Rain Sun and Sam Louderback, co-founders of Splash Tech, discussed their startup’s progress and challenges in a recent episode of “Face to Face With Chancellor May.” Splash Tech is focused on developing technology to help pool owners accurately measure and manage chemicals, aiming to save resources and reduce environmental impact.
Sun, who is pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering, and Louderback, a computer science graduate, met as undergraduates at UC Davis. Their collaboration began with a senior design project that eventually led to the creation of Splash Tech’s first prototype.
“We were really looking for a gap in the market and we ended up finding out that there are swimming pool conventions that happen all across the country,” Louderback said. “We went down to one in Long Beach, and just started talking to different pool management company owners.”
Both founders spoke about the challenges of balancing academic work with launching a business. “Doing school and doing a startup at the same time is very challenging,” Sun said. “The other challenge is to work together as a team. To be able to work with a team is extremely important to ensure the success of the startup.”
Chancellor Gary S. May also commented on what it takes for startups like Splash Tech to succeed: “You start with a good idea, but then you have to have the right people, the right team, they have to work together,” May said. “You have to have all those things that are really not core strengths of engineers, but you have to learn those things or at least add them to your team.”
Sun and Louderback highlighted support from UC Davis resources such as the Diane Bryant Engineering Student Design Center and access to lab equipment as key factors in their development process. They credited their experiences at UC Davis for teaching them important skills including resilience, teamwork, and strategic planning.
Splash Tech also benefited from participating in programs like the UC Davis Big Bang! Business Competition during its early stages.
Chancellor May’s monthly talk show has featured over 40 guests from across campus communities. More information about these conversations can be found on the Face to Face webpage.
