Kekoa Wong, '22; Fouad El Zoghbi, '22; Toni Akintola, '26 | Maet
Describe your company: Maet is a gamified marketplace for amateur team sports.
Why did you apply to Race To Revenue? What are you hoping to get out of this experience? Kekoa: A strong community of individuals who are passionate about entrepreneurship and scrappy about building things with their own hands.
Fouad: R2R seemed appealing to me because it would allow us to work alongside some amazing, passionate individuals and teams we have gotten to know throughout this past year. Working within the ND entrepreneurship community has been a very engaging and educational exercise, and the prospect of doing it alongside some really talented folks for a summer would be awesome.
Toni: I’m hoping to key into a community of forward-thinking individuals pushing their potential and the potential of their company daily. By the end of it, I’m hoping to have a cup overflowing with that inspiration and the sense that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to as an entrepreneur.
When is a time you failed forward? Kekoa: I audited a Ph.D. Moral Philosophy course and quickly felt that I was out of my league in reading comprehension and argumentation. However, that uncomfortable experience helped push me to be even better and grow in those aspects - understanding the subject matter very deeply.
Fouad: My freshman year at ND failed in every aspect of the world. Coming from a completely different environment, the culture shock was in full effect. I struggled to make lots of friends, immerse myself in the "American" college experience, and was unable to excel academically. Transferring from ND was a serious consideration then, but I pushed myself and learned to love everything about it.
Toni: I failed forward a sophomore year of high school by using a disappointing basketball season as an opportunity to pivot to track and field, a sport in that I had more potential.
Where were you born? What is an interesting fact about your hometown? Kekoa: Sacramento, California - the first time the Kings have made the NBA playoffs since 2006 was this year!
Fouad: Beirut, Lebanon. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been inhabited for 5000+ years. It was built, destroyed, and rebuilt by many cultures.
Toni: I was born in Reisterstown, Maryland. An interesting fact about it is that it is exactly one day’s journey from Baltimore City if you go by horse-drawn carriage.
Would you rather go back in time or be transported to the future? Kekoa: The future seems more interesting to me.
Fouad: Traveling back to the past with an iPhone.
Toni: I’d go back in time to the Old West.
Who is the fictional character you have the most in common with, and why? Kekoa: Sandy from Spongebob - I have a lot of energy like a squirrel and would self-classify as a nerd.
Fouad: Winnie the Pooh - I love people and connecting with people like Winnie loves his friends. I also will stop at nothing to reach a certain goal, just like Winnie is willing to squeeze through every nook and cranny to get his hands on honey.
Toni: The fictional character that I have the most in common with is Simba from the Lion King. I have huge dreams and aspirations and sometimes that sees me biting off more than I can chew. But in the end, I’m often able to rise to meet the challenges in front of me because I constantly remind myself of who I am.
Fun fact about your team: We're all former athletes!
Lastly, what does your team want to learn more about, relating to business development in general or your own company/venture specifically? We want to learn even more about how to improve how we get feedback from our hosts and users and then implement that feedback into our product.