JukeBox, Katallst, Tuka: Jumpstart Introductions

St. Patrick’s Day, Lisbon, K-Pop, F1.

These four seemingly unrelated things are key ingredients in creating three of Jumpstart’s student teams. 

Whether it’s through music, video calls, or recommendations, these three teams double down on one thing throughout their identity: digital connection.

Tuka

Tuka’s journey began 4,000 miles away from The Garage. 

While studying abroad in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuka’s co-founder and CEO Josephine White had plenty of recommendations on her phone. From finding the best food to avoiding tourist traps, she had all of it at her fingertips. The only problem? Remembering where she placed them.

“So many people get recommendations from their friends, family, the people that they trust, but they're scattered throughout their phone, old screenshots, a voice memo, and old messages that they can't find again,” White said.

She found that she wasn’t the only one frustrated. So she created Tuka, an app that allows users to see and store any type of recommendation in one place. The name derives from the word tukka, or as her family friend says, “an unexpected surprise” or “hidden gem.” 

The app lives up to its name, with a multifaceted interface that includes tools like a map with recommendation pins and Pinterest-like organization boxes to organize products, services, and more. In order to expand Tuka in both size and ability, a portion of their Jumpstart funds will go towards app upkeep as White and CTO Autymn Williams continue to scale.

“You have to constantly upgrade whatever interfaces you're using, whatever plans you're on,” Williams said. “So we're going to store a good amount [of funds] for that so we can have it for later because that is a pretty big expense when it comes to anything tech-related.”

Besides that, White is also using the money towards exploring marketing and partnerships with businesses in the tourism industry and universities’ study abroad programs.

According to White and Williams, Jumpstart is giving them more than just funding. After graduating from Northwestern University this spring, the two can finally dedicate themselves to Tuka.

“I had a lot of homework ‘cause I was a dual degree so it was definitely more of a side project,” Williams said. “So now that I'm done with all of that – thank God – I am super excited to have the time to work on it.”

JukeBox

Jeb Scipio del Campo might say that seeing his future co-founder Matthew Smith on St. Patrick’s Day was a stroke of luck.

“We were walking around and talking, and it came up that we both love music, but there was nowhere for us to kind of share our tastes or discover new music,” JukeBox founder and CEO Scipio del Campo said.

After meeting, Smith and Scipio del Campo created JukeBox, a music and concert rating social media app. While similar rating apps like Beli and Letterboxd exist, there wasn’t an app specifically for rating and discovering music. Similar to Tuka, making a product that encompasses everything from music to concert venue details is a better solution than “surfing the Internet randomly.” 

A portion of Jumpstart’s funding has already been used to cover outreach costs during the school year, according to Scipio del Campo. Some of their marketing tactics included tables at Dillo Day and Local Mojo events, chalking public spaces, and JukeBox-branded condoms. 

Software engineer Obinnaya Okezie and Research & Development head Hans Byenkya are also part of the Jukebox team during Jumpstart. Okezie and Byenkya designed and coded much of Jukebox’s interface with uniqueness and accessibility in mind.

“Something that we wanted to do to set us apart was to find a better way to rate songs rather than just having to be like, ‘I think this song is four stars,’” Okezie said. “You're rating this song against other songs that you've already rated in a swiping system. So you're basically swiping to compare which song you like better and then through that, the app gives you an automated score.”

JukeBox is excited to spend the summer focusing on their startups with like-minded entrepreneurs. 

“I think the one thing that stands out to me is just the sense of community and togetherness with the group of people,” Byenkya said. “You can find parallels in all of [the startups] and actually enjoy the experience outside of class with the full dedication from nine to five.”

Katallst

“When we first got to The Garage, they gave free t-shirts and burritos, and I don't know why I said this, but I kept my t-shirt away, and I was like, ‘I'm not going to wear it until I get into Jumpstart,’” Katallst’s founder and CEO Delia Zuzarte said.

According to Zuzarte, she admired The Garage even before being accepted into Northwestern, and getting into Jumpstart was a “dream come true.”

Now that she’s in Jumpstart, she and Sonoma Geil, graphic designer and marketing head, are working on Katallst, a startup that focuses on monetized video calls for content creators and influencers. 

“These creators, they post a lot of videos, and they get a lot of engagement, but it doesn't convert to revenue for them,” Zuzarte said. 

The inspiration stemmed from two different sectors of entertainment: K-Pop and F1. Both have paid video meetings that allow face-to-face interaction between fans and idols. With Katallst, these “meet-and-greets” won’t be limited to just those two sectors; in fact, Zuzarte says that Katallst even has a music producer signed on as a creator.

As they expand, the majority of the money they’ve received will go towards operational costs and launching the startup’s website. Zuzarte says making sure Katallst can host video calls for various amounts of time is something that requires both effort and expenses. 

While Zuzarte focuses on the operational aspect of the business, Geil is using her artistic background to drive Katallst’s aesthetics forward and says Jumpstart is a unique opportunity. 

“It's really crazy, but it's a really good opportunity, and I'm really grateful because I don't know any other people in my major who got an internship their first year,” Geil said.

With the summer ahead of them, the three teams are excited to devote their attention, time, and knowledge to their startups. And while the businesses are focused on digital connection, all of them look forward to making in-person connections at Jumpstart as well.

Jumpstart is The Garage's summer pre-accelerator program for student teams to work full-time on their projects with hands-on mentorship and a stipend.