While at Penn State Altoona, Unis decided to take his idea and put together a business plan. “I actually had a customer who would buy two pairs of shoes because his feet were two different sizes.” From idea to business plan “As people were coming in and not finding exactly what they wanted in size or look, I got the idea to fully customize a pair of shoes,” Unis said. He also saw an opportunity to make the shoe-buying experience more personal and fun while working as a part-time sales associate in a shoe store at the mall.

Unis got his idea for fully customized footwear from his own experience buying shoes, ripping them apart, repainting them, changing the materials and selling them. These are the customers that Unis one day would like to target through his company, UnisBrands LLC.

The idea stemmed from an interest in footwear - not just the fashion - but the construction, materials and also the market.Īccording to Business Insider, sneakers are a $55 billion global industry, and the market is largely driven by consumers described as “sneakerheads,” those who make a hobby of collecting and trading shoes. Unis, who enrolled at Penn State through the 2+2 Plan - spending his first two years at Penn State Altoona and finishing at University Park - is working on developing fully customized shoes using 3D printing technology. For every challenge encountered in the process of building a business, Nicholas Unis, a junior in the Smeal College of Business, has relied not only on his own creative ingenuity and determination, but also on the resources and connections Penn State offers to budding entrepreneurs. Through Learning Factory’s support, our team can provide clients an opportunity to engage with the Penn State College of Engineering across most engineering disciplines including, but not limited to, computer science and engineering, biomedical, mechanical, electrical, material science, energy, chemical, and industrial engineering.Ĭontact us to learn how your business can collaborate with the Learning Factory by sponsoring a team project.UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. This partnership aligns with President Barron’s imperatives to create unique opportunities for student engagement, entrepreneurship, and economic development. Through this program, we were able to partner with the Learning Factory to provide needed technical assistance to help move company ideas forward through design, proof-of-concept, and prototype assistance. Our partnership with the Learning Factory began in 2014 as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED) “Discovered in PA, Developed in PA” (D2PA) program.

Over the years, these engineering design capstone projects have provided proof-of-concept and prototype designs that have made a significant impact across the commonwealth. These projects, scoped and presented by business sponsors, allow students to practically design or improve an idea that a business may not have the resources or manpower to tackle. We provide businesses and organizations across the state of Pennsylvania opportunities to engage with engineering students through Learning Factory projects. The Learning Factory provides Penn State undergraduate engineering students the opportunity to tackle real-world problems utilizing classroom engineering design knowledge and tools.

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