Student startups get a helping hand

Posted: Jul 2, 2012 10:34 PM by Hope Hanselman, KSBY News
Updated: Jul 3, 2012 6:03 AM

Creative juices are flowing for some Cal Poly students and alumni this summer.

Donation from the city of San Luis Obispo and local companies are making it possible to get start-up businesses off the ground.

It's all part of a program called HotHouse Accelerator. It's an office space in downtown San Luis Obispo that offers a lot more than office space. Young entrepreneurs are also getting fiber optic internet connection and a seed investment worth $7,500.

"What we do here is we provide them a space for companies to meet and work everyday," Jessie Becker, Innovations Coordinator, said.

It's not quite business as usual around this office. The idea for Chris Labasky's start-up was born at the checkstand.

"I was grocery shopping one day at our local Albertson's and I looked around and I saw a bunch of my friends and I thought, 'why am I even here when I could pay one of my friends to come here and do the shopping for me?'" Labasky said.

He spent the last year creating "Neighbor Favor," a mobile application that pays friends nearby for favors.
The company first got its legs in the basement of a partner's parents. It upgraded when the project moved into the HotHouse Accelerator.

"Well, the food here stinks but I'd say the hospitality is just as good."

It's a place where the creative juices can freely flow and mentorships from local businesses guide them along the way.

"Really it's been a community effort to make this happen; and it's really instrumental to the success of all these teams," Becker said.

Neighbor Favor is already launching its first prototype to Android and App stores next week.

"We've got all the skills we need in line and we've got all the resources we need from the HotHouse so I think we can make it happen," Labasky said.

But the clocks ticking and in two months, time is up for these seven companies. The program is open from June to August.

The companies range from mobile applications to models for pharmaceutical screenings.