STATE COLLEGE, Pa (WTAJ) — Inventions and new products are something that carries high risk, and high reward for entrepreneurs.
But, the Happy Valley LaunchBox (HVLB) looks to take risk out of the equation… to help those with new ideas see if they can start their own business.
It seems to be working for one local entrepreneur.
Tamela Serensits walked into the HVLB over a year ago with an idea and she now has her own company and soon will launch her first product.
“This is a very exciting time… we’re on the cusp of launching our first product,” said Serensits, Founder & CEO of Argolytics LLC.
While she was working on final preparations for her company’s product launch, she reflected on when she first had the idea to start her own software company.
“It felt very uncertain at the beginning,” she said.
But soon, she realized she was not alone on an island in her entrepreneurial pursuit.
“The LaunchBox has helped introduce me to so many people that have been so helpful in the community as I started out the company,” Serensits said.
The assistance Serensits received from the HVLB did not cost a penny. Over a year ago, she started Agrolytics, and had a few contract workers, and recently an intern helping design her software. Her team then grew to six project workers.
“All of them from the Centre County area,” she said… adding, “It was really important to me to have people I could trust and have a personal relationship with. This is a very technical product, so it required a lot of communication and back and forth… so having the people locally to work with was a fantastic opportunity.”
An opportunity she used to create “Trendable” a product that allows businesses to assess the quality of items they’re manufacturing.
“Trendable is the first of this quality control type of software that was born on the cloud… so being this cloud-based software makes it more affordable and easier to access for small manufacturers,” Serensits said.
The program was designed especially for small and medium-sized businesses with data displays that are easy to understand. Serensits feels this is a niche-product that will do well once it’s on the market.
She knows there’s not always guaranteed success in starting your own company, but says at the HVLB, ideas are worth pursuing.
“If you have an idea, test the market. If you get great feedback… start moving forward,” Serensits said.
Want to know more about Serensits’ product that will soon launch? The video and story below have more details
“Why do companies need a product like Trendable?” WTAJ asked.
“While they’re manufacturing their product… whatever widget they’re making… they’re taking measurements along the way, and while they’re taking their measurements, they need to put them into some type of analytics program like Trendable, to let them know that they’re on track and meeting the specifications they need to meet,” Serensits said.
She added that since the software was born on “the cloud” it can be accessed on-the-go.
Another main component of the software’s design: simplicity.
“We tried to strip away all of the extras that a lot of what we could consider [our] competitors have… so that it’s very easy to use and doesn’t require a lot of training, which is important for small and medium sized manufacturers,” Serensits said.
She hopes her product is used by locals and all around the globe. Right now her company is looking to employ five-to-10 locals. Serensits says she hopes there are opportunities for expansion in the future.
She plans to launch her product Trendable by next month.