Spark

In today's episode, we discuss consumer behaviour with Dr Katherine Sredl. Understanding trends and how consumers behave is key for any new or existing business. Dr Sredl shares her projections on future trends and the opportunities she sees opening up for new businesses.

Tyler Thorne, a successful intrapreneur, talks to us about his experience building something of his own in a large multi-billion dollar tech company. We talk about what being an intrapreneur entails and how we can carry an entrepreneurial mindset everywhere in our lives. This and more on this episode of Spark.

In the second episode of the season, we welcome 2022 Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge third-place finishers Fusion Foods & Finalists Fungi Stone. We dive deep into their motivations and their ideas and how the challenge helped them boost their ideas into reality. Jonathan Ostroff and Jose Mizrahi talk about their new hybrid meat and the environmental benefits of going hybrid. Adriana Esparza from Fungi Stone talks about a fungi construction material that is alive and extremely sustainable.

To kick off the 2022-2023 academic year we are talking to 2022 Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge Winners Tikal & Runners-Up Loop. We dive deep into their motivations and their ideas and how the challenge helped them boost their ideas into reality. Megan Yamauchi and Tayyaba Ali from Tikal talk about their innovative water filtering solution. Caro Bush and Elise Giles from Loop talk about a new way to approach second-hand clothing.

Arielle Leopold's story is proof that you don't have to limit success to just one area of your life. In addition to her full-time corporate job, she runs The Armory United, an athleisure company she launched in the midst of the pandemic. With everyone lounging around at home in their sweatpants and hoodies, she saw an opportunity to bring her passion for doodling to life. In the episode, Arielle walks through her process of creating each product line from sketch to launch, as well as how she balances running her business while still working her full-time corporate job. She also shares a powerful message to entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, about setting boundaries and making time for your interests and passions outside of work.

The Armory United Website: https://armoryunited.com/

The Armory United Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thearmoryunited/

Allison's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-heithoff-657328149/

Follow Ignite Lab on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc_ignite_lab/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LUC_Ignite_Lab/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignite-lab

At just 19 years old, Ian Dilick formally incorporated Eschaton. The vision for the business was to build the hardware and software for self-driving cars to essentially share data with each other about what they see around them. Not long after incorporating the business, Ian went on to pursue Eschaton full-time, raising money from investors, and was even recognized by Chicago Inno’s 25 Under 25.

In the episode, Ian reveals how he used Twitter to meet his first investor and secure a $15,000 check to kickstart his business. He also shares some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, including building a personal board of advisors and getting involved in Chicago's startup ecosystem.

Ian's Twitter: https://twitter.com/imdilick

Ian's Website: https://iandilick.com/

Follow Ignite Lab on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc_ignite_lab/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LUC_Ignite_Lab/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignite-lab

Mahdi Sahloul is a Loyola alum who, during his final years of undergrad, launched his own e-commerce fashion website called Soori. Although no longer currently in operation, Soori was a purpose-driven venture with the mission of preserving Syrian culture through eco-friendly and ethically-made athleisure and streetwear. A portion of profits was also donated in support of refugee resettlement efforts in the United States. In our conversation, Mahdi explains social entrepreneurship and shares his motivation behind pursuing this path. He reflects on some of the challenges encountered and lessons learned while launching and scaling the business, as well as his reasons for ceasing operations to pursue a career in consulting.

Mahdi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdi-sahloul-721137107/

Follow Ignite Lab on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc_ignite_lab/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LUC_Ignite_Lab/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignite-lab

April Lane, an entrepreneurship instructor at the Quinlan School of Business, joins this episode to share her expertise on the topic of product market fit. Drawing from over 15 years of experience in the entrepreneurship community, she explains what product market fit is and further illustrates the concept through firsthand examples of mistakes, as well as success stories witnessed from consulting with countless entrepreneurs and startups throughout her career. If you are looking for tips to identify your target customer, understand the market for your product or service, and ultimately establish a framework for deciding whether your business has reached product market fit, then this episode is for you.

April's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laneapril/

April's Bio: https://www.luc.edu/quinlan/faculty/aprillaneschuster.shtml

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

https://medium.com/

https://brianbalfour.com/four-fits-growth-framework

https://www.ycombinator.com/

Follow Ignite Lab on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc_ignite_lab/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LUC_Ignite_Lab/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignite-lab

In this episode, I am joined by Charles Hardeman, a Loyola alum who co-founded a business with chemistry professor Jacob Ciszek while still in college. This business, Molecular Interfaces, specializes in technological advancements in large-scale displays with a range of applications, such as digitizing blueprints. In the episode, he shares his experience participating in the research that inspired the business, as well as how he applied both his science and business background as the entrepreneurial lead for the venture, which contributed to successful grant funding from the National Science Foundation. He also talks about how he balanced his time as a college student and gives his advice for anyone interested in starting a business while in college!

Connect with Charles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-charles-hardeman-msf-bba-bsc-a78b639b/

Follow Ignite Lab on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc_ignite_lab/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LUC_Ignite_Lab

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignite-lab

Welcome to Spark, an entrepreneurship podcast hosted by Ignite Lab at Loyola University Chicago! Listen to hear an overview of the podcast, as well as what you can expect from future episodes. You can find Spark on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts.