SparkUp! is a solution that was created by Jose Montes and Ninad Kulkarni in September of 2021. The pair noticed a few needs that they could help solve within the ASU community. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the average students' college experience was completely uprooted and replaced with asynchronous learning and interactions which made it difficult for students to engage with other fellow students and make new friends. This also caused students to develop sedentary lifestyles since they no longer had to walk to campus, and they developed a routine of staying confined to their dorms throughout the day. SparkUp! is a Social Media app concept that solves these issues by connecting ASU students with other fellow students by helping them engage with one another in outdoor physical activities. Members can create and host their own hiking, cycling, kayaking, or other outdoor activity and they can set them for private or open use. Users can request to join an event by RSVPing through the app, and they also can connect with their new connections by utilizing the social media aspect of the app. Lastly, the app also tracks and maintains activity metrics such as miles traveled, steps taken, and overall time spent engaging in an activity. Through the needs discovery phase which took part from September-December 2021, the solutions that SparkUp! offers were validated. This prompted further analysis which led to an overall PESTLE analysis of SparkUp!’s overall potential ecosystem, the creation of a marketing strategy and the creation of an Alpha version of the app so that potential users could test the initial designs of the concept. This testing was done during April of 2022 which is aiding in gathering the data necessary to create a Minimal Value Product for future release.

This thesis project is part of the W.P. Carey Founders Lab, a collaborative entrepreneurship track that gives students the opportunity to create a start-up business based on a list of given problems or technologies. The technology selected utilized a piece of NASA technology (U.S. patent application 20200193857) that combines mixed, virtual, and augmented reality (MR, VR, and AR) with biofeedback metrics to help athletes get in the zone. The goal is to use the technology during practice so athletes can be better prepared to combat performance anxiety during high-pressure situations. The NASA patent states that if the user’s brain activity, sweat, or heartbeat indicate that they are stressed while completing the activity, the device will make it more difficult for the athlete to complete their task. ITZ’s device increases the difficulty of hitting a target with a ball by obscuring the vision with augmented reality graphics. The visual obstacles will subside if the user’s brain activity metrics indicate that they have become more calm or focused. Due to circumstances outside of the team's control, a prototype was unable to be obtained, and the idea was based on the patent and supporting documentation provided after a meeting with NASA.

This thesis project is part of the W.P. Carey Founders Lab, a collaborative entrepreneurship track that gives students the opportunity to create a start-up business based on a list of given problems or technologies. The technology selected utilized a piece of NASA technology (U.S. patent application 20200193857) that combines mixed, virtual, and augmented reality (MR, VR, and AR) with biofeedback metrics to help athletes get in the zone. The goal is to use the technology during practice so athletes can be better prepared to combat performance anxiety during high-pressure situations. The NASA patent states that if the user’s brain activity, sweat, or heartbeat indicate that they are stressed while completing the activity, the device will make it more difficult for the athlete to complete their task. ITZ’s device increases the difficulty of hitting a target with a ball by obscuring the vision with augmented reality graphics. The visual obstacles will subside if the user’s brain activity metrics indicate that they have become more calm or focused. Due to circumstances outside of the team's control, a prototype was unable to be obtained, and the idea was based on the patent and supporting documentation provided after a meeting with NASA.

It is estimated that anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of athletes experience performance anxiety (Rowland, D. L., & van Lankveld, J., 2019). Currently, there are very few solutions on the market to help athletes prevent performance anxiety besides typical cognitive-behavioral therapy solutions. ITZ Technologies is using NASA-patented technology to combat performance anxiety in elite athletes. This technology includes reading brain activity through electroencephalography and utilizing biofeedback through an engaging augmented reality game to help athletes recognize when they are “out of the zone” and help them reduce their performance anxiety. This product will be marketed to facilities that train high-level athletes to provide training services to their athletes. Surveys and interviews with athletes and those in the sports performance industry have shown favorable feedback on the device concept.