They had been tasked in a semester-long class assignment to build a carbon fiber rocket that would successfully carry the professor’s payload. While their design may have failed epically — while being broadcast live on the internet — they noticed one very important element that turned out to be the spark for their future company.

“When we walked up to the rocket, we saw that the motor had gone through a 2-inch-thick steel plate, but the carbon fiber that we had made was intact and still super strong and actually protected the professor’s payload after exploding and crashing,” Saltzman says. “We said, ‘Hey, we’re pretty good at manufacturing this [carbon fiber] stuff.’ ”

They took it as a sign to change their majors from aerospace engineering to materials science and engineering, and the earliest roots of Soarce were planted.

Sustainably Strengthening Industries

Soarce is at the forefront of bio-based nanomaterials and seeks to solve society’s greatest climate challenges by leveraging natural materials to create products that can outperform those made synthetically.

Drawn from seaweed, hemp and elephant grass, their nanocellulose coating can be applied to and fortify carbon fiber structures — everything from hockey sticks to electric vehicles to rocket ships.

“That allows engineers to design parts that are lighter, stronger and more efficient,” Saltzman says. “For electric vehicles, they can now go farther. In the world of aerospace, we’re making those materials stronger so now you have more payload mass that you can put into space.”

Their innovation has so much promise it has already secured $3.2 million in funding.

“Ů��AV is about dreaming big, going as big as you can. And that’s how we feel.” — Derek Saltzman

“Ů��AV is about dreaming big, going as big as you can. And that’s how we feel,” Saltzman says. “We’re on pace to what we feel is going to be the largest global nanocellulose producer in the world. And we are not afraid to say that and stand behind it. That’s a big dream, but that’s kind of what we’re here to do — make big changes.”

UCF-Backed Entrepreneurship

Their entrepreneurial journey has gone through several iterations since Saltzman and Mincey were randomly assigned as roommates in during their freshman year. The pair dabbled in enterprises involved with agriculture and drone racing, cutting their teeth on the business side of running a company through resources UCF offers including the ’s .

To this day, they’re still partnering with the UCF ecosystem, utilizing the UCF Business Incubation Program’s Life Sciences Incubator in Lake Nona, which gives Soarce access to a fully equipped, Biosafety Level II wet lab to foster their work in advanced materials.

“UCF has really strong partnerships and connections to industry that allow you to funnel your idea from a lab-benchtop scale all the way to integrating into a Fortune 500 company to get that product off the ground,” Saltzman says.

Now, along with fellow UCF alums and Soarce co-founders Matthew Jaeger ’22, an actuarial science alum, and Patrick Michel, a former management student, they’re looking forward to expanding their operations into an 8,000-square-foot facility in partnership with Tavistock and heading into pilot trials with Fortune 500 companies.

“It’s really cool to see how far we’ve come, from an idea in a notebook that we started eight years ago to now within the next three to five years, we’ll have that material not only created, but actually being flown into space and amongst the stars,” Saltzman says.

The Soarce co-founders were recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry list in 2026.

While pursuing a business degree can certainly be helpful in starting a business, students from every discipline can find success in the free market.

“Entrepreneurship allows students to solve problems in the world that they really care about,” says Kourtney Dinkins, operations manager at UCF’s Blackstone LaunchPad. “It’s your opportunity to follow your own path and beat your own drum and to solve a problem that is important to you.”

Whether you’re trying to grow your business or are stuck in the first stages of conception, UCF has resources that can help you to develop a thriving company. Here are a few of the services you can find on campus:

Coaching Through Blackstone

Located on the first floor of the Student Union, the Blackstone LaunchPad��is the center for free business coaching and development. The first step to getting help is to go in and discuss your idea.

“Entrepreneurship allows students to solve problems in the world that they really care about. It’s your opportunity to follow your own path and beat your own drum.”

From there, students are paired up with one of 15 mentors experienced in their field of focus. Coaches work one-on-one with students to guide them through innovation, business modeling and business-growth strategies. During this process students also become familiar with UCF’s Ideator system, a networking platform that allows students to share ideas, find partnerships and track their success.

Blackstone’s coaching and services are available to UCF alumni up to three years after graduation, as long as they had one appointment in the LaunchPad while they attended UCF.

One tip UCF’s Blackstone LaunchPad operations manager Kourtney Dinkins suggests before seeking help from Blackstone is to Google your idea to see if it already exists and to learn more about your competitors.

Building Products and Collaborations in the StarterSpace

Located on the first floor of Business Administration Building I, the StarterSpace��provides 1,500 square feet of collaborative work areas. The space includes free access to a 3-D printer, whiteboards, sewing machines, electrical tools, software-equipped iMacs, an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and a Vive virtual reality system to help students create prototypes for their businesses.

There is no need to apply or sign up to use StarterSpace or its resources. Students can stop by 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday.

