Christian Bitzas
A Laramie-based successful startup company is paying it forward with LaunchNav, an
artificial intelligence-powered supply chain mapping company that helps businesses
discover U.S.-based manufacturers.
UplinkRobotics -- which produces inspection tools and robots for various industries,
including home inspectors, construction, firefighters and law enforcement -- started
at the University of Wyoming, winning the John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition
in 2022. The company grew from there, with mentorship from UW’s IMPACT 307 business
incubator.
Now, UplinkRobotics CEO Christian Bitzas, who came to UW from Powell to earn his bachelor’s
degree in computer science and his master’s degree in electrical engineering, wants
to help other Wyoming startups succeed.
“I created LaunchNav after experiencing supply chain challenges at UplinkRobotics,”
Bitzas says. “We struggled to find reliable U.S.-based manufacturers, and I realized
that, if we faced this problem, countless other businesses likely did, too.”
Indeed, it’s an issue IMPACT 307 Assistant Director Nicholas Giraldo has seen many
times throughout the years.
“Previously, I was with the Small Business Development Center and, talking to economic
developers around the state, there was a big need that wasn’t getting filled,” he
says. “The need was for entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners to have a central place
where they can connect with other businesses and state services.”
Bitzas says the platform’s search functionality allows users to enter queries like
“PCB (printed circuit board) manufacturer in the Mountain West region.” The AI then
interprets the request, searches numerous locations for potential websites, scans
each site and returns comprehensive information including company names, services,
North American Industry Classification System codes, products, location, contact information
and potential capabilities. Each data point includes a confidence score and rationale,
providing transparency in how the AI generated the information.
“LaunchNav uses artificial intelligence to continuously identify manufacturing partners
and automatically updates company information every one to two months, ensuring the
database remains current and accurate,” Bitzas says.
The first product to come from LaunchNav is WyoHub, a free, no-login-required platform
that connects entrepreneurs and existing businesses with resources to help them start
or grow. The platform features business planning calculators with tools for payroll,
break-even analysis, runway projections and inventory management; a business 101 guide
with a comprehensive checklist that walks users through the company formation process;
a business tool search to help companies discover software and tools to support their
growth; an entrepreneurial ecosystem directory to connect users with organizations
and economic development agencies across Wyoming; and an interactive resource map
displaying private, public and manufacturing resources throughout Wyoming, powered
by LaunchNav’s AI technology.
“WyoHub was born from my experience building UplinkRobotics,” Bitzas says. “I found
it challenging to navigate Wyoming’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and identify who could
help with what. I wanted to create a centralized platform for future entrepreneurs
following a similar path.”
WyoHub launched Wednesday, Oct. 8, but additional features will be added, including
an AI chatbot for business ideation and general business guidance.
“Bitzas is a real UW success story,” Giraldo says. “He received a great education
from our engineering program; he went through the incubator; he launched a successful
startup; he’s involved in the community with things like the UplinkRobotics 4-H programs;
and now he’s helping other startups succeed.”
Like Uplink, which recently graduated from IMPACT 307, LaunchNav will be incubated
in the Laramie location.
“IMPACT 307 is focused on developing UW spinouts and provides a host of services,
including programming, networking, physical office space and many other resources,”
Giraldo says. “It’s really great to see a serial entrepreneur like Bitzas blossoming
here, and we’re excited to help with that.”
Bitzas says his primary goal with WyoHub is to drive economic development in Wyoming.
“The state is experiencing an economic downturn, and I want to encourage and support business growth and startup activity,” he says. “Currently, entrepreneurial resources are scattered across numerous organizations and platforms. WyoHub consolidates everything into one unified system -- a single destination where anyone can access the content and connections they need to start or grow a company in Wyoming.”
