Super Starr Student Invents Tobacco-Free Alternative to Nicotine Vaping: Product Has Just Been Launched in the UK
Dubbed a promising Student Entrepreneur in Residence at West Chester University’s
Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center, 20-year-old Zach Starr is challenging the burgeoning
vaping industry with a Quix fix that is designed to help a growing number of young
vapers reduce their addictive habits. Starr’s company, Quix Labs, created The Quix
as the first all-in-one disposable aerosol system that delivers a nicotine-reduced
experience to consumers as a viable way to empower individuals to eventually kick-the-habit.
Offering four nicotine-reduced strengths, the tobacco-free product enables users to
experience what it is like to use lower and nicotine-free alternatives. As a manufacturer
and distributor of the first nicotine-reduction focused smoking alternative, the company
has recently sold the product to distributors in the U.K. and it will soon be marketed
in the U.S.
After seeing friends in high school engage in vaping, Starr was determined to provide
an alternative that would empower them to eventually quit. He is aware of the startling
statistics. “People my age and even younger are currently using high-nicotine devices
like electronic cigarettes in staggering numbers,” shared Starr. “Globally, the number
of electronic cigarette users has risen to more than 82 million people. While my partners
and I recognize that some individuals have accepted smoking as a habit they may never
quit, our focus is on providing an alternative for those who still wish to quit. My
generation needs an alternative.”
Starr, an economic and finance major in WCU’s College of Business and Public Management
who acts as president of Quix Labs, leads product development, marketing, operations,
and accounting for the company. He has organized a team of equally competitive and
committed partners. Ryan Mazur serves as chief operating officer of Quix Labs and
brings expertise in chemical engineering and process engineering. Jeff Vaughan, who
is a pharmacist as well as an industry expert, serves as chief medical officer. Anthony
Musacchio, who has experience in the venture capital space, is chief financial officer.
Having honed his entrepreneurial experience as a middle school student who launched
a travel business for families and corporations, Starr’s business acumen is sharp,
and he works hard for positive results. “I started this company as an idea on a piece
of paper and through my work, networking, consistency, and persistence, have taken
an idea to a full-fledged international company. We received proper market authorization
in Quarter 1 of 2023 and officially launched to consumers on April 15, 2023.”
“We could not be prouder or more impressed with Zach as a student, an entrepreneur,
a mentor, a peer, and an inspiration,” said Director of West Chester University’s
Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center Pattie Diggin. “He has taken concepts and theory
and applied them to what is certain to be a thriving business. We don’t know when
he sleeps.”
In his spare time, Starr is also a venture partner for Z.L. Starr, an all-in-one consulting
firm for startup and small businesses; co-host and founder of a talk show entitled
‘More Than Philly Sports;’ founder and CEO of Platinum Starr Travel; and a baseball
coach for the West Chester Dragons as well as an eighth grade coach at Fugett Middle
School in West Goshen, PA.
“They sky is the limit for Zach, and this is only the beginning,” added Diggin.