User:StudyFind/sandbox

StudyFind
StudyFind is an app and web-based platform which connects research participants and researchers through our marketplace. The market needs we are solving are the existing inefficiencies in participant recruitment in the academic and pharmaceutical space. The current methods researchers use to recruit participants is an analog process that has yet to effectively adopt digital and software solutions. This leads to delays, misdirected effort, loss of time and money. StudyFind's solution unique platform allows participants to create an account and fill out general information about themselves. Researchers then post studies along with their eligibility information. Our software solutions then automatically connect the participant's studies to the research studies. Finally, the participants can select the studies they would like to be part of.

Pre-HackATL 2017
One day one of our co-founders, Vir Mittal, was roaming around the Emory University campus and saw several research study flyers that were recruiting for human participants. He figured that the process of recruitment was a slow and cumbersome one if flyers were still the main form of recruitment. His frustrations with the recruitment process prompted him to think of a technological solution which was app-based. He figured that researchers and human participants could mutually connect faster if there existed an app-based platform to connect on. He later told his friend, Yohan Jhaveri, about this solution and they decided to participate in Emory universities Hackathon, HackATL 2017.

HackATL 2017
Vir Mittal and Yohan Jhaveri attended HackATL on November 10th, 2017 and they met with three other key players that night to join their team. The three people were Ayush Goyal(High School student), Christopher Marin(Softmore), and Andrew Garcia(graduate student). The idea was pitched to the team and everyone was on board with pursuing the idea for the Hackathon. There were three categories to pick from in the Hackathon which prompted an analysis and the decision was made to pitch in the consumer technology division. Collectively the team placed a powerpoint together and did the necessary research. The first round of pitches took place in the morning and two teams from each division would advance into the finalist round. The entire team pitched in the business school and waited in the lobby for the finalist to be announced. After several hours of deliberation, the judges picked the StudyFind team as one of the finalist teams. Ultimately the team had the opportunity to pitch at the finalist rounds and they placed 6th place overall but second place in their division. By placing in the finalist round the were awarded a total of $500. Three of the teammates decided to re-invest their funds into the startup.

Post HackATL 2017
After the hackathon, the team figured that the results were enough validation to properly pursue the startup. Ayush decided to not partake in pursuing StudyFind given lack of proximity to Emory University, where meetings were held, and the team agreed to this. A brief discussion with the remaining members of the team informally concluded that the equity would be split evenly between the remaining team members until enough progress was made to compose a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU). It was also agreed that both Yohan Jhaveri and Andrew Garcia would become Co-Cheif Executive Officers, Vir Mittal would become the Chief Technology Officer, and Christopher Marin would become the Chief Marketing Officer.

Current Executive Board
Vir Mittal has been the Chief Technology Officer(CTO) since January 2018. Yohan Jhaveri is one of the Co-Chief Executive Officers(Co-CEO) and the Chief Financial Officer since January 2018. Andrew Garcia is one of the Co-Chief Executive Officers(Co-CEO) and the Chief Operations Officer since January 2018.

Current Team
Mileen Meyer joined the team, April 2019, as the Lead Graphic designer. She later promoted to Marketing and Design Associate in August 2019. Mileen currently holds this position. Natalie Merizalde joined the team, May 2019, as the Video-Editor. She later promoted to Commercial Filmmaker and Editor in August 2019. Natalie currently holds the position Nikita Kute joined the team, December 2018, as our Lead Data Analyst. Nikita currently holds this position.

Contributions
Urvi Agrawal developing the StudyFind animation and contributing critical marketing knowledge to the executive team. Ayushi Agarwal developing the teams videography efforts and contributing to our filming operations. Ayush Goyal developing part of our User Interface and contributing to our software development institutional knowledge.

Former Team Members
Christopher Marin was the Chief Marketing Officer from January 2018 to August 2018. He came back onto the team and served as director of graphic design from November to December 2019.

Emory Entrepreneurial Excellerator(EEE)
The StudyFind team took part in this 10-week Emory University student-run idea-stage incubator. The incubator began in February 2018 and ended in a final pitch to investors in April 2018. EEE aided in identifying customers and conducting market research.

Emory Biotechnology Consulting Club(EBCC)
The Emory Biotechnology Consulting Club(EBCC) is an Emory University graduate student-run organization. This interdisciplinary team consults start-ups that were founded within the Emory University entrepreneurial and scientific environment.

StudyFind is currently being consulted by EBCC for the Fall 2019 semester.