I
t all started with an accident,” said Ryan. “In 2012, I was riding my motorcy- cle and was rear-ended by a car. While I was recovering and using all kinds of technology to interact with the world, I started thinking: What if technology could have prevented my accident?”
So Ryan did what so many people do: He started surfing the web to see if there
was any kind of “smart” motorcycle helmet. When nothing showed up, he turned to what he learned in the Edmund Rice scholarship program and built a team of Crusaders to help him find a solution. His first call was to friends and former classmates Clayton Patton and Todd
Rushing. Clayton recalls: “We met at Starbucks, and Ryan presented us with the idea. I thought that it sounded like a great product that could revolutionize the helmet industry. But, as a trained CPA, I knew we had to get the math to work, and immediately started working on our first business plan and financial model.” They applied and were accepted to the TechLaunch accelerator program,
which provided the company with $25,000 in early-stage funding. As Todd ex- plains, “This was the boost we needed. It gave us the confidence to know we had a feasible plan and a workable business model. Now, all we needed was to build the best team possible to get the product to market.” The Bergen Catholic alumni network continues to be a major part of FUSAR’s
growth and success. Through BC Connections they were able to retain the serv- ices of Gerard DiFiore ’77, a partner at Reed Smith; marketing and public rela- tions manager Peter Kallman ’04, and two investors (1999 & 2000). They also added two interns, James Shearman ’07 and Nick Scaglione ’10, to the team this past summer. Additionally, Ryan, Clayton, and Todd have reached out to count- less members of the Crusader network. Clayton added: “Whether it is a simple call to tell them about what we are doing, or ask them for advice from their own entrepreneurial or professional experience, it is extremely powerful to hear how excited people are about what we are doing. The support we have received is overwhelming.” Added Ryan: “The alumni network is so valuable when it comes to making
connections. There is a security knowing that anyone coming from Bergen Catholic shares our values and ideals.” Today FUSAR has working prototypes of its helmet and expects to realize
sales next summer. The company recently closed a significant seed round and continues to actively raise funds to accelerate its time to market. Once the product is available to the public, the founders hope to volunteer some of their time to Bergen Catholic, teaching students some of the skills needed to become entrepreneurs.
FALL/WINTER 2014 9
For updates on FUSAR’s progress, you can follow the company via the web and social media.
W:
fusar.com/ E:
founders@fusar.com F:
www.facebook.com/fusartech I:
instagram.com/fusargram T:
twitter.com/FUSARtech
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