Thriving Through COVID-19 with Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The SLO HotHouse is a hub of creation and innovation that was founded back in 2010. The incubator and accelerator space was inspired by the motivated students at Cal Poly and the local community members who needed a place to grow their entrepreneurial pursuits. Believing that connection to real-world problems and problem-solvers was key to nurturing innovation, the SLO HotHouse was created. 

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, the business community, and the CIE collaborated to bring this leading-edge space to life. When considering the needs of student entrepreneurs, it became clear that community was key. True innovation cannot thrive in isolation, and students needed a place to connect with peers, mentors, and members of the business community. 

Businesses utilize the SLO HotHouse to grow their ideas and solidify their connections to up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Students find a place to learn by doing and are able to use the space, resources, and networking opportunities to collaborate on projects that can change the world. The synergy of school and community is the main driving force of talent optimization at Cal Poly. For the talented young minds who make dreams a reality, it all starts at the SLO HotHouse.

Automating everyday challenges to enable the extraordinary

Melding the innovative minds from multiple pockets in San Luis Obispo was no simple feat. From allocating resources to the members who need them, to ensuring payments are received on time, the SLO HotHouse needed automation to grow its community of innovators. 

Nichole’s work changed dramatically when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In-person collaboration cowed to digital interaction, and the SLO HotHouse underwent major changes to ensure the safety of student and community entrepreneurs. Being able to customize the plans offered was key to surviving — and thriving.

Optix helped the SLO HotHouse adjust to the changing times brought about by the pandemic. With the Optix mobile app, it was easy to offer digital services and products when in-person gatherings were not permitted. The ability to be agile was beneficial as health guidelines affected service offerings. Flexible invoicing technology and automated billing features enabled Cal Poly CIE to do more for their community, despite the challenges they faced. 

Effortless, automatic invoicing

Contacting members to facilitate manual payments was not only difficult to scale, but also time-consuming for Nichole and her team. Optix makes billing easy and automatic for SLO HotHouse with its hands-off automatic invoicing functionality. Nichole appreciates that she can now set and forget ongoing payments, as they are automatically charged to members’ cards on the billing date. 

Customizable plans

The way of work can never be stagnant in an entrepreneurial culture like SLO HotHouse. That’s why it’s crucial for their tech to be as agile as the solutions they seek to innovate. Customizable plans have empowered Cal Poly to adjust memberships to match the ever-changing requirements of running a startup hub. According to Nichole, custom plans have been a lifesaver when offering flexible programs to student and community entrepreneurs.

Moving forward, through COVID-19 and beyond

As life goes back to some semblance of normal, SLO HotHouse is set to return to in-person collaboration. When Nichole is in doubt about functionality within the app, she relies on the quick and efficient guidance of the Optix support team to learn more.