s super easy and fast to use. Feel more confident your baggage is safe and secure as you travel.

Our typical customer has been affluent men and women who travel frequently for business. They have a no-nonsense attitude and are eager to achieve success in their career. They value quality over quantity and like to stand out from the crowd. They don’t have patience for bad customer service and buying lower quality is too expensive for them.

One thing we struggle with is paid advertising.

We’ve been lucky enough to have been growing steadily by word of mouth and organic means with very little spend on ads.

That being said, I recognize how much faster we could grow and scale if we were in front of more people and paid advertising could be the fuel on the fire we started.

We’re also working on patents and navigating the whole application process. It’s time consuming and of course, costs a lot of money as well.

There’s also two products in the pipeline that requires significant capital to get going.

If we receive a scholarship, the capital would go towards growing the business with paid advertising, securing IP and launching new products.

With your vote, I’m confident we can become a multi-million dollar brand. Thank you!

NFB

Tony Ferrari

I buckle a lot when fasting and doing keto. I don’t feel there is much hydration and snack support for people choosing intermittent fasting and keto lifestyles. The bulk of electrolyte products focus on the same old electrolyte formulas with poor quality potassium and glucose simply swapped out for stevia (like Ultima, Nuun and the endless list of rip-off products).

These formulations often taste terrible, have junk fillers (like citric acid, dextrose, sucralose,
unspecified ‘flavoring’) and ineffective quantities per serving. Also, there’s a small subset of
companies offering ‘natural’ electrolyte powders containing just sodium and potassium (and some containing magnesium citrate), although their taste is punishing. There is also research suggesting that MCTs are a better transporter of electrolytes in the body than glucose, although I can’t seem to find any blends with MCT readily available.

As for fast-friendly snacks, the major player is Pro-Lon. Their product and ingredient research is gold standard. However, you need to commit to 5+ days (costing $200+) and can’t buy a-la-carte. There are also some concerns that their products aren’t designed for keto or IF lifestyles (given their use of carbohydates).

We serve high powered intermittent fasters / life extention’ers / keto fanatics with the
hydration, nutrition, sustenance and fuel to crush their high-powered days while on IF / keto /
caloric deficits without flailing, buckling, snapping or compromising.

Our people are biohackers at heart who tweak and iterate their tactics to squeeze more life out of
themselves, so they show up each moment of each day, in their optimal state.

We offer delicious, fat-based and fast-friendly electrolytes, gel shots and chews.

We are conversing with contract manufacturers in a few countries to assess the best way forward with the line. The scholarship would greatly help with formulation advice, prototypes, consumer testing and early stage marketing.

Solar Aura

Monika Uherik

I began my brand by creating 100% biodegradable drink pouches last year with paper straws as they are better for the environment. This year I continued with the theme and created hay straws. Now I created clip-on fans that are rechargeable via a solar panel rather than batteries or via electricity; however, the option is available.

I came up with this idea as I know millions of batteries get thrown in the garage every day rather than recycled properly at your closest hardware store (Lowe’s or Home Depot). The second reason why I came up with this idea was that numerous times I was out and about with my little one, who uses the fan in her stroller, and I ended up being stranded in the 100F heat and no juice in the batteries or screwdriver to replace them. By adding a solar panel to her clip-on fan, I avoid having to always replace batteries or having dead batteries. This way she stays fresh in her stroller even though its 100F outside and this goes for anyone that works outdoors in the hot summer sun.

I serve a wide range of audiences - children and adults.

Solar Aura is perfect for anyone who likes to feel fresh and cool during the hot summer days while working outside, or inside.

We have recently received our first order of the Solar Aura fan but the scholarship would help us expand our selection to a different style of fan as well as various colors. It would also help with advertising costs.

Deeper Than Mental

Frank Jacobs

I began my entrepreneurial journey when I started my first website in 2015 called phone Insanity. The thing that inspired me to start this journey was my brother passing away. Before that, I was an avid gamer who didn’t care much for anything else. So that was a massive shock to my system. It made me realize that time was a lot more limited than I thought.

