It was a conversation about family histories of skin cancer that inspired a group of engineering students to come up with an idea to help prevent sun damage for their engineering Capstone project. The group realized that although the benefits of applying sunscreen to protect skin from the sun’s harmful ultra violet (UV) rays is understood, knowing when to reapply sunscreen when its effects are diminished is often a challenge.
Andrew Martinko (BASc ’15, MBET ’16) is the co-founder of Suncayr and its hero product, SpotMyUV, a UV detection sticker that tells you when to reapply sunscreen. It works by placing a small, round sticker on your skin that’s purple when it goes on and turns clear when you apply sunscreen, absorbing the product just as your skin does. When the sticker turns purple again, it’s time to reapply.
Success born out of the Waterloo entrepreneurial ecosystem
It's an apparently simple and effective solution but like any entrepreneurial story, there’s an interesting road travelled to get to where they are today. Tapping into the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Waterloo, Martinko and his engineering Capstone team leveraged the entrepreneurial opportunities available to them at UWaterloo to turn an idea into a viable product.
Martinko’s first co-op term at a startup was inspiring, “I came back thinking what a cool experience it was to be part of a five-person startup; I wanted to explore how I could take advantage of other opportunities like that.”
MBET gave us the opportunity to fail with some of our ideas in a protected environment that helped us succeed when it really mattered, later.
With the UV detection idea in mind, Martinko started going to Velocity events and then took BET 300 at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. From there, he learned about the Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) program and was accepted for his last co-op term. Winning some pitch competitions and getting mentorship for their burgeoning idea inspired Martinko and the team to continue. The group were also developing the technical aspect of the idea with the support of Velocity Science.
Each of these opportunities helped launch their idea into a product. By the time they reached their engineering Capstone presentation, Martinko and his project team knew they had something. At this point their UV detection application was in the form of a marker pen that applied purple detection ink to the skin.
The experiences and mentorship they were exposed to in the Waterloo entrepreneurial ecosystem were getting them noticed. In just a few months, the co-founders created Suncayr and their marker pen product was a runner-up in the prestigious James Dyson award.
Filling the business knowledge gap
Martinko knew that the engineering behind the product was just part of what it took to build a successful company. He also knew that one of their co-founders would need to have a business background. The Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) offered by Conrad School seemed like a perfect fit for what they were trying to accomplish. He applied.
The MBET program helped take Suncayr to the next level. The program allowed Martinko to understand how to build and evolve the business. With the guidance of faculty mentors, he began to realize the importance of understanding what customers need. It was this seemingly simple revelation that prompted a crucial shift in the product away from a pen and into the SpotMyUV sticker.
Without understanding the business side of things Martinko knew the co-founders collective engineering mindset could hamper the success of the company. “You need to understand what the customer is looking for. That’s the most important thing. Because if you’re not meeting their need, then you’re not really building a business.”
Fast forward to today and SpotMyUV has grown to new heights. Even as the global pandemic in March of 2020 interfered with their product launch plans, Suncayr was well equipped to adjust their plans. They were successfully acquired by Dig It Apparel and haven’t looked back.
Martinko and co-founder Chad Sweeting (BASc ’15) are seeing their product sales grow and are looking forward to the future. Being one of the first to market in sun protection intervention is both daunting and exciting; “it’s a category that not many people even know about – being right there at the centre, getting people more aware of this area, drives me every day.”