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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University student entrepreneur Payton Walker, founding father of CryptoShovel, recently won the Brian Patrick Thomas Entrepreneurial Spirit Award totaling $10,000. The award recognizes students in Starting Gate, Western Michigan University’s business accelerator, and specifically honors firms which have an important business model and a better social purpose.
Walker, a 2023 finance graduate from Mattawan, Michigan, has big plans for the business. “CryptoShovel is targeted on constructing and operating low-energy crypto-mining systems. We are currently raising seed capital to launch our data center development company, SHUVL SOLUTIONS LLC, with the long-term goal of becoming a serious player within the industry while promoting a greener solution to crypto mining. We are committed to providing sustainable and efficient mining solutions for our diverse client base.”
Walker’s ambitions to own his own business hearken back to childhood. From an early age, he had a deep passion for entrepreneurship that has guided him. Starting with a successful duct tape wallet business in middle school, he found achievement in delivering value to customers. In highschool, he designed and sold a clothing line based on student news. “My experiences in entrepreneurship fueled my desire for autonomy, innovation and the chance to positively impact others,” he says.
And he found the right resource to support his entrepreneurial pursuits in college, WMU’s Starting Gate.
“The workshops and support from Starting Gate have been pivotal in facilitating my transition from being a student to becoming a successful entrepreneur,” he notes. “I discovered a supportive environment where I could openly discuss the ups and downs of my business trip with fellow participants and connect with guest speakers who shared their insights.”
Calling the Starting Gate experience and this award “transformative,” Walker credits Tamara Davis, director of Starting Gate and instructor within the Department of Management, and Sarah Forrest, business consultant within the Michigan Small Business Development Center, with helping him take his drive to succeed to the subsequent level.
“Tamara and Sarah have been instrumental in providing me with the obligatory structure and vision to maintain moving forward,” he says. “They facilitated opportunities to attach with mentors, allowing me to realize useful external perspectives which have greatly contributed to my growth as a business owner. I’m also grateful to them for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and develop my skills in public speaking, enabling me to effectively communicate and represent my business.”
“Payton has grown exponentially this past yr using the Starting Gate program to sharpen his pitch and communicate the worth proposition of his company to investors and the entrepreneurial community,” says Davis. “Not only has Payton enhanced his abilities, but he has also been a mentor to several of the Starting Gate student teams. Payton has been a real asset to this system.”
About CryptoShovel
CryptoShovel is a crypto-mining company focused on constructing and operating low-energy mining systems. The company is currently raising seed capital to launch its mining development company, SHUVL SOLUTIONS LLC, with the long-term goal of becoming a serious player within the industry while promoting a greener solution to crypto mining. CryptoShovel is committed to providing sustainable and efficient mining solutions for its client base. The company’s mining systems devour as much as 13 times less power than comparable alternatives. Additionally, the business actively engages with and supports the Southwest Michigan tech community, demonstrating its dedication to local growth and highlighting the talent within the region. To contact student entrepreneur Payton Walker to learn more concerning the business, email payton@cryptoshovel.app.
About the Award
Established in 2015, the Brian Patrick Thomas Entrepreneurial Spirit Award is awarded to eligible participants within the Starting Gate business accelerator program. The goal of the award is to acknowledge individuals who not only establish viable businesses but who look beyond themselves to motivate and move teams of individuals to a typical cause with a better social purpose. Thomas, a WMU business alum and CEO who has been recognized with several awards for his leadership, has a passion for entrepreneurial considering and social entrepreneurship, which sparked his desire to determine this award to support student entrepreneurs.
About Starting Gate
Starting Gate is a student business accelerator that provides students wealthy and useful resources to develop their startup firms. It is positioned in downtown Kalamazoo and operated by the Haworth College of Business Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The accelerator is open to all Western students through a competitive application process during which students must exhibit a promising idea for a services or products, which could be launched inside a brief time frame. The accelerator might be accepting applications starting in July 2023 for its next class of student entrepreneurs. Visit the Starting Gate website to learn more and apply.
For more WMU news, sports and events, visit WMU News online.
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