KCC ‘Posy Wall’ inventor a winner at InventOR

Klamath Community College graduate Gabrielle Martin and her business partner, Brianne Bagge, are the third-place winners and the People’s Choice winner at the InventOR finals competition in Eugene recently, bringing home a total of $6,500 in prize money.

Martin won for her Posy Wall prototype, an invention that “poses as a wall” to hide unsightly wires and equipment needed to mount a flat screen TV and other electronics on a wall. It can be set up anywhere in a room and blend in with the surroundings. She advanced to the event as the top prize winner at KCC’s Badger Venture innovation and entrepreneurship competition in April.

Stiff competition

The pair competed against 17 other college teams from across the state June 27 at InventOR.

“It was a wonderful experience but at first it was super intimidating,” Martin said. “We were competing  against students who had PhDs and MBAs, biomedical engineers and we were coming from a small community college.”

Martin attended a four-day boot camp prior to the competition where she learned the intricacies of marketing and promoting their invention. It included a mentor who kept her on task.

“It was all very encouraging. It was similar to Badger Venture but on a larger scale. I would say it was truly a life-changing event,” Martin said. “I’m just a dreamer and I was in a room full of academics. But the reason we were all there was for the same reason — to bring our inventions to life.”

Martin needed a partner to compete at InventOR and had worked with Bagge, a former KCC student, in the past. They plan to launch a business early next year selling the Posy Wall.

“She handles all the branding, marketing and social media and I do the design and mechanics,” Martin said.

Patent pending

The team plans to use the money to file a patent on the invention, and hire attorneys and accountants to help launch the business.

“Even one of the judges after the competition offered to be a mentor to us,” Martin said.

Organized by Portland State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship, InventOR is the state’s only college-level prototyping competition. It is a “call to action for Oregon-based college and university students to take their ideas for world-changing inventions from the drawing board to reality,” according to the organization’s website.

InventOR sponsors include the Lemelson Foundation, Business Oregon, The Ford Family Foundation, The Roundhouse Foundation, Oregon Venture Fund, Horan Media Tech, and Stoel Rives.

“Our main focus is to get our patent submitted, refine our design with some engineers and develop a go-to-market strategy,” Martin said. The fact that she won the People’s Choice award both at KCC and at InventOR bodes well for the product being successful.

“We were presenting a home décor item going up against inventions that were about environmental, educational and from the medical field. Obviously, we did something right,” she said.

Good coaching

Her key takeaway: “If anyone else has an idea they want to see out in the world, both Badger Venture and InventOR are excellent events to make that dream come true.

“We are super thankful to KCC for its help throughout it all. We could not have done it without that.”

Estella Woodley, director of the KCC Small Business Development Center, said of Martin, “Her performance was outstanding and a testament to her hard work, dedication and the support she received from KCC and the SBDC.

“I am incredibly proud to have been part of Gabrielle's journey, and I want to extend our heartfelt thanks for the invaluable support provided by CAD/CAM Engineering Tech program lead Stan Pence's team in helping with the development of her prototype. Additionally, Linda Williamson's guidance as her KCC faculty Business Adviser and the assistance from SBDC advisers who helped refine her pitch played a crucial role in her success,” Woodley said.

Also,  Martin thanked: Director of Apprenticeship Programs Mark Griffith; Carpentry adjunct professor Jeff Wearne; CAD/CAM student machining Jerry Watkins; and CAD/CAM student welding Vince Hinton and the Associated Students of KCC.

For more information about KCC and its programs, visit www.klamathcc.edu.