A group of WSU students have recently assembled a “dream team” to kick start their business idea.

Junior computer science major Andrew Trefethen, junior aerospace engineering major Zane Woltz, and sophomore business major Austin Slater created a prototyping business they call ProtoBench.

ProtoBench, according to their Facebook page, is a company that provides prototyping and 3D modeling services for entrepreneurs. They specialize in 3D printing and strive to empower innovators in small companies to take on larger competition.

Last December, Trefethen said he pitched his business idea to his boss at Electronic Sensors Incorporated (ESI).

“It stemmed from seeing the problem that ESI had trying to make a prototype of my own for a different type of level sensor, and not being able to find the parts I needed. So I pitched it to them and they liked it a lot and they wanted to help me get it started,” he said.

Trefethen’s boss provided an empty space for the students to use right next door to ESI, which got ProtoBench moving. Trefethen said he sat down with Woltz and Slater and just said, “We’re going to make this happen.”

And they did.

“From there it’s just been networking and talking with people, getting connections and letting people know that we’re here and finding ways of getting people involved,” Trefethen said.

Trefethen said he sees ProtoBench becoming an influential company in Wichita and, someday, expand into a place where national and global companies and innovators bring ideas in order to get out on the market.

“It won’t take half a million dollars to launch a product. It’ll take $30,000 to launch that product — or it won’t take $30,000 to launch a product, it’ll take $700. We’re dropping the cost and on top of that, the time required,” Trefethen said.

On campus, mechanical engineering professors have given them pointers on the processes they have in place, as well as contributing some ideas.

From the community, ProtoBench is closely tied with MakeICT — Wichita’s MakerSpace, which helps them to spread the word about their business.

ProtoBench hosted a workshop a few weeks ago over Fusion360, which is a cloud-based 3D tool used for product development, and not offered by MakeICT.

ProtoBench also hosts other various events at their facility such as Maker Mondays, which allows others to look at their newest products, as well as networking events they call “ProtoConnect.”

The name “ProtoBench” is unique. When asked how he came up with the name, Trefethen said that he based it off Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who also built the first computer on a bench in their garage.

“We’re a prototyping company and, historically, prototypes were built on a bench in a garage and it kind of just grew from that. ProtoBench,” he said as he joked that ProtoBench sounded better than ProtoGarage.