Four ATLAS students have together created Xpressink, a startup that specialises in temporary tattoos using 3D printing and Jagua ink. Pedro, second-year ATLAS student and co-founder of Xpressink, tells us all about the startup and working with fellow students Emile, Elsa, and Andre.
“What we’re trying to do is offer associations and groups with a community base the opportunity to make their mark on their supporters. For example, the UT entrepreneurial association Hardstart has a very broad network and a close community, so we’ll be catering their upcoming ‘Funding Nemo’ event. Our goal is to empower dialogue; temporary body art shows off that you’re a participant in a certain community and that you have a certain amount of dedication since it’s literally on your person. Our vision is to make this the next big way for people to express their commitment and participation in a community or movement. It’s fun to do that with sports and study associations, but the end goal would really be to be in political movements and festivals that celebrate an integral part of what people are.
I got this idea during one of the UT entrepreneurship events, called the StartupLaunch. I didn’t really know how to proceed with the production, so I talked to Elsa who has a lot of experience with henna. I then approached Emile because I thought that 3D Printers would be good for making the moulds. Elsa moved towards doing the marketing work since Emile had a lot of experience with the printers, and Andre joined when it became evident that we couldn’t do a lot of stuff like our startup’s books. So in our team, we all have different tasks: Emile does the production with the printers, Elsa is in charge of marketing, and Andre does all the behind-the-scenes type of things, the back-end.
This project is also my ATLAS Personal Pursuit. It’s a continuation of what I did last year, which was developing a business model. This year I’m using that knowledge to make a full-on business plan and manage a team along with identifying suppliers – especially managing relationships with different parties is something that I’m learning from this venture. Emile is designing 3D models for his personal pursuit, so that also fits. Andre and Elsa, on the other hand, are doing this outside of ATLAS, so their time is more limited.
Next to support from ATLAS, Hardstart is also helping us out. We did a pitch with them at one of their bimonthly events and they liked the idea. We got all the space we need for now through them, which we thus didn’t have to raise funds for. We’re going to move Emile’s 3D-Printer over there next year and try to acquire two more printers to make the moulds, and we’re trying to find a machine that can fill the moulds perfectly.
For the near future we want to do a pilot project during the UT ‘Kick-In’ with a few of associations; a hundred products here, a hundred there. Then for the other six months, we want to work with the UT to see what events are best suited for us so that by the end of those six months we know exactly what we’re doing and who we want to cater to in order to reach a broader network.”
University College Twente offers a unique bachelor’s programme, Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences, to top students. Visit the University College Twente website for more information about the college and Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences website for more information about the bachelor program. Or visit us during the open day, a student-for-a-day or an insight-day.
