Won $50K to Stop Truck Drivers From Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Ashton Kooken had just been in a car accident from falling asleep behind the wheel. He had already lost his sister on the road, and a close friend had lost their dad in a semi accident. Then his capstone class at the University of Dayton put a piece of athlete fatigue technology in front of him, and he asked one question: if this can tell when an athlete is exhausted, why can't it tell when a driver is?That question became Soterix. It's an in ear wearable for long haul truck drivers that reads four biometric sensors and catches a driver falling asleep, or having a medical emergency, before it happens. It won $50,000 at Flyer Pitch. Pilots start in the next four months.Todd Romer sits down with Ashton to talk about the fear that shows up in every business, what he learned about himself building this, and the two money moves that defined his last year. One of them saved him $30,000 by refusing to move fast. The other one cost him everything he had in a crypto coin that got pulled the next day.Then Todd puts him on the spot with the street question: what is the actual difference between a credit union and a bank?CHAPTERS00:00 Why this podcast exists01:39 Meet Ashton Kooken, University of Dayton grad03:23 The personal reason he started Soterix04:40 The in ear device and the four sensors inside it05:48 How close it is to market06:46 Winning $50,000 at Flyer Pitch07:48 Who else is on the team08:27 What he does when the fear and doubt show up09:23 What building Soterix taught him about himself11:51 What he'd tell anyone too scared to start12:39 Why he's taking the risk now instead of in 10 years13:40 Best money move: slowing down saved him $30,00014:48 Worst money move: the crypto coin that got pulled15:43 He's getting featured in the newsletter17:14 Street question: credit union or bank, what's the difference?17:47 Why he banks with Wright-Patt18:57 The real answer: rates, loans, and being a member owner19:39 The one money topic he wants to learn next21:08 Parting wordsABOUT FINANCIAL REBELLIONWe help 18 to 34 year olds rebel against traditional financial norms that stopped working decades ago. How to dream differently. How to get past the limiting beliefs you have about yourself and money. How to save and spend in a way that lowers stress instead of raising it. And how to build real wealth over time.We're also big fans of credit unions, and most people still can't tell you what makes one different from a bank. We fix that.Free weekly newsletter: https://financial-rebellion.comAll episodes: https://podcast.financial-rebellion.comFree money tools: https://learn.financial-rebellion.com/interactive/Music: "City Sparks" by Vlad Annenkov.#FinancialRebellion #Entrepreneurship #CreditUnions #StudentFounder #UniversityOfDayton #YoungEntrepreneur #StartupStory #PersonalFinance