Blackstone LaunchPad has announced that FLUIX LLC, a startup company co-founded by mechanical and aerospace engineering alumni Abhishek Sastri ‘20 and Eduardo Castillo ‘15MS ‘18PhD, is one of 50 companies selected to participate in the Summer Startup Fellowship.
The fellowship was developed by the Blackstone LaunchPad as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic, which has decreased internship and job opportunities, as well as business idea competitions, for current students and recent graduates.
More than 330 budding entrepreneurs from almost all 24 of Blackstone’s college-affiliated networks applied for the fellowship, which offers participants eight weeks of virtual mentoring, coaching and learning, along with a $5,000 grant. Sastri said that he and the team at FLUIX are ecstatic about this opportunity.
“We are grateful for the Summer Startup Fellowship as it breathes new life into our company in the form of mentorship, funding, and guidance towards our milestones,” Sastri said. “This is the first time we are about to launch a consumer product into a niche market, so the opportunity to gain insight and mentorship from entrepreneurs and industry professional who have done this before, is truly priceless.”
That product is the FLUIX CANVAS case, which is designed to keep PCs from overheating. As hardcore gamers, Sastri and Castillo wanted to find a way to keep their high-performing computers cool, and make the process of building them faster and easier. The duo developed a case with a patent-pending cooling solution that keeps the internal components of the PC running optimally. The cases are also designed with aesthetics in mind so that gamers can feel proud to show off their equipment.
“Nowadays, gaming PCs are much more than high tech computers — they are aesthetics pieces inside the game room and are an extension of the builder’s personality. It’s kind of like showing off a nice car,” Sastri said. “We at FLUIX take incredible care is designing state-of-the-art liquid-cooled cases that are meant to be shown off and educate the builder in the science behind keeping PCs cool.”
Sastri said that the pandemic slowed down the startup’s progress, but he’s ready to do what it takes to make it succeed.
“Growing a small business during these times can be tough and lonely, however, having the ability to connect with mentors at a national level shows that there are support groups wanting us to succeed,” Sastri said. “We know we have a lot of work to do, and we are ready to put one hundred and ten percent into this journey.”
To learn more about FLUIX, visit the company’s website.
- Written by Marisa Ramiccio