Naperville North High School students are able to get real-world business experience through the school’s program, INCubator. Three students, Kevin Letcher, Parker Mullen and Ishan Sadhukhan, set out on a mission to benefit the ecosystems while also learning the ropes of business.

From this initiative, Oracle Straw came into fruition.

As described by Letcher, INCubator is a program for students to collaborate on a startup company. While Letcher admits they are not the creators of the straws, they are the retailers for them. In fact, according to their mission statement on Oracle Straw’s website, for every straw they sell, 10 percent of the profits earned will go toward SAVE-A-TURTLE.

INCubator edu began during the fall of 2017 at Naperville 203 and enabled students to “have the opportunity to create and grow their businesses,” reported NCTV17.

Through the program, Letcher says they “hope to gain a good base of knowledge on the process of starting up a company.” He says that they use the forum of INCubator as a space to bounce ideas off one another.

Letcher and his teammates also “would like to obtain real-world business skills and experiences through pitching,” as they were able to do with Naperville Development Partnership. While the team was at the NDP office to do a practice pitch for Oracle Straw, they were able to introduce our staff to the product and highlight some marketing strategies they have planned.

So, what exactly is Oracle Straw? It is described on their website as a stainless-steel straw that is collapsible. The collapsible straw also comes in a container that customers can carry around in a purse, pocket or attach it to something and use it as a keychain. You can also take the straw with you anywhere you go. Additionally, the straw is meant to be sustainable, so it’s meant to last for an extended amount of time. This straw is not a one-time only deal, but rather, something you can carry around with you for continual use — it’s also dishwasher safe!

The three Naperville North students have all been involved in varying forms of e-commerce business before. “We took the basis of all of our interests and a growing product and decided to start selling,” Letcher says.

The three Naperville North students realize the consequences that recyclable straws are having on ecosystems, especially marine life. They found that, within a year, there are over a million marine life fatalities. 500 million straws are being disposed by people every day, according to the student’s findings. These three students seek to reduce that number by creating a reusable straw to help preserve the ecosystems.

Help save the ecosystems and turtles by purchasing one of your very own reusable straws! Check out Oracle Straw’s website to learn more about their initiative and purchase your very own straw: www.oraclestraw.com.