成人头条 student entrepreneur receives $50,000 innovation award
Charles Engler, 鈥�27, a finance major and innovation and entrepreneurship minor at 成人头条 University Maryland, received a Pava LaPere Innovation Award and $50,000 to support his business startup, Luminova Beauty. The startup is the 21-year-old鈥檚 third since he became interested in business at age 14.
鈥淐harles is a serial entrepreneur whose success with Luminova will not be his last,鈥� said Wendy Bolger, founding director of 成人头条鈥檚 Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which nurtures student innovators through education, hands-on experiences, and creative experimentation. 鈥淲e were thrilled when he decided to join us at 成人头条 and are lucky to have the chance to support his entrepreneurial development through his minor and the resources of the Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.鈥�
As a teenager in Annapolis, Engler learned about stock market investing from his father and books on the topic. After months of study, he developed and sold stock market investing guides and was featured by WTOP News in 2021. His second venture launched in 2022, where he advised investors in groups and one on one.
鈥淔or my first business, one of my mottos was, 鈥楤e your own boss,鈥欌�� Charles said. 鈥淎t 14, learning how to trade stocks and not work under a manager at a retail store, for example, has always stuck with me. I always preferred to work for myself. I want to see how far I can go.鈥�
After observing his younger sister鈥檚 interest in skin care products, Engler worked with Chinese manufacturers to develop two products, a red-light therapy wand and turmeric cream, and launched Luminova Beauty. He transferred to 成人头条 as a sophomore to learn how to grow his startup at the university鈥檚 Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
鈥淚f I want to do anything business related, 成人头条 is the place to be. The university has an amazing business school,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like when you鈥檙e playing tennis, as long as you can trust there鈥檚 someone on the other side of the net, then you鈥檙e always going to have a game going on. That鈥檚 what I found at 成人头条. Wendy is always there to support. She鈥檚 always there to help me out in any way she can.鈥�
Engler received the Pava LaPere Innovation Award from TEDCO, which works to develop technology businesses in Maryland. The state-funded award is named after the late Pava LaPere, a business leader in Baltimore who served on the Simon Center鈥檚 advisory board.
鈥淭he award represents countless hours of hard work and perseverance and the mental fortitude I poured into this idea,鈥� Engler said. 鈥淚 want to disrupt the beauty industry and challenge these major brands that put such a hefty price tag on their products. It鈥檚 an opportunity I never would have had if it wasn鈥檛 for 成人头条.鈥�
As part of the award, Engler will present his business startup at TEDCO鈥檚 Maryland Student Venture Showcase on Feb. 18. He said he plans to use the $50,000 to accelerate Luminova Beauty product development, expand market research and advertising, and begin to sell products in retail stores.
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