So I started phone insanity, and I realized very quickly that my plan of jumping headfirst might not have been the best choice. I never made more than $2-3 a month, and that was due to picking a niche that had very high competition. It was also difficult to monetize because I realized that no one bought phones outright, and the affiliate programs were a hassle to join, requiring significant traffic before working with you. That site did teach me a precious lesson, though. That it was possible, I remember the fourth month in, making my first affiliate sale and making $2.97 for that month.

After around half a year, I started my second website at the beginning of 2016. PC Gaming Builds. This time around, I did a lot more research! I saw that the PC tech space was a lot less competitive than the phone space. I wouldn’t have to compete with CNN and other major tech publications. At first, it was slow. I made nothing for the first three months, even though I was working hard. Then the 3rd month, I made $47, the 4th $253, and soon I was making thousands a month. I eventually sold it for six figures.

After that, it’s been a very eventful two years that’s had plenty of twists and turns that’s led me to create deeper than mental.

Deeper Than Mental (DTM) is a brand that's all about taking oneself from a depressed state to living a fulfilled life. DTM was started out of my own desire to become the ideal version of myself. So the goal isn't for me to be this high and mighty individual who's figured everything out, but more like a friend who's figuring it out and sharing my journey along the way.

DTM serves people like this by identifying a baseline for them and actually helping them breakdown their dreams and create a path to get there. DTM's goal is to help that person every step of the way in achieving the best version of themselves.

My first product is going to be an extensive 90-day daily planner. In order for someone to really change their life, they have to win the day. This is a concept that I picked up from Andy Frisella (MFCEO Podcast) and it's been very beneficial for me. If you're able to take big goals and break them down into daily steps then you can change yourself into the person you want to be one day at a time.

On the business side, this alone is going to be a great recurring income stream as people purchase four daily-planners every year. This will greatly increase the LTV of a customer.

DTM is still in the pre-production stages. Here's the strategy that I plan to implement.

I'm going to create a FB group for DTM and then build my audience through a mixture of paid and organic outreach. My goal is to have a minimum of 1000 members in the facebook group before launching my first batch of daily journals.

My core strategy for my paid advertising funnel to the FB group is going to be through a quiz funnel that first collects their email newsletter and then directs them to the FB group.

Next, I'll go to other like-minded FB groups and talk to people one by one and then direct them to my FB group if I think they're a good fit.

I went over to Alibaba.com and found a few suppliers who created daily planners and found some fantastic deals for the product. I talked about customizing the journal and was quoted $3 per planner.

The minimum order, which was 500 planners, would equate to around $1500 alone, and that's without shipping included. With shipping in total, I'd be paying about $2500. So with shipping costs added, that would be $5 per journal.

Because I'm going to be selling each journal for $27.99, I'd say the margins are fantastic.

A $5,000 scholarship would allow me to increase my ad spend budget, which would help build the DTM FB group much faster.

It would also allow me to easily order my first batch of journals and test my product idea with the market.

Finally, I'd be able to use this scholarship to create good brand packaging for DTM and also a quality logo for the website.

Science Glen

Russ Dollinger

As a boy I loved to take apart things to see how they worked. Continuing to explore, I fell in love with science, worked at many labs during high school and college, and went on to get a Ph.D. in Anatomy from UCLA. My research focused on brain biochemistry with postdoctoral work in cell biology.  

During high school I did research at Stanford Research Institute (SRI)—the opportunity was amazing, and the work thrilling. Later, in graduate school, I realized that most research is dependent on government funding, but I hoped to do it differently. I wanted to create a company that could fund itself without begging—like I thought SRI did.

Following that dream, I left science and academics and started to explore and practice business. During this eye-opening phase, I started four companies and had some successes, more failures, and gained tons of experience. 

Working as a part-time teacher helped pay the bills while I was learning business. With time I discovered that I could teach, and it could be fun. Going back to school, I am now credentialed in biology, chemistry, and physics. Over the years I’ve taught all ages from 3rd graders in Shenzhen, China to medical students at UCLA. I currently teach high school chemistry in the Los Angeles area. 

