Jamie Siminoff always loved to tinker, even as a young boy. And some of his “gadgets” did very well for him and his partners. One sold for $17 million in 2009, and he used his share to tinker full time. He was working on a gardening system in his...
Julie Whiteman lost her cell phone and years and years of photos were lost forever. What made her feel even worse is that she and her husband Brian owned a print shop and she could have printed out the “keepers” easily at any time. Brian made a photo album...
Al “Bubba” Baker had a very successful career as a one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL, playing for 13 seasons with the Detroit Lions, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. But he had a passion that few knew about back then: the fine art of barbecuing ribs...
Jones Scones was a line of all-natural traditional British cream scones created by J Jones of Denver, Colorado. J returned to the US to attend law school at George Washington University. He had been living in the UK and was distressed when he was unable to find proper British...
Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward founded Tom & Chee as a gourmet grilled cheese shop in a tent in downtown Cincinnati. Trew is a self-taught cook and Corey grew up behind the grill at his parents’ ice cream shop. The two wanted to serve comfort food, tomato soup and...
Ryan Frankel and Kunal Sarda met at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and developed their translation app, VerbalizeIt, the world’s only instant, 24-7 “human-powered” translation service. A user has access to a network of thousands of freelance translators around the world, paying for a phone call or...
Val Brennan and her business partner developed the Three Day Rule online dating site. Three Day Rule refers to the “rule” that you do not call someone you just met for three days. Not good to look too desperate. Val explained that the Three Day Rule site differs from...
Robert Gifford made custom, heirloom-quality gaming tables for the discerning gamer/geek who cares about aesthetics. He could accommodate any customer’s gaming interests and style. The wooden tabletops that doubled as dining tables were made of the finest cherry, maple or walnut and slid open to reveal a polished...
Brian Altomare’s LugLess is a door-to-door shipping company that picks up your luggage and delivers it anywhere in the world. Your baggage arrives at your destination before you do at a less expensive cost than airline baggage fees, including for those awkward items such as bicycles, skis and golf...
James LaVitola was a stuntman on Fast and Furious and Friday Night Lights, among many other films. Brian Pitt was a producer of several “successful enough” indie films. The two had come up with a guaranteed blockbuster, a movie about motorcycle racing. There had never been a movie about...
Tom Kanemoto and Lance Yabut rent out spacious, comfortable photo booths for private and corporate events in California and Las Vegas. A Pink Shutter technician sets up the temporary, high-tech booth with touch screens, Canon Digital SLR Cameras, high-speed photographic printers, and props, such as outrageous hats, Mardi Gras-type...
Carol Foster, single mom and former truck driver from Louisiana, served her grandmother’s gumbo in her restaurant. Unfortunately, heavy rains brought the ceiling of the restaurant down, and Carol decided to sell the Gumbo Brick online. The Gumbo Brick is a frozen block of all the makings for authentic...
Tracey Noonan’s youngest child, Danielle, was “launching,” moving out of the family home, and Tracey wanted to make sure they continued to do things together. When she saw cake-decorating classes offered, she thought, “Perfect!” More perfect than she ever dreamed.
They loved decorating cakes and were exceptionally good at it....
Jason Sandberg and Taylor Gwizadon are the founders of LiddUp Coolers and produce the first and only cooler with built-in LED lighting so you can find items in the dark. Jason came up with the idea one night when he was at a family cookout. He wanted an ice...
Lani Lazzari was only 11 years old when she developed Simple Sugars, handmade all-natural skincare products especially formulated for sensitive skin. The body, facial and foot scrubs cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize in one easy step.
Lani’s mother decided that year that Lani and her brothers would make gifts to...
Jeffrey Miller designed CoolWraps for people who don’t have a flair for gift wrapping. Instead of a table filled with rolls of paper, scissors and tape, there is only the CoolWraps bag. Slide the gift in, remove the protective film from the adhesive strip, fold it over and seal...
Dave Johnson and Gary Groomes were the founders of Traditional Fisheries, a seafood distributing company. They were concerned about the growing population of lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean. The lionfish was first imported from the Pacific Ocean and sold in tropical fish stores. About 20 years ago, someone tossed...
Marc Newburger and Jeffrey Simon were scraping by in Hollywood, filmmakers waiting for their big break. Marc was crashing on Jeffrey’s couch; Jeffrey was still driving his mother’s hand-me-down car. They supported themselves by working as nutrition counselors, and Jeffrey made extra money playing poker in Las Vegas.
Then...
High-energy Ryan Ehmann came into the Tank like the rootin’ tootin’ cowboy he is. Fourteen years on the rodeo circuit left him with chronic lower back pain, and he had been told by every doctor he saw that he would never ride again. Not willing to accept that, he...
Jessica Haynes invented “modular” shoes. An interlocking, magnetic mechanism enables the wearer to change from a high heel to a wedge to a flat in seconds. Women can always have shoes that match their outfits without needing multiple pairs of shoes. They are a great space saver for traveling....
Megan Jackson Carreker and Aimee Miller, sorority sisters when at Baylor University, designed Hip Chixs Jeans to create a slimming effect and do away with “muffin tops” and “whale tails.” The lightweight, “buttery soft” jeans are cut to accentuate a woman’s natural curves with an angled pocket on the...
Smart is a acronym for “Safe Motorist Alert for Restricting Texting.” Six teens and preteens named themselves the “Inventioneers” for a Lego tournament and kept it when they invented the intelligent steering wheel cover that warns drivers when their hands come off the wheel. The cover snaps onto any...
When Bea Arthur was a child, she came to the US from Ghana with her parents. After earning her degree as a psychotherapist, Bea saw the internet as a means of providing clients with therapeutic services at home at a fraction of the cost and in a less intimidating...
Yuen and Peter Yung, from Austin, Texas, grew up working in their parents’ restaurant. Yuen went on to earn a degree in finance from the University of Texas, and Peter became an executive chef. While Yuen was working in the corporate world, he realized that it was not possible...
