Tag: alumni in the news

Serial entrepreneur and Olin grad David Dresner, BSBA ’10, has been tapped to join an effort aimed at encouraging more brainstorming, roadshows, and other efforts to build Missouri’s startup ecosystem.

It’s a joint effort by the Missouri Department of Revenue, the University of Missouri School of Law Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic, and accounting firm Brown Smith Wallace, according to a piece published last week in The Vital Voice:

“The roadshows will gather officials from the Missouri Department of Revenue, the University of Missouri, and certain attorneys and accountants with key start-up players to discuss important start-up related issues for the state of Missouri. This collaboration seeks to improve the outreach by state government and experts to Missouri’s entrepreneurs and business owners.”

The Vital Voice quoted Dresner on entrepreneurs’ need to seek out ways to improve, adapt, and advance. “A group of very intelligent and influential people will be putting their heads together to create an improved environment to start and grow a business,” said Dresner, founder of three startups, beginning during his time at Olin.

Dresner is the founder of Sleeve a Message, a customizable beverage sleeve company founded while he was still a student, and its sister company Coast a Message. He has recently launched gourmet potsticker-maker Crispy Edge in St. Louis.

What’s not to love about less hassle at the airport?

CheckTheQ is a monitoring system that delivers real-time information on wait times at airport security to airport operations, enabling them to manage and respond to traffic fluctuations quickly.

The startup was co-founded by Martin Locklear, CIO, and three WashU students who met in Olin’s Hatchery course: Colton Calandrella (BSBA ’17), Adam Hoffman (AB ’17), and Stephanie Mertz (BSCS/BSAS ’17). Calandrella had the original idea to use software to monitor airport security lines, and the engineering cofounders conceived and developed the software to deliver real-time information on crowd movement.

“Every traveler has felt their stomach drop when they walk into an airport and see a security line that seems to stretch for miles. But it turns out that long lines are not just a problem for travelers. They also cost airports millions of dollars every year, since we travelers choose not to fly whenever we can avoid it because the security experience is so abysmal. And when we do fly, too much of our airport time is spent in security instead of at concessions or near our gates. We’re CheckTheQ, a technology company that empowers airports to keep lines short and travelers informed. Because we believe that when lines are short, everybody wins.”

CheckTheQ’s first in-airport trial installation took place this summer, and it was a finalist in the most recent Arch Grants competition. Check out the video above to learn more about the group’s innovative idea.

#OlinKudos, CheckTheQ!

When we last talked to David Dressner, BSBA’10 (see profile in Olin Business magazine 2012, p.27), his startup Sleeve A Message was printing custom made hot coffee cup holders – known as sleeves in the java biz. Being a Renaissance man and serial entrepreneur at heart, we were not surprised to read that David is launching another food-related venture. Alive magazine reports on David’s plans to convert a former community center in the Tower Grove neighborhood into a potsticker factory.