This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition, with the final round taking place Oct. 14. Competing against three other teams, “HandiDoor” emerged as the winner and “fan favorite” of the competition. When judges announced the winners, competition organizers increased the usual grand prize of $25,000 to $45,000 for the first time since the event’s inception.
Nathaniel Troxel, junior finance major, and Xadrian Huerta, senior business analytics major, co-founded the device. They designed it to remotely open and close doors, geared towards people with mobility issues and the elderly.
According to Troxel, the project idea took shape when multiple injuries following a car accident led him to further explore options to aid with accessibility. Troxel and Huerta said that the project was a culmination of efforts between a team of student software engineers, independent living facilities and other partnered businesses. Elevate Systems, a Texas-based mechanical engineering company, collaborated with the team and aided with production.
“We couldn’t have done it without them. They got our initial prototypes off the ground, and they kept us running,” Troxel said.
The Stumberg Competition is a part of the San Antonio Startup Week (SASW), hosted by Geekdom, an initiative to support local entrepreneurs and start-ups. Troxel also expressed gratitude for Geekdom in providing mentorship and a collaborative space for the team to work in.
