In this episode of FSPEI Mark McNees sits down with the 2020 winner of the Florida State University, Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship InNOLEvation Challenge, Michael Benarde, co-founder and CEO of NightCap. NightCap combines a protective drink cover with a stylish hair scrunchie that can also be worn as a wristband. The cover fits tightly over most glasses and solo cups making it much more difficult for drinks to be tampered with. The NightCap is ultra-convenient, reusable, and stylish.

Florida State Podcast of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

FSPEI S2E4 Michael Benarde Co-Founder and CEO of NightCap

On this episode of FSPEI, Mark McNees has a conversation with Rebecca Cunningham the illustrator and creative behind Cunning Co (www.cunningco.com). Her expertise ranges from watercolor illustration, to product development, to creative project management. Founder of www.cunningco.com, Rebecca's illustrations and surface pattern designs can be found at major national corporations such as Anthropologie and Terrain. She lives in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of Atlanta with her french bulldog, Louise.

FSPEI S2E3 Rebecca Cunningham the illustrator and creative behind Cunning Co

In this episode of the Florida State Podcast of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Mark McNees sits down with Kris Izquierdo the Co-Founder and CEO of Breezy Swim. Breezy Swim is a Miami, Fl based brand. Their mission is all about female empowerment! At Breezy Swim they want females to feel confident in any swimwear, regardless of age or body shape. Breezy Swim caters to all shapes and sizes inspired by women globally. They say their swimwear gives women the chance to feel their best and to take on the world, no matter where they come from! Everything they provide is influenced by our millennial generation, from social media, popular culture, to the latest trends. Allowing the staff at Breezy Swim to curate the perfect products for women worldwide. 

FSPEI S2E2 Kris Izquierdo Co-Founder and CEO of Breezy Swim

We kick off Season 2 of the Florida State Podcast of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (FSPEI) with one of the most successful startups to come out of FSU in recent years. Sunny Ilyas CEO and Founder of Vale Food Co. tells the story of the beginnings of Vale Food as an on-campus food subscription service and how and why he pivoted to brick and mortar restaurants that are growing across the South East. 

FSPEI S2E1 Sunny Ilyas CEO and Founder of Vale Food

A special bonus episode of the Florida State Podcast of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. This episode is a presentation given by Lisa Boyd, Lyft's Senior Manager of Social Impact. In this episode, Lisa Boyd talks about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), perhaps the biggest sea change in business since the tech revolution and Lyfts's commitment to Corporate Responsibility, implementation strategy, and the metrics they used to determine impact.

FSPEI S1E9 (Bonus Episode) The Importance of Corporate Responsibility | Lyft's Senior Manager of Social Impact, Lisa Boyd

2019 7 Under 30 Interview #1In this amazing episode, Mark McNees sits down with Hall Pass' Co-CEO, Adam Kramer. Hall Pass is a Members-only platform that connects great people with great venues, with over 300 active Members, ranging from pro athletes to established actors & musicians, accomplished entrepreneurs, recognizable models, and high-spending tastemakers. 

FSPEI S1E8 Failing Forward into Success | A candid conversation with Adam Kramer Co-CEO of Hall Pass

Augmented Reality (AR) is going to revolutionize how we shop, learn, and interact. In this amazing episode, Mark McNees sits down with Ryan Kopisky, Founder and CEO of AddedLayer an augmented reality startup to discuss the possibilities of AR and how it is going to shape our future. AddedLayer is a Digital Product Design Consultancy. We partner with our clients to drive business outcomes through the strategic implementation of native mobile and emerging technologies. In 2019, the company also launched Arlome, the company’s first Augmented Reality (AR) platform. Using state-of-the-art AR technology, Arlome enables users to visualize building designs at a real-world scale. The product is currently being tested with several architecture firms and real estate companies.

