- VALPO INCUBATES IENTREPRENEURS
Left to right: Cameron Banga and Michael Phelps Class of 2010 graduates launch company
Shortly after walking across a stage at Valparaiso University’s Athletics-Recreation Center to receive their diplomas, two members of the Class of 2010 took another giant step in launching 9Magnets, a mobile application development and marketing company.
For Cameron Banga and Michael Phelps, who earned their bachelor’s degrees in economics and mechanical engineering respectively, the new venture follows a year in which they developed applications for the iPhone and iPad that garnered national recognition.
“It was almost something that was a given after our experiences in the past year creating and marketing our iPhone and iPad apps,” said Banga. “We had success, and we realized we could be entrepreneurs and actually do this as a job after graduation.”
“We sat down and had a talk, and realized that we don’t have any strings attached right now and that there probably won’t be a better time in our lives to start a company,” said Phelps.
While looking for office space in the Northwest Indiana region, Banga and Phelps are busy planning and building 9Magnets while working from their homes in Hobart, Ind., developing mobile applications for various clients, including one for a Virginia television station that tracks hurricanes, and another that would help musicians and other artists connect with their fans live at performance venues.
In the summer of 2009, Banga and Phelps developed the “Battery Go!” application for the iPhone, which provides users an easy way to see how much battery power their device has and the amount of time they can talk on their phone, watch videos, browse the Web or listen to music. Battery Go! has been noted in national publications including The New York Times and has been downloaded by approximately 40,000 iPhone users. During spring 2010, the duo developed “TapBlaster HD,” a game application for the iPad similar to air hockey that also has attracted national and regional media coverage.
Banga and Phelps have received hands-on help from their alma mater in launching 9Magnets, with assistance from Dr. Jeff Will, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.
“We’ve been on campus three days a week, and Professor Will is offering his own time to help us find information we need for our projects, as well as advice to help us as entrepreneurs deal with clients,” said Phelps.
“It’s really helped us coming for a small university with a strong sense of community,” said Banga. “[That includes] professors who have been successful in their fields and come here and help us find success on our path in life.”