The Albright Entrepreneurship Garage is a Space for Collaboration, Teamwork and More

When students hear “Entrepreneurship Garage,” they usually think of the prototyping space, where they can use 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines and other tools. But, the Albright Entrepreneurship Garage also offers meeting rooms and a coworking space. We caught up with some students to see what they enjoy using the space for.

Dylan Gretok, a second-year studying chemical engineering, founded Seagull. The company strives to replace plastic with sustainable chemicals derived from seaweed and integrate them into a circular economy.

As a company that works with chemicals, Seagull’s needs expand beyond what is available in the prototyping space, so they can connect with Garage partner spaces to develop their sustainable chemicals. But Gretok believes that collaborating in person enhances the free flow of ideas between people, and because of that he loves to use the Garage’s coworking spaces.

“It’s a great collaborative space where, with other entrepreneurs, I get to flow ideas freely and improve our businesses together,” Gretok said. “And with my team, we can really accelerate our innovation by being in such an excellent space together.”

Christopher Allcorn is a graduate student studying mechanical engineering. He uses the Garage to enjoy some peace and to work on his master’s project and personal projects.

“Something you might not expect is the peace and quietness of it for just studying or doing homework,” Allcorn said about the prototyping space. While people do come into the prototyping space to work, Allcorn feels it is generally relatively quiet there. “You just kind of have the hum of machines in the background,” Allcorn said. “It’s very peaceful.”

Allcorn expressed that the Entrepreneurship Garage and the coworking spaces are very peaceful to be in, but sometimes he goes into the prototyping space to get some downtime. He also goes there to work on projects. Here, he uses the dremel to cut metal and wood, the 3D printers, the woodworking tools and the CNC machine. He has recently used the CNC machine in the prototyping space to make a custom window liner out of wood.

For his master’s project, Allcorn is designing an adaptation for wheelchair rims that make it easier for wheelchair users to push themselves. “It is a lever that comes up from the sides, above the armrests and allows you to push forward,” Allcorn said. He has a patent pending for his prototype, which he worked on in the prototyping space.

I think it’s the best part of being at NC State. If I hadn’t joined, I would not be having as much fun here.

Allcorn finds it sad that not many people know about the Entrepreneurship Garage. “I just think it’s an amazing place,” he said. “I think it’s the best part of being at NC State. If I hadn’t joined, I would not be having as much fun here.”

For Raghav Sriram, a third-year studying biomedical engineering and co-founder and CEO of CardiaSight, the Entrepreneurship Garage has a special meaning. The company developed a ring for heart monitoring, had its first dinner with its mentor and its first pitch competition in the Entrepreneurship Garage. “You could say the whole thing started here,” Sriram said.

The Garage is also the place where CardiaSight did a lot of their hardware testing: they used the tools on the prototyping space to break apart existing devices and use the compartments to build their ring. “It’s an incredible tool for the entrepreneurship community of NC State,” Sriram said.

Sriram also enjoys the community and help they get at the Garage. “There’s a lot of people there who are able to go and help with the problems you encounter,” he said.

The student feels the walk to the Garage is worth it for him. “A lot of my friends joke about the coffee that’s there, but we definitely enjoy the bustling environment,” Sriram said. He can feel the productivity in the room when he is in the Garage. “Everybody who wants to be there is wanting to be there for the sake of productivity, but in a more collaborative manner,” Sriram said.

Enrolled students who are interested in exploring the Entrepreneurship Garage can sign up and take a 20-minute introductory course on Moodle to get 24-hour access to the space. Here, they can join hundreds of other students in developing their entrepreneurial ideas.