With Carolina student innovators Jordy Ascencio of Carolina Thrift and Aneesh Agarwal of Health Smart Technologies

Is there a common formula that students follow when they build successful startups? Or do they gain traction by following divergent paths that depend on individual scenarios? Get the perspectives of two student innovators who participated in the UNC Innovation Showcase and are involved with ventures that make a social and economic impact in the community. Jordy Ascencio describes how Carolina Thrift, a community-oriented sustainability initiative that he works with to reduce needless waste in Chapel Hill, has embraced lessons learned and used campus resources to foster curiosity and growth. Then, Aneesh Agarwal discusses why it’s vital to identify customer needs, embrace persistence and develop a network of mentors. These practices are ones Agarwal honed when launching his startup Health Smart Technologies, a venture that helps the medically underserved find affordable health care services, medical screenings and preventative testing sites.