OSWEGO, N.Y. — A product called Hush Bracelet captured the top of $2,500 in SUNY Oswego’s annual Launch It competition, which seeks to spark “entrepreneurial spirit and alumni connections among students.”

Molly Bergin, a marketing major, and Robyn Kilts, a finance major created the concept, per a Dec. 9 news release from the university. Both are members of SUNY Oswego’s chapter of the American Marketing Association.

SUNY Oswego on Nov. 12 held the competition’s final event to determine the overall winner and additional prize recipients.

With their win, Kilts and Bergin plan to use their $2,500 prize to patent the Hush Bracelet and enter the 2022 New York State Business Plan Competition. Riverwalk Oswego sponsored the SUNY Oswego competition, the school noted.

This year’s Launch It competition was a hybrid event with judges, students, faculty, alumni, and guests participating both in person in SUNY Oswego’s Rich Hall and virtually through Zoom.

“We have a history of building an entrepreneurial ecosystem here at SUNY Oswego,”

said Irene Scruton, assistant dean in the School of Business, which hosts the competition. “SUNY Oswego’s Launch It is unique in that we have intensive involvement from our alumni. We offer alumni coaching in the development of the idea, and we offer alumni mentoring — one-on-one — to the final development of the idea and pitch. As far as I know, there aren’t schools that have that level of alumni involvement.”

Scruton also helps to organize the competition and also directs the SUNY Oswego’s MBA programs.

About the finals event

The Launch It finals event was the culmination of a series of activities that began in October. In all, 31 students of all academic concentrations gave one-minute business-idea pitches and submitted two-minute business-introduction videos.

The Nov. 12 semifinal round began with 16 teams competing for a spot in the finals. The competition was then narrowed down to the top eight finalists who presented their business idea with a five-minute video pitch, followed by answering questions from the judges. 

Judges scored each team electronically and confidentially using a rubric of six business venture factors, including vision and story; identification of resources; clarity of presentation; and identification of target market.

“How well did you define the problem you are trying to solve?” Scruton said, “Is this something no one else has thought of? Or, is there a problem out there that you can solve in a better way than somebody else.” 

In the end, the 16 teams were narrowed down to the top three based off the scoring system. In addition to Kilts and Bergin winning the top prize, senior Sa’Cora Sneed earned the second-place prize of $1,500 sponsored by Sherwin Williams with a pitch for Accustom; and seniors Ianya Armstrong and Leah Clynes earned the third-place prize of $1,000 sponsored by Wegmans with their pitch for Style Me. 

In addition, the remaining 12 teams that made the final 16 received $200 prizes.

This year, over 30 alumni provided training and mentorship to students participating in Launch It. 

Scruton notes 1984 graduate Mark Marano, CEO of Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. in North Carolina, traveled up to Oswego to have dinner with the finalists. 

“It’s fun to work with the alumni. They are really energized by the students’ ideas, energy and creativity,” Scruton said.

Hush bracelet origin, how it works

The idea for the winning concept began on a September night when Bergin was “walking home alone and catcalled by a stranger,” SUNY Oswego said in describing the origin of the product. 

“A guy yelled from his porch and he said, ‘Maybe if you catch up to the rest of the college kids, you’ll be safe,’” Bergin said of that night on Oswego’s Bridge Street. “That really rattled me. Once I got to the back streets, I started running and I thought there has to be a safer way to let people know you feel like you’re in danger but it’s not always immediate danger.” 

Upon entering her idea into Launch It, Bergin asked Kilts to partner with her on the project, who agreed on the need for the concept. 

“When Molly came to me with the idea, I loved it, because I completely feel the same way,” Kilts said. “I have a keychain on a ring that if you pull it, it sounds an alarm, but if there is no one around, nothing will happen. When she told me her idea, all I thought was, ‘This is genius!’”

The Hush Bracelet contains two main technological concepts, an app and GPS signaling within the bracelet. Bergin and Kilts said they asked their friends who are technology majors to troubleshoot the technological aspects of their design to make sure what they were envisioning was accurate and could be carried out upon production.

“It’ll be connected to an app which is how you’d be able to contact people primarily. If you push the bracelet once, it notifies friends and family that you feel like you’re in danger, but that you don’t necessarily need to be picked up at that moment,” said Bergin. “The second time you hit it, it starts tracking your location while still notifying friends and family. And then the third time you hit it, it notifies 911 and sends them your location.” 

The app would also allow users to create and activate different profiles containing different contacts depending on your location. The example provided by Bergin and Kilts was that of a “School Profile” and “Home Profile” for college students.

The Hush Bracelet is designed to be “sleek and unassuming” and would mirror designs like a FitBit or Apple Watch to not attract attention in cases of attack or emergencies. 

“Say you have a diamond bracelet on your hand, someone who is trying to rob you would take that,” said Kilts. 

Bergin and Kilts also noted that upon attacks or robberies that your purse and phone are more likely to be taken or hidden and therefore, individuals with a Hush Bracelet will still have a way to contact emergency assistance without notifying their assailants. 

Although the concept of their idea was targeted toward women, the Hush Bracelet can be for anyone. 

“There were a lot of technical logistics behind it, but the concept itself was really appealing to all of the judges,” said Scruton. “It’s not just limited to young women; it could be useful to an elderly person walking or a child. It was a really appealing and really innovative idea.”

Bergin and Kilts also said that the Hush Bracelet could also assist anyone involved in domestic violence who need a “discreet way to call for help,” SUNY Oswego said.