Inventing Success

Kristen McClellan '12 is a finalist in a national young entrepreneurs' competition sponsored by the New York Stock Exchange and mtvU, an MTV Networks program.

McClellan and her SnappyScreen product will appear on the "Movers & Changers" show Dec. 1, 8 and 15. The episodes will be broadcast on the mtvU Network, available on more than 800 college campuses in the United States.

At http://www.moversandchangers.com/, McClellan and three other students competing for a $25,000 grand prize are introduced via video. The winner will be announced Dec. 15.

SnappyScreen is an airbrush sunscreen application system designed to eliminate blotchy uneven tans and prevent skin damage. Freestanding and weatherproof, SnappyScreen is equipped with nozzles that travel vertically while spraying sunscreen on the user, who turns for full coverage.

SnappyScreen is an easy and effective alternative to tedious manual application of sunscreen, McClellan said. A percentage of profits from each consumer use will be donated to the Melanoma Research Foundation.

McClellan has been perfecting her idea for three years at Cornell's eLab, a business accelerator for undergraduates, and in Lansing, where the SnappyScreen prototype is stored.

Finalists in the Movers & Changers competition were feted and filmed last week in New York City. They rang the stock exchange bell, attended the exchange's Movers and Changers Forum and presented business plans to contest judges, all entrepreneurs.

"This has been the experience of a lifetime." McClellan said in an interview this week. "Having the opportunity to present SnappyScreen to this prestigious panel of judges has helped prepare me for all future pitches."

ILR faculty member Dan Cohen, entrepreneur in residence at the university's eLab, said McClellan "has that laser focus I've noticed in most successful entrepreneurs. She has the mentality of making progress, regardless of challenges or pitfalls."

The SnappyScreen concept has vast growth potential, Cohen said. "Kristen anticipates focusing on the hotel resort market, however, other markets such as day care centers, schools and water parks beckon."

McClellan's competitors for the $25,000 Movers & Changers prize are a student from the George Washington University and a team of two students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.