Glow Station Nation

Most students can barely juggle school and a part-time job. The gentlemen of Glow Station are doing that and then some.

Paul Doran, Raphael Akinsipe, and Adam Henderson of of Glow Station proudly show off their work.

Glow Station is a technology startup company that began in the residence halls of Texas Tech. CEO of Glow Station and senior petroleum engineering major, Raphael Akinsipe, and Chief Marketing Officer and electronic media and communication major Paul Doran were roommates their freshman year. Akinsipe grew up with Chief Information Officer and computer engineering major, Adam Henderson, who lived in the same dormitory. The friends began selling wristbands, similar to ‘Livestrong’ bracelets that were popular at the time.

“That was our first kind of little project,” Akinsipe said. “And then we knew we wanted to move on to bigger projects, and that kind of gave us our launching pad for everything.”

The next entrepreneurial endeavor for Glow Station has been its most successful. Starting with an idea already on the market, the team set out to make it better.

“We started working with a version that everyone has seen before, and we really sort of just tore it all apart, and started working on all of our ideas for it,” Akinsipe said, “and started developing the technology, and that’s how we were able to get our own patent done, and our own custom designs for it.”

The light-up t-shirts are one of the kind on the market, according to Akinsipe. The shirts have a detachable flashing panel, which is secured with velcro. The design lights up to the sound of your voice, cheering, and some movement. The electro-luminescent panel is powered by two triple-A batteries. Akinsipe said they created the shirts with sportswear in mind, so fans could feel they were impacting the spirit of the game. A panel conducted with Tech students concluded they would be popular.

Raider Red lights up to sound, such as clapping and talking.

The team got a design patent, to make sure their product will maintain its quality and keep buyers satisfied. Akinsipe said patents are only given to products that are found to be unique, and it’s a complicated process. The company originally started with sports-related shirts featuring mascot Raider Red and the Double T. They soon grew to include entertainment shirts that appeal to everyone.

The shirts are available at Varsity Bookstore and the Glow Station kiosk located in the South Plains Mall. The group have also travelled to sell their product, having great success at music festivals.

Supporters of Glow Station all have a connection to Tech, and have helped the company achieve success. This past weekend, Glow Station had the opportunity to attend the South By Southwest festival in Austin, to promote their product and represent Tech.

“South By SouthWest is hosting their first annual Sixth Street Showcase,” Akinsipe said. “They wanted to have students from different universities from all around Texas come out and present their product, and kind of show what exactly they’ve been working on. Texas Tech heard about us, South By Southwest talked to Texas Tech, and they said, ‘We’d really love to have y’all out there.'”

Akinsipe said the groups presentation would be about how their company has become successful, and inspire students to pursue their ideas. Adam Henderson said the key to success is finding the perfect team.

Glow Station demonstrated a few of its products. As you can see, the heart is lit up at the bottom, with the lights rising toward the top.

“I think one of the biggest things that made our company more successful is we have a lot of diverse talent,” Henderson said. “Whether it’s just  like, design, ideas, and speaking, or just general programming and sales knowledge, having a diverse group allows you to accomplish a lot. Also, don’t think small. You want to aim as high as you can.”

The team is still aiming for the stars. Akinsipe said Glow Station has some big ideas in the works. Before summer begins, the team will roll out a new faction of their company called GS Management. This endeavor will help businesses build an online presence when they currently do not have one.

Akinsipe referred to the 1989 film, “Back to the Future Part II,” to give a hint as to what is next for Glow Station.

“We have a project that we’re working on, it’s going to take some time to get there, but it’s that amazing, and it’s in that realm,” Akinsipe said. “Just to give you an idea of what we’re working on, we have our second product launching this summer, that due to patenting reasons I can’t say much about, but it does illuminate, but it’s not wearable. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.”

Follow @glowstation on Twitter, and like their page on Facebook to see what the innovative group will come up with next.