This past February, I was honored to be selected as a finalist for DePaul’s 2022 Innovation Expo, hosted each year by the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center in the Driehaus College of Business. I was selected for my idea “Scan-Me,” an app that creates a virtual lost-and-found using coded stickers.
THE IDEA
Scan-Me essentially modernizes the name tag, making it simple and easy for lost items to be returned to their owner.
Scan-Me stickers can be placed on users’ belongings so that (if lost) anyone who finds that item can identify the owner and return it! The idea is geared toward elementary schools, gyms and anywhere you can find a lost-and-found box.
I thought of the idea during a group project in my undergrad. Our group had lost so many clothes, water bottles, backpacks, and hats and we wanted a simple solution to keep track of our items. Being students, we couldn’t afford Bluetooth trackers for everything (I still can’t) and we didn’t like the idea of Sharpie-ing our full names, addresses and phone numbers on everything. My previous school had used barcodes that you could place on your bike if it was lost or stolen. The barcode contained students’ info and identified the bike if it were ever found. It was not foolproof, but it did give students a sense of security. I liked the idea of scaling this and including an app to simplify the process. That’s when I thought of Scan-Me.
THE EXPO-ERIENCE
When I initially found out I was a finalist, I was surprised, to say the least. I had submitted the idea on a whim and didn’t expect to hear anything back. A couple of days later, I was told that I was selected to present and needed to build a presentation in the next couple of days. It seemed like short notice at the time, but I have had the idea in my head for years, so it was easy to come up with content.
Presenting at the expo was a great experience. What I really liked about it was the freedom I was given when it came to making my presentation. Although finalists were asked to follow a structured format, we had complete freedom over how we wanted to present our ideas, which opened up everyone’s creativity. Hearing all of the other finalists was great and it was interesting to see everyone’s approach. Additionally, since we weren’t competing against each other or receiving grades at the end, it was a tense-free environment in which to present our ideas.
What I gained most from the expo was the audience Q&A after the presentation. Attendees asked questions and made comments about aspects of Scan-Me that I hadn’t taken into full consideration. Having a real-time Q&A forced me to think quickly and respond as an entrepreneur would. It was a fun experience and I gained valuable information about potential pitfalls, concerns and future ideas for Scan-Me.
GOING FORWARD
Scan-Me is still just an idea, but I plan to make it a reality, and the expo was a huge step toward this. It may sound cliché, but the whole experience gave me the confidence to go forward with the idea. Hearing audience members comment on Scan-Me and treating it like a real business made me realize just how possible starting it up could be. I was also forced to address its feasibility, scalability, profitability and popularity and find creative solutions to foreseeable problems.
As I continue my studies at DePaul I will no doubt use the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center as a valuable resource while I start this journey. I can’t thank everyone enough for selecting me as a finalist. It was truly a great and fun experience. For anyone who has an idea that is just that, “an idea,” the annual Innovation Expo is a valuable opportunity to get it out of your head and in front of an audience. I highly recommend students apply for and attend next year’s expo!
Contributor bio
Nicholas Duffy O’Brien is an investment analyst for a commercial real estate firm in Chicago. He is currently pursuing his MBA at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business with a focus on entrepreneurship & real estate. A Nebraska native, he moved to Chicago in 2020 and started the MBA program in 2021. He is passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship and hopes to start his own business one day.