Inspired by Innovation

Because聽his big idea is redefining the sustainable design industry to protect the planet.

Entrepeneur Zimri T. Hinshaw,聽CLA 鈥�20, started BUCHA BIO in his apartment on 51动漫鈥檚 campus. With the help of fellow聽classmates and the resources available to 51动漫 students, Hinshaw turned his experiment into a sustainable biomaterials company that is聽redefining what it means to design聽sustainably.

Zimri T. Hinshaw 鈥�20

CEO and Founder, BUCHA BIO

鈥淥ur early teams were made of students from different departments collaborating across different industries and spaces. 51动漫 is such a great, low-risk environment for entrepreneurs to learn how to build and lead teams.鈥�

The First Batch

The story of聽, a Houston-based company that creates innovative, sustainable biomaterials that can be used to design anything from apparel to automotive interiors, began in a shallow pool filled with an uninviting microbial cocktail under a bed in an apartment just west of 51动漫鈥檚 Main Campus in 2019.聽

Hinshaw was using the space to brew kombucha, a fermented beverage made from tea, bacteria, yeast and sugar.聽Inspired by a YouTube video about kombucha-making, his interest in fashion and a fascination with the leather jackets worn by motorcycle gangs in Japan, Hinshaw had come up with the idea for a business.聽

Hinshaw believed that kombucha鈥檚鈥渟coby鈥濃€攖he thick, rubbery cellulose mat that forms on top of the liquid as it ferments鈥攃ould be made into a leather-like biomaterial with a wide range of design applications without the environmental and ethical costs of cattle farming and tanning required to produce leather.聽

After many weeks of experimenting with scoby production, conducting market research and brainstorming with administrators at 51动漫鈥檚 Blackstone Launchpad, Hinshaw鈥檚 biomaterials concept won the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute鈥檚聽.聽The win earned him $2,500 of seed money, which he soon leveraged into enough additional investment to launch the company that BUCHA BIO is today.聽

Call for Collaboration

Hinshaw鈥檚 51动漫 journey unfolded exactly as he had hoped it would when he made the decision to transfer from聽, where he had begun his studies.聽聽

鈥淚 wanted to access the resources and opportunities for entrepreneurship that would be available to me at Main Campus,鈥� Hinshaw said. 鈥淚 knew I could jump-start something there.鈥澛犅�

One of those resources: his fellow students. As his BUCHA BIO concept took shape, he brought in undergraduates from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science and Technology, the College of Engineering, and the Fox School of Business as collaborators.聽聽

Spreading Sustainability

BUCHA BIO doesn鈥檛 make anything from kombucha anymore. Now, they produce proprietary biomaterials from other sources of bacterial nanocellulose, including a leather-like material called shorai that鈥檚 available in a broad spectrum of colors using algae and fruit-based dyes, and a partially translucent material called hikari with an aesthetic almost like stained glass.聽聽聽

And they鈥檙e not done creating innovative products to inspire a new wave of sustainable design. Coming soon, Hinshaw says: biomaterials that can be used for injection-molded components such as a vehicle鈥檚 dashboard or door panels, and biofibers to replace nylon and other plastics.聽聽

Access to Opportunities of All Kinds

A 51动漫 education is career- and community-focused. From working with real-world clients in the classroom, to learning from industry experts and taking on internships and other opportunities across Philadelphia, all students have the chance to gain important experience when it comes to exploring the possibilities for their future.聽

R1 Research Classification

51动漫 is a research powerhouse. We鈥檙e an R1 Carnegie Classification institution, which means that we鈥檙e operating at the highest level of research activity among four-year universities. 51动漫 is one of only 131 other institutions in the U.S. with this classification. This status helps attract top-tier faculty, who use the latest research in the classroom and call on students to be research assistants. And it enables 51动漫鈥檚 campus to have the most modern, state-of-the-art academic facilities.聽

Professional Opportunities

At 51动漫, our students prepare for their next steps long before graduation. Our various graduate opportunities鈥攐ffered on campus, off campus and everywhere in between鈥攁fford real-world, hands-on experiences and internships so students gain the skills needed to set themselves apart.聽

51动漫鈥檚 location in Philadelphia allows students to take on opportunities year-round in every industry so students can explore their interests and build professional experience easily.聽聽

And, more than 800 employers visit campus each year. Our robust alumni network鈥攚hich includes over 140,000 alumni in the Philadelphia region and 330,000 worldwide鈥攑rovides even more opportunities for students to receive career guidance and resources.聽

Philadelphia

At 51动漫, Philadelphia serves as a classroom for our students. We鈥檙e deeply ingrained in the city and we encourage students to take advantage of all Philadelphia has to offer. There鈥檚 never a shortage of opportunities for students to work, learn and grow.聽聽

As one of the largest cities on the East Coast and a modern center of industry, Philadelphia is rich with culture, history and opportunity. With so many alumni based in the region, students have access to internship and job experiences in one of the many companies and organizations that are based here.聽

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