Wick-it Grip
University of washington - minor in ENTREPRENEURSHIP - course: creating a company
Circumstance: As part of my minor degree in entrepreneurship, I took a course called Creating a Company. This course was designed around a large group project in which each student had to pitch an idea to the class. Based off of the best pitched ideas, groups of five or six students were formed and worked on turning the idea into a company.
Action/Approach: I came up with the idea to create a grip that adheres to game controllers to help minimize the effect hand sweat had on E-sports/casual gaming. Wickit-Grip prevented the game controller from becoming slippery, therefore increasing the gamer’s overall effectiveness and confidence when playing.
Result: After testing out multiple fabrics, creating five different prototypes, and holding two different game nights to test out the prototype, our team came up with what we believed to be a great product that gamers can use for multiple hours at a time without the distraction of their sweaty hands getting in the way of their game playing.
Below are photos of how our project and company came together.
Ideation
Addressing Pain Points
Designing Prototypes
Pitch for Funding
Creation of Brand and Marketing
Product Evolution
Learnings
Our Wick-it Grip team came in with no product development experience, yet created a usable prototype in three months. We continued to innovate and finalized our designed product two months later. The journey of creating Wick-it Grip was strenuous. While we considered pivoting multiple times, our love for gaming and belief in our product allowed us to push forward and achieve our goals. I am confident that the values and lessons learned from this unique endeavor has ignited a search for a place where these same passions can flourish. I believe MSTI is that exact place.
We Won 2nd Place!
At the very end of our course, we participated in what UW calls “Hell Night” where fourteen startups came together and showcased their companies to a panel of judges. We ended winning second place that night and I could not be more proud of all our hard work to get there.
