Emerging From the eLab Incubator

Adam Klosowiak ’15 plays the guitar — so he knows that the instrument is bulky and heavy, and subject to dings and cracks. The risk of damaging an expensive guitar can be too high for frequent travels.

So Klosowiak, an electrical engineering major, founded KLOS GUITARS in May with his brother, Ian. Their team developed a compact, affordable traveling guitar: The body is made out of carbon fiber, the neck from wood. The pre-order price: $499.

So far, KLOS Guitars has raised about $55,000, including $20,000 through the Princeton eLab Summer Accelerator program. “The eLab has been absolutely crucial to helping KLOS Guitars get off the ground,” said Klosowiak. “It’s always easier to work hard and stay motivated when you know you’re not going through it alone.”

Vaidhy Murti ’15 describes the growth of the Friendsy social network.

Sameer A. Khan

PAW readers may remember a Sept. 17, 2014, story about FRIENDSY, a social network that allows college students to anonymously chat and connect in friendly and romantic ways. Friendsy, which was co-founded by Vaidhy Murti ’15 and Michael Pinsky ’15, was launched on the Princeton campus in May 2013 and has since expanded to more than 84,000 users at colleges across America.

This summer, Friendsy began testing a new discussion feature, reminiscent of ’90s AOL chat rooms, in which users can speak anonymously.

The team has raised more than $700,000, including $92,000 from Princeton’s Alumni Entrepreneurship Fund, $40,000 from the eLab Summer Accelerator program, and $500,000 from New York City investors. The University funding “really transformed our company,” Murti said.