Founders Fellow Finds Grip on Future

When Matthew Sarli ’16 came to UT, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to major in. Now, with only months to go until spring commencement, he is passionate about entrepreneurship and working to launch a business of his own.

“Without the entrepreneurship program I wouldn’t have the Future Founders Fellowship, I wouldn’t have the interest in entrepreneurship or desire to be serious about it,” said Sarli. “Without the feedback I got from the business pitch and from my professors, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

Sarli, of Patterson, NY, was recently named to the 2016 cohort of the Future Founders Fellowship, a year-long program offered by Future Founders, a nonprofit organization that fosters the entrepreneurial spirit among youth.

The selective program connects the nation’s top young entrepreneurs with mentors and resources, not to mention each other.

“I’m looking forward to connecting with investors and networking with the 17 others in the cohort,” said Sarli, one of 18 entrepreneurs selected for the program. “I need all the help I can get.”

Sarli is leading a group of three other UT students, Ali Austin ’16, Anthony Pabst ’15 and Max Coulls ’16, in developing Spartan Grip, a foam attachment to increase grip and aid in diminished dexterity. While the tool can be used for athletes, the group’s primary focus now is on the elderly.

“When I was a kid my grandparents lived with us,” Sarli said. “My grandma had bad arthritis, and it was hard for her to grip things, like a fork, with her stiff fingers.”

He expressed his idea for the foam grip in class last semester, which turned into the topic of his group project with Austin, Pabst and Coulls. They received feedback on their idea at Pitch Sykes, the monthly opportunity for UT students to pitch business ideas to entrepreneurship faculty and entrepreneurs. They were encouraged by Professor Rebecca White to submit their application to the Future Founders Startup program.

“Matt, in particular, is a very talented young man, and I could see the potential in him from the start,” said White, director of the Lowth Entrepreneurship Center. “The concept seemed to present a great opportunity and when they went out into the marketplace to talk to prospective users, they learned more specifically the markets where there was a great need. When he presented to a panel of entrepreneurs, they were excited enough about the concept and Matt’s leadership to invest on the spot.”

Sarli and his group have applied to the Spartan Accelerator, which would give them office space inside the Entrepreneurship Center, and they’ve spent time with one of the center’s Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

This next year of mentorship and collaboration through the Future Founders is just the next step.

Have a story idea? Contact Jamie Pilarczyk, Web Writer
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