Student wins 'Tiger Tank' with nut allergy solution

Third-year Industrial Design BFA student James Sheeler has big ideas. His knack for entrepreneurship, creativity and design won him the top spot in the fall 2019 RIT Tiger Tank competition. 

Tiger Tank is a biannual competition sponsored by the Saunders College of Business and the Simone Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship that gives students the opportunity to pitch business ideas to a panel of judges, with a chance to win cash prizes. 

Sheeler’s winning pitch was “Confoodence” — a portable, color-changing tab that allows users to test foods for allergens such as tree nuts. If an allergen is identified in the tested food, Sheeler said, the tab would react to the tree nut oils and change colors to alert the allergic user not to consume.

Last fall, Sheeler also won third place with his pocket-friendly inhaler pitch, an idea that stemmed from his own needs as an asthmatic. 

“Whenever I come across a problem in everyday life, I write it down and try to think of a technology or innovation that would fix it,” Sheeler said. “It’s cool to design a product with an end goal to make a positive difference in someone’s quality of life.

“I wasn’t expecting a winning pitch,” he added. “For me, it was all about having fun. The Simone Center has been incredibly supportive and influential and it’s a real honor to be recognized for having a vision. This was a great experience and I’m so thankful.” 

Sheeler is the President of RIT’s chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America and is an active member of Innovator’s Hour, an RIT research organization dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship across all disciplines. 

In the future, Sheeler said he hopes to continue learning more about design, marketing and leadership opportunities to grow his expertise and experience for new projects and eventually as an entrepreneuer.  

“There are so many opportunities beyond leadership that the Simone Center at RIT has to offer students like me,” Sheeler said. “Being an industrial design student also opens a lot of doors to learn a variety of things like public speaking and working across disciplines. I’m definitely in the right place.”