38 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN ventures, including TiCK MiTT; fuse, an app with a different approach to dating; and Dot Inc., a financial solution for immigrant students in Africa. Other projects range from a ready-todrink, canned cocktail brand to a redesigned pulse oximeter that reduces the current melanin bias. Three ventures—With Meraki Co. (urinary and vaginal probiotics), OcuTrap (smart animal traps) and Foli-Q (hair care analysis and products)—have graduated from the program. “Lehigh has taken a bold new step with Lehigh Ventures Lab, making it clear that we are here to help real companies launch and grow, building upon the decades of work around entrepreneurship education,” Chris Kauzmann ’13 ’14G, interim director of the Lehigh Ventures Lab, says. “Our aim is to propel these ventures forward so they are ready for what’s next in their growth beyond Lehigh, whether that be their next capital raise, an industry-specific accelerator, a sustainable customer-driven growth path or other venture-specific pathways.” Abrams says Lehigh Ventures Lab has proven to be a great asset since launching TiCK MiTT, as she focuses on growing its market. “Having other entrepreneurs who understand what you’re going through is really helpful,” Abrams says. “They say that entrepreneurship is a really lonely road, and it's definitely true, especially if you're working out of your own apartment or your parents’ house.” Abrams developed the idea for TiCK MiTT outside of Lehigh, during her sophomore year. It was that year, however, when she met Kauzmann while taking Entrepreneurship 101. She stayed in touch with him throughout Lehigh as an entrepreneurship minor and after graduation, when he connected her with Lehigh programs that aided her in her venture. Now as part of Lehigh Ventures Lab, TiCK MiTT was taken on as a case study in the Fall 2023 semester by Lehigh students in a social media and digital marketing course. The students helped with developing marketing strategies online. This year, Abrams will host an intern at TiCK MiTT via the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter’s SiliconValley Innovation Internship, which she had taken part in during her time at Lehigh, and work with an engineering Capstone program and one of Abrams’ former professors, Joshua Ehrig, professor of practice in the Department of Management. As a student at Lehigh, Abrams had experimented with prototypes for TiCK MiTT on and off for nearly five years. She created much of the foundation for the product in a class with Ehrig, including a six-month business plan, the current logo for TiCK MiTT and brand colors. It wasn’t a linear progression, however. Abrams, a political science major who minored in entrepreneurship and marketing, spent two years after Lehigh working in finance. “I eventually got, not just frustrated with the work I was doing, but working for someone else, because I came from a family of entrepreneurs and that was always the route that I wanted to go,” Abrams says. “I minored in entrepreneurship at Lehigh with the intention of eventually becoming an entrepreneur. And the longer I was working in corporate, the longer I kept thinking, ‘If I don’t start a business at 23, when am I going to do it?’” While there are many products on the market for dogs’ tick control— sprays, shampoos, topical ointments and chewable medication—she says many contain chemicals and don’t necessarily prevent ticks from entering households. Despite the lack of widespread studies, Abrams says the use of chemical products has been known to lead to issues such as fatigue, seizures and toxic poisonAUDREY TAPPAN Chris Kauzmann ’13 ’14G, interim director of Lehigh Ventures Lab, provides support and facilitates collaboration for students, alumni and faculty in the lab’s physical space. BETH MURPHY
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