FSPEI S1E7 - How Augmented Reality is going to change the way we shop - Ryan Kopinsky - AddedLayer

In this episode, Dr. Mark McNees sits down with Roderick Meyer and Jacob Gottlieb the team leaders of the Florida State University undergraduate students who earned a gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) competition Nov. 4 in Boston for their innovation combating citrus greening.Citrus greening is a bacterial disease affecting 80% of Florida citrus crops. FLOEMA is a rapid prototyping platform of antimicrobial peptide cocktails designed to function as a bactericidal agent against the infection. Integrating hardware, wetware, and software, FLOEMA is able to offer citrus growers with a feasible solution to this bacterial epidemic. We are focused on leading the movement of saving Florida’s citrus with synthetic biology in an innovative, multidisciplinary atmosphere enriched with empathy, curiosity, and ingenuity.FSU’s entry competed in a field of 360 teams from around the world. FSU was one of only eight American teams to earn gold and the first team from Florida. The other gold medal-winning American teams were MIT, Cornell, Virginia, Rice, Pittsburgh, UT-Austin and a combined squad from Stanford, Princeton, and Brown.Read the article: https://news.fsu.edu/news/science-technology/2019/11/14/fsu-students-earn-gold-medal-at-international-synthetic-biology-competition/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_big_story_november_18_2019&utm_term=2019-11-18

FSPEI S1E6 FLOEMA - Curing the $2.9 Billion Problem of Citrus Greening

In this amazing episode, Dr. Mark McNees interviews the Co-Founder and CEO of Diatech, John Wilcox.Company overview:Diatech Diabetic Technologies Inc. (Diatech) is a MEDtech startup that implements innovative solutions to enhance and empower the lives of patients, families, and communities impacted by diabetes. Diatech originated from the issues the company’s CEO, John Wilcox, was facing his own diabetes care technology as a type 1 diabetic. John’s story, along with all who are affected by diabetes, inspires Diatech to work endlessly towards optimizing and personalizing diabetes therapies for patients worldwide.Diatech is developing the world’s first intelligent insulin pump infusion set system. Current insulin pump infusion sets are limited in wear time and reliability, compromising a diabetic patient’s health during the occurrence of infusion site malfunctions. These malfunctions range from blockages, leakages, and infusing into damaged tissue affected by lipohypertrophy. Through the use of AI, SmartFusion will understand the infusion habits of the user and suggest when to change sites and replace the infusion set, helping them get more out of their disposables.Co-Founders:Nicholas Cooper - COOJohn Clark Gray - CSOLuis E. Blanco - CTOJohn Wilcox - CEO

FSPEI S1E5 John Wilcox, CEO of Diatech

Internships are a great way for students to gain practical experience in a company and have the opportunity to apply what they are learning in the classroom. That is why every Jim Moran College student is required to spend a semester under the guidance of the JMC's Director of Internships in a qualified internship before graduation. In this episode, Dr. Mark McNees sits down with three student interns to discuss their experiences. 

FSPEI S1E4 Jim Moran College Student Internships

Angela Udongwo CEO and Co-Founder of InnoHealth Dx The InnoHealth Dx strives to empower communities to eliminate neglected tropical diseases by supplying innovative solutions to communities that need them the most. InnoHealth's mission is to decrease the rate of schistosomiasis to less than 1% (below sustainable levels) beginning in Kano State, Nigeria.   Infectious diseases have been a leading cause of death within tropical areas of the world for centuries. Within these regions, the focal point of healthcare has been tackling malaria, despite there being equal and even arguably higher endemic issues such as schistosomiases. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) have wreaked havoc on not only the standard of living of the individuals in these parts of the world but have drastically reduced their life expectancy. The gravity of NTDs is further intensified by socioeconomic and educational differences between the individuals suffering from this disease and the individuals equipped to address their suffering.With access to technology at the forefront of healthcare and utilizing cultural competency, InnoHealth will create a more comprehensible prognosis, transferable diagnosis, faster treatment rates, and overall further catalyze not only healthcare but the standard of living in these regions.

FSPEI: Season 1 Episode 3: Angela Udongwo, Co-Founder and CEO of Innohealth

Woven Futures is an ethical fashion company that links the world’s most remote artisan groups to a global fashion market through a model that emphasizes people over products and the sustainable creation of textile pieces. 

FSPEI: Season 1 Episode 2: Hannah King | Founder and CEO of Woven Futures

Welcome to the pilot of the Florida State Podcast of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (FSPEI). FSPEI is a JMS production that showcases student entrepreneurs and their startups, checks-in with alumni to hear about the companies they are building, and provides the opportunity to learn from seasoned entrepreneurs who have built amazing companies.In the pilot, I sit down with Dr. Susan Fiorito the founding Director of the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship and have a revealing conversation about what it was like behind the scenes starting a school from an entrepreneur's viewpoint. 

FSPEI: S1E1 (Pilot) The Founding of the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship with Guest Dr. Susan Fiorito

The official Florida State University Podcast highlighting Entrepreneurship and Innovation with host Dr. Mark McNees