Symbia, Kinetic Robotics: Jumpstart Team Introductions

The prefix sym means togetherness. The prefix kinet conveys motion.

These archaic roots, combined with modern science used in Symbia and Kinetic Robotics, embody the intersections between sustainability, fashion, affordability, and robotics. 

More importantly, these two teams are located at the crossroads of hands-on technology and helping others.

Symbia

The first thing Symbia software engineer Haipeng Shen noticed was its smell and feel.

“It’s natural like Thai tea,” Shen said. “And it feels comfortable.”

He’s not talking about a food or drink, but a leather wallet. However, it’s not just leather; it’s bio-leather.

This eco-friendly invention comes from Symbia, a startup that creates a sustainable leather alternative from kombucha and bacterial culture.

Rayden Yap, Symbia’s CEO and founder, says he was inspired by his family’s tea-drinking habits and his surroundings while in New York City one summer. 

“I saw a lot of these street vendors that were making upcycled clothes – particularly blazers – and starting from there, I realized that there is a gap in the market for sustainable materials,” Yap said. 

While Yap loves fashion, he opposes the leather industry’s environmental damage. Symbia is his retaliation against the status quo; with its carbon-neutral footprint and eco-friendly products, Yap sees a bright future for it.

“We're trying to redefine the future of functional sustainability and look for alternatives to environmentally harmful leather,” Yap said.

With Jumpstart’s grant, Yap and Shen are working on increasing the bio-leather’s physical capabilities, lifetime, and supply. They also are reaching out to suppliers and brands that are interested in selling and making bio-leather products. 

“I can purchase more containers, more kombucha, and this gives me the time to fully focus on looking for suppliers that can give us this material,” Yap said.

Although Symbia’s journey in the US is just beginning, it has been recognized globally by the UN and the World Water Forum. In Indonesia, Yap taught the art of making kombucha leather to local craftspeople, creating 5,000 jobs in the process. 

“We have this credibility already built up internationally, and we want to use that to then talk to consumers in the US and show them, ‘We have a proven model, we have a cool product, and we're excited to share this with you,’” Yap said.

Kinetic Robotics

From building a custom electric race car with Northwestern Formula Racing to rockets with NUSTARS, Kinetic Robotics co-founders Dimitri Gunawan and Nathan Wu know a thing or two about mechatronics. 

They also know how expensive actuators can be for students.

Actuators are the “muscles” of a robot, translating the mechanical command into physical motion. Yet getting one of these requires money, and for Gunawan, a rising sophomore, sometimes it’s tough to find the funds. 

“There are essentially two big options,” Gunawan said. “You have hobby-grade servo motors or higher-end, near-industrial-grade actuators, and there's a big price gap, and there's also a big knowledge barrier to using the higher-end actuators.”

To make these more affordable for students, Gunawan and Wu expect their actuators to cost between $150 and $250. For reference, robotic actuators can cost over $500 for projects.

“Our specs are pretty comparable to actuators at around the $500 range because we're using slightly lower-grade components,” Gunawan said. “But we think that this is going to be the perfect balance for students in mechatronics classes or people in research in universities.”

At Jumpstart, the duo is working towards a pilot program with Northwestern mechatronics classes and labs. They are also continuing to work on a smaller prototype of their current actuator at The Garage’s Maker Space. No matter what problem arises, Wu works tirelessly to fix it.

“I've just spent so much time on this that it kind of feels natural to continue working,” Wu said.

As these four entrepreneurs begin their journey at Jumpstart, they’re glad that school is wrapped up and they can finally focus on their businesses.

“It's really good to have all the time in the world to work on the startup,” Gunawan said. “The only other opportunity I've had for something like this was spring break, and that was just one week.”

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.