Teenager vs. Sharks | Meet Schnucks’ robot Tilly | STL Startup Week
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." — Thomas Edison
Today’s itinerary:
November 5, 2020
TAKEOFF
Cincy high school freshman lands deal on Shark Tank 
Image from ABC's YouTube
A fifteen-year-old Cincinnati high school freshman and his father have landed an equity deal on the hit ABC show “Shark Tank.” Carson Grill and his dad Jason Grill won a $150,000 investment from Blake Mycoskie, one of the “sharks” and the founder of Tom’s. The Grills invented a plastic storage cup for paint called Touch Up Cup. Their company is on track to log $400,000 in sales in 2020.
All the sharks were impressed with Carson, who wowed them with his business acumen. Even before their Shark Tank appearance, the father-son duo had found success, getting deals with Walmart and Home Depot to sell their product. Besides Touch Up Cup, the inventors hold three design patents for other types of storage containers.
Wondering how to pitch a product? You can see the 15-year-old wunderkind in action on Shark Tank by clicking here. Share this story!
INNOVATORS PODCAST
Data inclusion 
Dr. Sharon Kerrick is disrupting tech education and teaching teenagers to make bots. Alisia McClain is creating programs for women of color to make apps and pursue careers in technology. In this week's Innovators podcast, both of these women tell host Ben Reno-Weber, from Louisville's Future of Work Initiative, the same thing - it is time for EVERYONE to jump into the data revolution.
You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or wherever else you get your podcasts.
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BUSINESS TRIPS
Kroger partners with tech startup ClusterTruck COVID has forced closures of countless brick-and-mortar venues and put food service employees out of work. A growing trend might offer a bit of salvation: ghost kitchens.
This is a perfect niche for Indy-based ClusterTruck, a tech startup that has been providing delivery-only food service. Now, in collaboration with Kroger, it will be operating ghost kitchens inside the grocer’s stores. The first location recently opened in Fishers, IN. Another kitchen will be opening soon in Dublin, OH.
Kroger says the kitchens will occupy about 1,000 square feet of repurposed space, with on-demand online ordering available from a menu of more than 80 meals. It describes the ClusterTruck offerings as “food quality you can get at a sit-down restaurant with the personality of street food.” Share this story!
Schnucks expands its fleet of Tally robots St. Louis-based grocery retailer Schnuck Markets has been using an autonomous inventory management robot named Tally since it first piloted the technology in 2017. Now the company has expanded the use of the robot to 46 additional stores—bringing the current number of Tally-equipped locations to 62.
Tally, produced by Simbe Robotics, can navigate an entire store as many as three times a day, scanning roughly 35,000 products each trip through. And thanks to its sensors—almost 40 of them—it has 360-degree situational awareness and can avoid obstacles in its path. No collisions with shoppers, staff, or a teetering pyramid of Froot Loops. Share this story!
Virtual conference will celebrate and support St. Louis entrepreneurs Founders, investors, and innovators, mark your calendars! STL Startup Week is just around the corner, with a rich lineup of virtual workshops and events, along with opportunities to network with other entrepreneurs and business owners. Startup Week, which debuted last year, runs from November 9th to the 13th.
Participants can take advantage of more than 50 sessions, with topics ranging from women entrepreneurs to geospatial technology, funding, and STEM. You can view the schedule here and register to receive updates. Share this story!
35,000-FOOT VIEW
Tech startups are booming in the Midwest The Midwest has caught fire as a mecca for tech startups. With a low cost of living and 25% of the nation’s computer science grads, the region is experiencing strong growth and a robust employment market for tech workers. In three of the region’s cities, tech hiring is up more than 100% over three years.
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FUELING THE FUTURE
What is fueling Fast Future Country innovation? In this weekly feature, we share a variety of announcements covering funding, acquisitions, exits, grants, and everything in between. Got something to celebrate? Click here to share your story.
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NAME THAT Fast Future CITY!
It's time for our favorite trivia game!
Click here for today's answers.
REACH OUT Share stories, offer suggestions, or send comments!
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