By Jessica Barber

Last year, team Nix won the People’s Choice Award at the InVenture Prize, and along with it, $5,000 and a place in CREATE-X’s Startup Launch program. Team members Cory Stine, Robert Patterson, Thomas Olson, Mohammed Aamir, Dustin Sloan, Vishwa Shah, and Milan Smart’s device appealed to people struggling with nicotine addiction. 

Product Updates

Since competing, team Nix has focused on developing a fully functional prototype, which is an autonomous e-cigarette that automatically tapers users’ nicotine intake over time. By collecting data xaon individual usage habits, the device gradually reduces the amount of nicotine in the e-cigarette’s vapor stream.

Of the original seven team members, Stine, Olson, and Aamir are still working on the prototype. Nix now has a WEBSITE where users can preorder the e-cigarette device, and the team is gathering groups of users to participate in an upcoming beta test.

Moving Forward

With their website up and running, the team is reaching more people who are looking to turn their lives around. As Nix continues expanding, the team hopes to implement some of the knowledge gained from participating in the InVenture Prize.

“The pitch practices for the InVenture Prize really helped us communicate concisely and effectively. We’ll be using these lessons everywhere — marketing campaigns, the website, and more,” the team said.

Currently, preorders are set to be delivered by early 2020. The team hopes to continue making strides toward helping individuals overcome their nicotine dependence and take away the stress and shame surrounding their addiction.

Thoughts on the 2020 InVenture Prize

For students who want to participate in this year’s competition, the team offered advice about getting started.

“Focus on finding a good problem to solve. Finding a problem that people care about is more important than the solution in the early stages,” Stine said. 

When asked about the most valuable takeaways from 2019, the team identified three: exposure, mentorship, and prize money. The exposure they received from the live final round and the resources provided by the competition organizing committee helped the team develop their algorithm, app, and e-cigarette. After countless hours of planning, mentorship, and product development, the team is now ready to launch Nix as a legitimate competitor in the growing nicotine replacement therapy industry.

EXPLORE NIX HERE.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE 2020 INVENTURE PRIZE BY CLICKING HERE. Registration ends Jan. 13.