‘To be an innovator, you have to understand that everything that has been created didn’t exist, and so therefore, everything that will eventually exist someday has to be made by someone’: Ezra Odole, computer science  

Are you currently working on a startup or developing an idea for one?  

In the Start Something LAS Academy, I have been working on two projects. One is a mental health wellness workbook journal and the other one I make YouTube videos and that’s like a passion project and I really love that.  

Separately, I am working on a team right now that’s developing an app that helps people improve their speeches – the business aspect of it is, teachers, speech teachers… they are getting more students than ever before, they have more demands on them than ever before, so if we can help them grade easier, then we can provide value to them and value to students. 

How have you demonstrated innovation or entrepreneurial skills during your time at Iowa State University? 

In terms of innovation, I think the project with helping students improve their speeches; I think that is innovative because we’re bringing together a lot of tools that already exist and putting them into a new form. So, we’re using AI analytics on voice and on body language to create feedback for those students. 

How have Iowa State’s resources, such as the Start Something LAS Academy, contributed to growth academically and/or professionally? 

I think the [Start Something LAS] Academy has helped me the most through their mentorship program. I’ve often heard, “find a mentor, find a mentor,” but it’s much easier said than done. So, because this program provides us a mentor – introduces and sets us on our way – that has been tremendously helpful. Having someone who’s just further ahead of you and can see the path that you can’t really see because you’re on it, is incredibly helpful. 

What are your career goals/aspirations? 

I think my goals have, not changed, but I feel like I’ve come into goals that feel very authentic. So, the next plans for me, the work I’m doing in Baltimore; they want me to go full-time. I’m just planning to do an internship with them this summer and later in the future, reevaluate, but after the internship I want to travel and work on solo entrepreneurship projects and just exist without having school or work. That’s my current thing, and then later on we’ll reevaluate, talk to the company about coming back full-time or applying to other jobs, or if an entrepreneurship project works, that’s kind of the goal. 

How do you see yourself employing a mindset of innovation throughout your career? 

Something I heard on a podcast, they were saying something they look for is how they have hacked the system for whatever their goals were. I don’t know if I have done that very much, but going forward, it’s like, what Lego pieces are not connected that should be and if they were, everything would flow so much smoother. Going in with that vision, looking for that specifically, is a new small compass that I’ve been using. 

In what ways has your engagement with innovation and entrepreneurship at Iowa State shaped your perspective on the world? 

To be an innovator, you have to understand that everything that has been created didn’t exist and so therefore, everything that will eventually exist someday has to be made by someone and that mindset shift is very useful because when someone’s like “no, that can’t be done,” but that’s what they said about the tractor and the airplane and rocket ships. It can’t be done – and then it was done. We can do anything, we just have to figure out how and there’s so, so, so much more possibility when you come from that innovative mindset and say, like, the world has yet to be created, and someone has to create it. 

Why should someone be interested in joining the Start Something LAS Academy – even if they don’t want to start a business? 

Jeff [Bull] talks about this all the time. Innovation is not about making money, it doesn’t have to be a business. You can just make something you think is cool and I think the process of making is criminally underrated. I think if you haven’t tried making something, then you ought to give it a shot, because from my own experience – it’s the best thing ever. 

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in innovation, but doesn’t know where to start? 

So, people think that you just sit down and start brainstorming and you’re like ‘I’m going to create an idea today’. That hasn’t worked for me ever. You have to get a lot of insight. Slowly, your brain will start pumping out ideas. Write them down, capture as many of them, and eventually you’ll have a good idea.