Many students have a hard time with abstract concepts, such as what a proton is or how plants make sugar. My chemistry students, in particular, have trouble with ionic charges, formulas, and how ions combine. Ionic bonding models that are good did not exist, so I decided to make my own. 

After several handmade prototypes, one set was good enough to test. The results were fantastic. Students showed a 33%–44% improvement in understanding after just 15 minutes of training!

Science Glen inspires and creates tools so every student, no matter what age or ability, can learn more than they dream possible. "No-limit Learning" is our touchstone.

Science Glen educational guides will be a hybrid of enticing project and principle with each project demonstrating a fundamental concept of the underlying science—not just a volcano kit with baking soda and vinegar. 

The US education market is expected to hit between $423 – $2,040 billion dollars by 2026 depending on how you define the market. It's huge.

We are starting with the homeschool educational market. In 2016 the Dept. of Education estimated the homeschool market at about 2.3 million households. The number is probably higher, and it will continue to grow. More and more people are unhappy with public schools because the content, teaching style, or culture does not match what they think is best for their child—to say nothing of active shooter drills!

The homeschool mom is going to be the main purchaser. She is said to be frugal. Many are conservative. Their children range from disabled to gifted—each can learn more than anyone imagined possible. Homeschool parents are fiercely devoted to their children, but most don’t have science training. We will be their guide. 

Every product for this market will be designed to maximize learning beyond the norm. For example, in our first product we add hands-on, tangible properties to help understand abstract chemistry concepts. And, all of the next products will use a combination of illustrations, pictures, exercises, videos, and links to help every child succeed.

In summary, our goal is to help the homeschool mom give her child the ability to soar beyond what she thought possible while the child learns and becomes excited about science and its underlying concepts. No-limit learning.

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. (John Lennon)

Practically speaking, we’re just starting. Infrastructure steps are in place including licenses, intellectual property applications, SolidWorks files for the first product, and a good start on developing a customer avatar. 

There is lots more to do to get the first inventory, create a demand, and then fulfill that demand. I’ve done it before, I can do it again. Every entrepreneur learns quickly that cashflow is king, and each step will cost. The scholarship will help enormously with these first steps. 

My ultimate goal is to build Science Glen to the point that it can be sold for enough money to fund a self-sustaining, free science academy. Students admitted will be given a 4-year college scholarship upon graduation if they have a B average or above, and nobody will advance to the next class without at least a B. The goal is for every student that cares—poor or rich—to have the ability and capability to attend any of the best schools in the world. No-limit learning.

This is a dream of mine. Dream with me to make it a reality.

Praesentia

Aaron Bruce

I am a father to two lively boys and husband to an incredibly stunning, hilarious and intelligent wife ( I asked her to proofread ). I fill my days teaching at a high school and coaching the local wrestling team. I teach Entrepreneurship, although my degrees are in Mathematics and Physical Education, and I wanted to show my students that anyone without a background in business could start one. 

My mother was an entrepreneur who started four successful small businesses around food and design. I took an interest in these topics. These interests along with the motivation to show my students turned into the seeds of my company Praesentia.

Our company's goal is to bring a little extra joy to those that cook and spend time in or around a kitchen. I love when you see the words “love” or “laugh” or “hope” on the walls of friends houses when you are visiting. It just warms my heart to read those positive fun words. I thought I would add those beautiful words to the back side of a cutting board, this way when the board is leaning against the kitchen wall or used to present food it is not only a cutting board, it is also a piece of art. For the most part I love to cook but everytime I start, it is not always filled with great enthusiasm. Now that I have this cutting board, I make sure to pick a word and set an intention while preparing each meal for me, my family and/or friends. It is my hope and intention that this cutting board brings you back to the presence, which is what Prasentia means in Latin, to enjoy the little fine moments of life.

My listing for the cutting boards with Amazon is going live January 6th, 2020. I am waiting until the 6th so that I can share that day with my Entrepreneurship students. I am just starting to create content and build my following through social media and email. The scholarship would help me immediately start the prototypes of my second product and then place an order for that second product.

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