BriefSkate

Company: Briefskate, Tampa 

Principal: Alexei Novitzky, founder and designer

The big idea: While skateboarding between his graduate astrophysics classes, Alexei Novitzky decided he was sick of juggling his backpack and skateboard around campus. So he started to experiment.

First he tried skating to class with his books between his feet; this just wasn't comfortable. Then he created a fold-up skateboard that could fit in his backpack, but it didn't ride well. Finally it dawned on him: What if he could carry his books and pencils in his skateboard?

Using two old skateboard decks, some latches from Home Depot and a piece of scrap wood, Novitzky built the Skatecase, a skateboard designed to double as a briefcase.

Novitzky, 28, secured a patent for his invention with the help of one of his University of South Florida professors, Franco Lodato, who used to design for Motorola and Gillette.

Novitzky made each board by hand, and started to sell them one by one for around $350 a piece. “I never had more than $100 to my name. All I had was a jigsaw,” Novitzky says. Although he declines to share revenues, Novitzky says to date he's sold around 70 boards, and he's given away an additional 200 to promote the product.

This spring Novitzky recruited two business partners to help him officially kick off the business. Renaming their product the Briefskate, the team recently partnered with a skilled Tampa woodworker, who is starting to carve and build the skateboards. The team hopes to sell Briefskates in retail stores for around $150, the typical price of a skateboard. The firm also hopes to partner with global distributors such as Ron's Surf Shop or Surf Style to carry the boards.