Jared Raszewski’s (ENGR ’18) passion for innovation and entrepreneurship emerged while taking a chemical product commercialization course in his senior year at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering.
When he earned the top prize in a pitch competition through the Big Idea Center, part of Pitt’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, there was no turning back.
For him, there would be no sending out resumes or lining up job interviews. Instead, upon graduating he set up a “lab” in his kitchen in Pittsburgh’s South Hills and continued to iterate on the formula for an all-natural film for use as a dissolvable food packaging. For more than a year he tested about four batches a day as he strived to attain the right blend of strength and solubility, like Thomas Edison churning through varied materials to serve as the ideal filament for the first light bulb.
In the face of numerous setbacks, he persisted. He was turned aside in his first two applications to the AlphaLab Gear incubator program through the state-funded Innovation Works seed stage investment organization. But the third time was the charm as he worked with entrepreneurs in residence to refine his value proposition and investor pitch.
And just when it seemed he was gaining some momentum, the pandemic struck and he lost two contract manufacturers for his product, making it difficult to do demonstrations for potential customers.
“There was a lot of time I was just squeezing by,” he said. “Those were scary times. But you get used to these disasters happening and finding a way to get out of it; to keep moving forward.”
Then last month, Raszewski’s ingenuity and determination paid off when his company, DisSolves, was acquired by Generation Food Rural Partners LP, an investment fund established by Big Idea Ventures. The firm typically acts more as an early-stage investor, but in this case, they were sold both on Raszewski’s innovation, as well as his entrepreneurial passion.
"The Generation Food Rural Partners fund was created to commercialize critical technologies to solve challenges in the food and agriculture supply chains," shared Tom Mastrobuoni, Chief Investment Officer at Big Idea Ventures. "We believe that research like Jared's will solve these challenges and the work he started is impressive. We bring capital, an extensive network of commercialization partners, and an ecosystem of stakeholders hungry for just this kind of innovation."
Raszewski’s role has shifted post-acquisition as he becomes the company’s chief product officer, and he is no less enthusiastic about the future of the company. He has lined up 300 potential customers interested in pilot programs with his dissolvable packaging, which he said includes some of the largest packaged food companies in the country.
DisSolves’ edible films are like those used in laundry and dishwasher pods, which the Food and Drug Administration designates as Generally Recognized as Safe. But food manufacturers are hesitant to use those films, which are made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
Raszewski developed the film for DisSolves using a compound derived from seaweed and sugars derived from microbial fermentation.
He came upon the idea in “Taking Products to Market: The Next Step in Chemical Product Design” taught by associate professor Chris Wilmer.
Wilmer said he encourages all his students to pursue their ideas further after the classes end.
Wilmer’s class has produced several other student startups, including Trek Gum and Aeronics, which both were the winners of the $25,000 top prize in the Big Idea Competition, which is currently underway for 2024.
“We're extremely proud of them for launching those companies,” Wilmer said, adding, “That being said, Jared is the first to have sold his! I'm of course extremely proud of Jared for this accomplishment and I know that this will be an inspiration for our other students."
Raszewski said the primary selling points of his product for food and nutraceutical manufacturers are sustainability, by eliminating single serve plastic packaging; convenience to the consumer and the ability for the manufacturer to charge a premium for individually wrapped powders, such as instant coffee, infant formula, and supplements, as well as single-serve shampoos and conditioners for hotels.
“Our products are all-natural vegan ingredients recognized as safe,” Raszewski said. “They are easy to put on an ingredient list without scaring anybody away.”
He is now also experimenting with adding print on the film to allow for branding, as well as introducing scents to the films.
Raszewski said he is excited to see the growth of the Big Idea Center and the flourishing of student innovation and entrepreneurship overall at Pitt.
“I wish I knew about and had gotten involved with the Big Idea Center earlier. It would have helped me on my journey,” he said.
He recommends students who are curious about pursuing an innovative idea to “just get started.”
“There is no perfect way to start. You just have to jump in and learn as you go, take a few ‘L’s, pivot and change when you hit a dead end. Most importantly, talk to potential customers and get their feedback.”
Pitt students who are interested in developing their budding startup ideas are encouraged to get in touch with the Big Idea Center. Fill out its “Get Started” form here.