Ty Parker grew up on a potato farm in the Hastings area. Getting a degree in agricultural engineering seemed like a good choice when he came to the University of Florida.
That type of degree typically leads to a job in industry away from Gainesville—with all grads landing a spot before they graduate, said David Whitney, the College of Engineering’s entrepreneur-in-residence.
Instead of seeking his fortune elsewhere, Parker is staying in town and starting a business.
“When I first came to town five and half years ago, I didn’t like Gainesville,” he said. “Once I met all the people involved in innovation, I’ve grown to love it,” he said at Demo Day for HackerHouse, held at 101 Downtown restaurant and martini bar.
The event showcased the accomplishments of HackerHouse’s first group of 10 cadets, who lived and worked together the past three months at a Victorian home across from the Thomas Center.
Parker and his partner, Trevor Abbott, formed Spin Chill, which invented a device that pops onto a beer can and twirls it while the user holds the beer in ice, bringing it to drinking temperature in 30 to 60 seconds.
HackerHouse provided Parker and Abbott many resources, including the support of mentors and access to a 3D printer. “We were able to make multiple prototypes of our product,” Parker said. “I had a quote of $20,000 to develop a mold.”
Parker’s detour from the job route began when took a course in innovation from Whitney.
Enrollment in his course has doubled in the four years he’s been teaching it, going from 75 to 150 over three semesters, Whitney said.
His course and related ones are entrepreneurship, leadership, and ethics; they are contributing to more College of Engineering grads developing businesses and becoming part of the local economy, Whitney said.
Augi Lye, founder of Trendy Entertainment and ToneRite, created HackerHouse as a new intensive type of tech incubator.
He attracted other investors. Among those attending the demonstration event were downtown developers Ken and Linda McGurn and RegisterPatient founder David Williams.
HackerHouse has 50 applicants, including ones from California, Colorado and Tanzania, for the group that starts work in September.
Abbott, who was house manager this summer, plans to continue in that role this fall. “I’m looking forward to welcoming our new class, and I’m sure they’ll be as successful as our first class was,” he said.
