Business

Oglethorpe students win innovation award for app development

Hammack School of Business students Roi Levi, David Povolotsky and Daniel Ocampo received a $500 award and access to entrepreneurship resources from Georgia Institute of Technology for developing a nightlife app called “A Night Out.”

At a round table competition hosted by Georgia Tech in October, the students pitched their app to a panel of judges. From there, Oglethorpe junior Roi Levi represented the team at a later pitching event that included over 60 attendees and four venture capitalists.

Roi Levi presenting app at GA Tech pitch event

Roi Levi presenting app at Georgia Tech pitch event

“It was my first time up on a stage surrounded by lights and cameras and a giant screen behind me…but I am very proud of the way it worked out,” said Levi.

The Oglethorpe team walked away from the event with $500 in funding to continue developing their app.

Levi cites Oglethorpe’s Atlanta Laboratory for Learning and its staff as a huge resource for the venture.

“I went to the A_LAB more times than I can count,” Levi recalls. “…Oglethorpe has been nothing but helpful to my partners and [I] and we feel very fortunate to have the support and backing of all of the faculty and staff of this university.”

Levi, Povolotsky, and Ocampo decided to develop the app after noticing how “disorderly and disorganized” it can be to gather friends for a night out. Levi says his liberal arts education played a role in his team’s decision to create the product.

“The liberal arts education is one that forces you to challenge your beliefs and think critically…instead of accepting ideas, we are encouraged to challenge them and, in turn, challenge ourselves.”

“A Night Out” is an app aimed at the current generation of college students that enjoy a night in the city. The app has the ability to gauge the activity of a city’s nightlife using a proprietary algorithm. Additionally, it can allow friends to create “parties” that allow members to keep track of one another. An SOS feature can alert any other members if there is a danger.

Recently, Levi was also named Acting President of Oglethorpe’s Entrepreneur Club, which was relaunched this year. Hammack School of Business Senior Lecturer David Nasser has agreed to be the club’s faculty sponsor.

With a planned release for mid-January, Levi and his team hope to continue developing new features for the app.

“We are currently in the final stages of development and are beyond excited for what the future holds for us!”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email