Financial Rebellion

UD Students Won $276K to Fix a Problem That Causes 440,000 Deaths Per Year

When Brayden Shepard watched NFL helmets flying off during games, he knew there was a problem. Now at 22, he and his partner have $276,000 in funding to solve it with Saturn Sports 🏈THE SHOCKING STATS: ☠️ 440,000 casualties per year linked to improper chin strap use 🏈 NFL helmets coming off “nonstop” 🏍️ 18 US states don’t require motorcycle helmets 💡 Licensed patent from the US ArmyTHE SATURN SPORTS JOURNEY: 🎓 Started at University of Dayton (Go Flyers!) 💰 Won largest Flyer Pitch prize ever: $76,000 🚀 Second attempt at state grant: $200,000 WIN 🏍️ Pivoting from football to motorcycle market ENTREPRENEURIAL WISDOM: • Started with BAMs (neighborhood kid business) • From finance major to entrepreneurship • UD Street Science - selling dorm street signs • “Failure just breeds new opportunities” • Reading addiction = entrepreneurial superpower • Why 18-25 is the BEST time to take risksMONEY MOVES: ❌ WORST: Lost big on Bitcoin leveraging ✅ BEST: Shooting for the moon on grants

19-Year-Old Won $80K to Detect What You Can’t See

What started as a space station research project turned into $80,000 in competition wins. Meet Hannah Myers, the Ohio State sophomore who’s making invisible contamination visible with PathoTrace 🔬THE JOURNEY: 🚀 Started: NASA ISS contamination challenge 💡 Problem: No easy way to detect mold/bacteria at home 🏆 Solution: Color-changing strips that anyone can use 💰 $80K won in startup competitionsTHE PATHOTRACE INNOVATION: ✅ Place strip anywhere (under sink, near vents) ✅ Changes color when contamination detected ✅ Red → Yellow (current prototype) ✅ Blue → Pink (future version) 📱 App scans strip for numerical results 🧬 Patent protection in progressHER MONEY MOVES: ✅ BEST: Got first credit card at 19 (building credit!) ❌ WORST: Too much GrubHub (“It’s just so tempting”) 😰 FEAR: Investing (“I’m scared of uncertainty”)

20-Year-Old Says “DON’T Start a Business”

“Don’t do it. It’s 10x harder than you think.” That’s Morgan Miller’s advice about starting a business. She should know - she’s been building Rush Power pre-workout gummies since age 18 💪 This isn’t your typical “follow your dreams” entrepreneur story. Morgan gets REAL about the struggles, failures, and why she tells most people NOT to start companies. THE RUSH POWER STORY: 🏃‍♀️ Division 1 track athlete tired of chalky pre-workout 💡 Created the first legit pre-workout gummy 😰 “Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong” 💪 Still pushing forward at USF BRUTAL TRUTHS IN THIS EPISODE: ✅ Why she tells people NOT to be entrepreneurs ✅ How fear never actually goes away ✅ The constant failures nobody talks about ✅ Being too young for businesses to take seriously ✅ Why side hustles ≠ running a company ✅ Her serial entrepreneur dreams despite it all ABOUT MORGAN: 📍 USF Student, Tampa 🏃‍♀️ Former D1 Track Athlete 💊 Rush Power Founder 🎯 Future Serial Entrepreneur This is the most honest entrepreneur interview you’ll watch this year. #RealTalk #StartupStruggles #USF #Entrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness

Wada Feeling! How Dominique became a Founder.

Dominique transformed vacation vibes into a $100K+ mobile Italian ice empire. Learn how Newell’s Water Ice dominates Cincinnati summers through community connection, strategic authenticity, and unstoppable faith—plus her blueprint for seasonal business success. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Todd Romer and the episode 00:40 Meet Dominique and her business background 01:05 The inspiration behind Newell's Water Ice 01:42 Starting the business after a trip to California 02:56 Dominique's entrepreneurial mindset and family influence 03:51 Research and initial steps in creating Italian ice 05:06 Transition from wholesale to making her own ice 06:42 Old-school methods and recipe development 07:27 Mobile business growth and community outreach 08:52 Expanding through events and referrals 10:11 Profitability, margins, and future plans 10:42 Market landscape and competition 11:20 Family involvement and youth entrepreneurship 12:44 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs 14:33 Handling doubts and fears with faith 16:15 Future expansion and storefront plans 17:56 The importance of authenticity and community presence 18:46 The 'Smile Test' and authentic customer engagement 21:17 Transitioning to credit union banking 22:42 Words of wisdom for side hustle starters 23:11 Closing remarks and inspiration

College Kids Spent $12K on WRONG Gum Flavor

What happens when two engineering nerds accidentally create the world’s only antioxidant gum? You get Boost - and one of the wildest college startup stories ever 🚀Anthony Sherman and Max McNally just graduated from University of Alabama 4 days ago. They also happen to own the ONLY patent for antioxidant chewing gum on Earth. THE WILD JOURNEY: 💥 Started as a class project 💥 Won pitch competitions they weren’t prepared for 💥 Blew $12K on the WRONG flavor 💥 Now manufactured in Kansas 💥 One piece = antioxidants of an entire apple IN THIS EPISODE: ✅ The $12,000 flavor disaster that almost killed them ✅ How they won their first pitch competition by accident ✅ Why mint is EVERYTHING in the gum business ✅ Max’s brutally honest “worst money move” (spoiler: it’s hilarious) ✅ From stealing golf balls as kids to patent holders ✅ Why they refuse to use their own money Chapters00:00 Introduction to Financial Rebellion Podcast04:16 The Birth of Boost Gum09:10 Lessons Learned in Entrepreneurship12:02 Sales Strategy and Market Positioning16:08 Flavor Development and Consumer Feedback17:21 Packaging and Branding Insights19:32 Coping with Challenges in Entrepreneurship22:21 Where to Find Boost Gum THE FOUNDERS: 🎓 Just graduated 4 days ago 📍 University of Alabama 💰 $0 of their own money invested 🏆 Multiple pitch competition winners 🤝 50/50 partners since childhood Max’s worst money move will have you crying 😂 #college #StartupStory #UniversityOfAlabama #PitchCompetition