Data Science Minor Student Creates Mobile Application for Event Tracking

Poets & Quants | Nov. 22, 2022

University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce student David Roselle and Peter Layne, a foreign affairs major earning a data science minor, were recognized by Poets & Quants in their "2022 Most Disruptive Business School Startups." DoorList utilizes a dynamic QR code in place of other means of event entry like wristbands or guest lists. The app allows event hosts to quickly add other social organizations or individuals to their event lists, creating smoother and safer events by eliminating pain points in event planning and security. Removing the need for wristbands saves money for organizations while reducing paper waste and the need for physical band distribution.

Roselle and Layne came up with the idea after experiencing event entry issues at UVA. The previous means of event entry, wristbands or guest lists, each had significant flaws. Wristbands cost money and must be distributed in-person, while guest lists are easy to bypass using a fake name and are very slow at the door. DoorList eliminates the need to make these tradeoffs – we set out to provide a solution that is fast at the door and significantly more convenient than any other option, while also saving organizations money and improving their environmental impact.

The mobile application won the UVA Entrepreneurship Cup Discovery Phase in the Spring of 2022, one of five startups to win $5,000. According to Roselle and Layne, "With over 5,000 users across 50+ organizations just at UVA, we now have a proven model for peer schools to adopt DoorList and see the benefits immediately. Our long-term goal is to continue to expand beyond UVA and make wristbands a relic of the past."

Read the full article on Poets & Quants.