Experience and Funding Through Competitions

Each academic year, two competitions allow students to put their business planning skills to the test for the chance to win funding for their startup. Full- and part-time students are eligible to enter as individuals or in teams.

“A lot of times our students have never pitched their idea in front of investors, so [competitions are about] getting [that] experience.”

“A lot of times our students have never pitched their idea in front of investors,” says Dinkins. “They’ve never even created a pitch deck, so it’s getting the experience to be able to comfortably explain what your business idea is and why we should care.”

Every spring, the Joust New Venture Competition��awards the top four competitors up to $75,000 in cash and services provided by local sponsors and donors. Contestants must successfully submit an application, present a 12-minute maximum business pitch and complete a 20-minute question–and-answer session with the judges.

In the fall, the Social Venture Competition��rewards student who create an impact by solving social issues through entrepreneurship, with more than $4,000 in cash split among four winners. After correctly submitting their applications, finalists must present their eight-minute proposals and respond to four minutes of questioning from the judges.

Advanced Support Through UPSTARTS

Student businesses that have generated revenue for at least six months can get extra help through the UPSTARTS Student Venture Accelerator.

This program provides qualifying students with free office space, office equipment, advanced coaching resources and collaboration space. UPSTARTS Ventures will also have extensive access to the��StarterSpace.

Teams of two or more students in good academic standing with UCF are accepted and typically demonstrate a focus to building their business. There is no set number of businesses that are accepted into the program, but usually 12-15 are supported each year.

Students must apply by the end of the spring semester to be eligible for support through the following academic year.

Online Resources

Using a ��can help solidify your business plan. If you’re unsure how to fill out the chart, watch this ��for some help.

For help with developing revenue streams, use a social blueprint.

For assistance creating a financial model, check out SCORE’s .

White’s company, Mainland Tow, won with a new piece of beach gear called the “Skimvest.” It allows the wearer to run along shallow water while towing a person behind on a skimboard. The electrical engineering major modeled the device after a baby carrier he found at a garage sale.

“At first, my friends and I tried to tow someone on a skimboard with a bunch of T-shirts tied together, but that didn’t really work,” White said. “One day, I was at a garage sale and came across a baby-carrying harness, bought it for $2 and thought I could definitely use this to tow someone down the beach.”

The full-time student plans to use the winnings from the competition to cover manufacturing costs for the first 100 units. After creating several product revisions and patenting the Skimvest in the United States, White set up a distribution deal with Ron Jon Surf Shop following a chance encounter with the company’s general merchandise manager at a beach in 2015.

“I met him while putting on sunscreen during an event on Cocoa Beach,” White said. “After months of phone calls, he agreed to meet with me and was really excited about the Skimvest.”

The competition, which was organized by the Roundtable of Entrepreneurship Educators of Florida, featured outstanding student venture proposals and gave competitors the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of qualified professionals. Cameron Ford, director of the UCF Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, described the competition as a showcase for the best collegiate startup proposals in the state.

“Matthew worked extraordinarily hard on multiple startup venture ideas over the past few years with our staff at the Blackstone LaunchPad and Upstarts Student Venture Accelerator,” Ford said. “We chose him to compete to reward his hard work and achievement.”

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“Ravago’s transformational gift is helping us build the inspiring, high-tech, creative spaces necessary to encourage students to get out of their comfort zones, collaborate and invent their futures,” Jarley said. “Our goal is to provide students with more than just the knowledge and perspective necessary to make good business decisions. We look to create student experiences that instill the mindsets, habits and behaviors necessary to succeed in today’s marketplace.”

The Ravago Entrepreneurial Hub is home to the UCF Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, which includes the Upstarts Student Venture Accelerator and Starter Space. The center encourages and guides entrepreneurial Knights by providing the support and resources needed for successful student startups. These services and programs are available to all UCF students.

Ravago said it believes their donation of $500,000 toward naming the entrepreneurial space and supporting the college’s recent building renovation will begin a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership with the college. The company employs a handful of UCF graduates and strives to be a top employer of choice for College of Business graduates looking to work for an entrepreneurial company interested in growing new talent.

“Orlando is our home and so UCF was a natural draw when we were deliberating our philanthropic efforts,” Duffy said. “We’ve had a lot of success with UCF graduates coming to work for us. Ů��AV is a strategic pipeline for talent, and this is a great partnership for us.”

Ravago is also partnering with the college’s Executive Development Center to provide custom training for its leadership team, managers and employees. The center, in downtown Orlando, offers professional master’s degrees, executive workshops and custom training opportunities and was named the Best Local MBA in Central Florida by readers of the Orlando Business Journal.

Earlier this year, Ravago also donated $750,000 to the UCF College of Medicine, which named a specialized medical-education classroom the Ravago Lecture Hall.

Ravago Holdings America is headquartered in Orlando and has grown to become the company’s largest subsidiary, with estimated annual sales of nearly $5 billion. The local office was selected as one of the Orlando Sentinel’s 2017 Top 100 Companies for the fifth year in a row.