DSC’s Lemerand Speaker Series to feature alum Shark Tank entrepreneur, scholarships

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 1, 2016) - Chris Gilpin, a 2002 Daytona State College graduate who turned a $1 winning lottery ticket into a thriving tech startup, will be the featured speaker on Tuesday, April 12, during the L. Gale Lemerand Entrepreneurial Speaker Series hosted by the Small Business Development Center at Daytona State College.

The free public event, which also features scholarships awarded to four promising students, kicks off at 9:30 a.m. in the Mori Hosseini Center on the college’s Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. (Scholarship applications due March 31.)

Gilpin’s company, Signal Vault, produces a card-like device that fits in a wallet and is designed to block hackers from remotely scanning the electronic chips in today’s credit cards. Known as RFID credit cards, they offer more security than older credit cards, but they can be scanned remotely by so-called crowd hackers using the right equipment, even if the card is in a wallet.

Gilpin, 34, of DeBary launched his company in 2013 after winning $8,000 on a $1 Florida Lottery ticket. Last September, he secured an investment through ABC’s Shark Tank series. His device has appeared on the QVC Network and he has sold more than 350,000 units worldwide.

He earned his Associate of Arts degree from Daytona State in 2002, then transferred to the University of Central Florida, where he majored in business.

In addition to Gilpin’s talk, four promising students will be awarded $1,000 L. Gale Lemerand Entrepreneurial Speaker Series Scholarships during the event. Awards will go to a student in a Volusia or Flagler County high school who plans to attend DSC, two DSC college-credit students and a DSC Adult Education student.

Students must submit their scholarship applications on the DSC website by 5 p.m. on March 31. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on a demonstrated financial need, academic performance and an interest in entrepreneurship. L. Gale Lemerand will announce the awards during the April 12 Entrepreneurial Speaker Series event.

Mr. Lemerand is one of the nation’s leading entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Through an endowment, DSC’s Center for Entrepreneurship that bears his name has become a valuable resource available for Daytona State students seeking degrees in business and management, as well as for anyone who wants to learn what it takes to start a business from the ground up.

For additional information about the event or the L. Gale Lemerand Entrepreneurial Speaker Series, call (386) 506-4723 or email SBDC@DaytonaState.edu.

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