Besides having the same name, Sajjad Albadri and Sajjad Alhashami grew up together and have an extremely close relationship. “We have been best friends for a long time,” says Albadri. “We’re both from Iraq, went to the same community college, and now we are both here at Syracuse University majoring in computer science.”
As computer scientists, Albadri says it is imperative to their major and to their anticipated career path that “we create software that solves problems, and we invest in new ideas, it’s an integral part of our work.” Although they didn’t start out as entrepreneurs, they see a lot of overlap in computer science and the goal of entrepreneurship, to make the world a better, convenient, and more connected place for people.
When trying to figure out a problem to solve through software, Albadri considered personal experience between him and his co-founder. Throughout high school Alhashami had trouble with a nicotine addiction caused by excessive use of e-cigarettes which caused extreme health problems for him, causing him to quit. Unfortunately, this is a widespread problem among Gen Z and, as Albadri and Alhashami recognized, it’s an issue that hasn’t really been addressed by the market.
To combat this issue, they created QPuff, a software that is integrated into popular e-cigarette devices that tracks the number of inhales an e-vape user is doing and then creates a health record with the associated app. Because vaping is usually a mindless, impulsive activity, by showing the user how much they are vaping electronically, it can help deter their habit. Alhashami attests that becoming aware that he, in fact, had a problem was the first step to defeating it and hopes others can become aware through QPuff.
QPuff’s true goal is to be recognized as a major health necessity by health organizations regarding e-cigs. The FDA can raise awareness a great deal and protect our young generations by pushing this new technology and allowing major companies to find their way back to their original missions of treating cigarette addictions.
QPuff became involved in the LaunchPad after they realized the importance of pitch competitions and business resources to get their idea up and running. The team is excited to pursue further investment and to help QPuff get approved by regulatory agencies. Albadri says “Our main goal is to get it approved by the FDA or another major health organization to help get our product off the ground.”
QPuff is also looking for someone with marketing expertise to help promote the company and push it out into the market to help bring about awareness from health organizations. If you’re interested, reach out to saalbadr@syr.edu.
Story by Jack Lyons ‘22, LaunchPad Global Fellow; photos and graphics supplied