7/20/2011
Matthew Gornick, a 23-year-old innovator and 2010 graduate of the University of Illinois, quit his consulting job in order to give full focus to his...
Written by
By: Lyndsey Taylor
URBANA, Ill-(July 20, 2011) Matthew Gornick, a 23-year-old innovator and 2010 graduate of the University of Illinois, quit his consulting job in order to give full focus to his start-up business, OrangeQC.
A decision, which Gornick said is more in-line with his career ambitions. Gornick is currently working full-time on OrangeQC.
The quality control business serves as inspection software for facilities, primarily in Illinois. OrangeQC has a website and also an application for the iPhone.
“We do quality control primarily for medical facilities,” Gornick said. “You can think of it as a checklist to make sure things get done. That goes for everything from making sure medical rooms are clean to everything that makes up the whole building. We are the inspection software to make sure everything is up to par,” he said.
Orange QC is also used by smaller businesses, medical facilities in Missouri and Chicago, and an airport overseas.
“It's a lot more in-tune with what I love doing. It's very enjoyable. Always something new and challenging,” he said.
Gornick said his ambition for the growing company is to be the “standard of quality control inspections at medical facilities to be used at every hospital in the world.”
While attending the University, Gornick participated in the Start-up Senior Design course with Professor Brian Lilly, the Technology Entrepreneur Center's Start-up Boot Camp and attended the TEC Silicon Valley Workshop.
On top of the programs he was involved in through TEC, Gornick also participated in the Cozad New Venture Competition taking home funding for first prize as well as for Best Bootstrapped Venture.
While participating in TEC's programs, Gornick partnered with Ryan Matthews, and is still working with him on OrangeQC.
Gornick said he “stumbled” upon TEC because many of his friends were involved. Getting introduced to start-ups and entrepreneurs early on was helpful, he added.
“TEC has been great. Everything from the classes to talking to entrepreneurs that are already active in business,” Gornick said.
"It really helps to be able to talk to 'rock stars' and to be able to learn things by doing it rather than reading it in a book,” he said.
In addition to OrangeQC, Gornick is the software engineer for Inventables.com, the creation of University of Illinois alum, Zach Kaplan. According to the site, the business serves as “an innovators hardware store,” and sells materials for artists, product developers, researchers, and inventors to create prototypes and test concepts.
Both OrangeQC and Inventables are based in Chicago, Ill.
Although Gornick spends much of his time on the web for work, he does take time for athletics and music. Running, rock climbing and attending concerts are among Gornick's extra-curricular loves.