Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

A simple breakfast moment changed everything. My mom mentioned seeing a family of deer walking down our street, and I was disappointed I’d missed them. That’s when it hit me: what if there was a camera that could detect wildlife and send live notifications with details about the species, habitat, and local ecosystem? That morning conversation sparked WildGuard — a platform that doesn’t just capture wildlife moments, but educates people, helps farmers and landowners.

How do you stay motivated?

I stay motivated because WildGuard fills a critical gap that no one else is addressing in this way. My idea is original, it’s desperately needed by communities, conservationists, and landowners, and it’s a genuine game changer. Every time a farmer prevents crop damage while protecting wildlife, or a conservation group gains crucial species data they couldn’t get before, I see the real-world impact. Knowing that WildGuard bridges technology and nature.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would invest 40% in hardware R&D to enhance our AI detection capabilities and camera technology, 30% in app development to create the most intuitive user experience for everyone from farmers to conservationists, 20% in marketing to reach the landowners and organizations who need WildGuard most, and 10% in operations to build the infrastructure for scaling our impact across communities nationwide. wildguard.io