Students in the UofL Sandbox course
Enterprising students at the University of Louisville are using Cardinal Intelligence to develop artificial intelligence (AI) software applications that improve student performance and help Etsy sellers use social media more efficiently to market their businesses. They received support in developing and commercializing their projects through Sandbox, a specialized course from the UofL College of Business.
Ethan Havertape and Nate Royal created Due Gooder, an AI-powered application designed to help college students stay organized and manage their coursework. Due Gooder is fed with users’ curricula or information from learning management systems (e.g. Blackboard) and can help students manage their work and schedule class appointments.
Royal, a junior computer science major in the JB Speed School of Engineering, and Havertape, a junior CIS major in the College of Business, use AI in both software programming and their business operations.
“Within the app, we developed ‘Duey,’ a personal AI assistant that understands students’ schedules, assignments, and context of coursework. Duey can help students plan learning blocks, answer questions about curriculum policies, and assist with scheduling-related decisions,” said Havertape.
The system includes adaptive AI learning tools that create flashcards and practice tests from students’ notes, slides, and coursework. It even identifies areas where the student needs improvement and adjusts learning resources to strengthen those skills.
“Beyond the product, we are using AI extensively in coding, operations, marketing and internal business processes to increase efficiency,” Royal said.
The team received support and mentoring for the project through Sandbox, a year-long course that guides students in navigating the process of developing software companies.
“Since entering Sandbox, we have grown from just a few hundred users to tens of thousands of student enrollments across thousands of universities, made investments, and expanded into university-based research pilots focused on student engagement, persistence, and retention,” Havertape said.
UofL’s Sandbox chapter, first offered in 2025-26, gave student teams the opportunity to network with mentors and other Sandbox teams from across the United States. The course allows students to form interdisciplinary groups to identify and validate software products, sell them, and seek venture funding. Students retain 100% of the equity in any company they build as part of Sandbox.
“Sandbox” is aimed at entrepreneurial students of all majors, regardless of whether they have technical training or not, said Jack Manzella, entrepreneur in residence and instructor of the course.
“Students who have a desire to gain the experience of a startup team and build a software company may benefit from a year-long residency in Sandbox,” Manzella said. “The resources and national networking opportunities available to Sandbox students help them build a solid foundation and actually follow through on the steps to starting a business.”
Havertape and Royal said Sandbox gave them a distinct advantage in advancing their idea.
“You don’t have to already have a startup or know exactly what you want to build,” Havertape said. “Sandbox offers students the opportunity to learn entrepreneurship from the ground up while being surrounded by people who are motivated to create and solve problems. The more effort and energy you put into the program, the more valuable the experience becomes.”
AI tool for Etsy sellers
Stephanie Sithu, another Sandbox graduate, presented her AI marketing tool BeforeMe during the course. Born out of a need to improve their own Etsy business, BeforeMe is aimed at Etsy sellers looking to grow their business on Pinterest. It generates Pins from the user’s Etsy listings and schedules them.
To develop BeforeMe, Sithu worked with the technology teams of both platforms and refined their marketing approach using Sandbox.
“I worked directly with the API teams at Pinterest and Etsy to develop it. AI is central to BeforeMe in two ways: I use Gemini to generate optimized pin copy and build my own heuristic AI layer that adjusts scheduling based on which pins are gaining traction and which audience intents (shopping, lifestyle, gifting, solutions) they serve,” said Sithu.
The Speed School 2026 computer science graduate said the structure of the Sandbox course was exactly what she needed.
“The customer discovery framework helped me stop guessing and find the real, specific problems Etsy sellers face with Pinterest marketing, which directly impacted the features I built,” said Sithu. “The industry speakers walked us through every phase of building something real, and I particularly enjoyed the branding sessions. The pitching process was also humbling in the best way. I reworked my pitch right up until the last day, and in the end it felt truly like me and not like a rehearsed product benefit script.”
About Cardinal Intelligence
Cardinal Intelligence empowers the University of Louisville to lead and learn with human-centered leadership and accountability in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). For generations, the Cardinals have embraced technology, expanding the way we learn, discover, connect and work. While AI raises important questions, our students, faculty, researchers and staff bring the curiosity and innovation necessary to find answers. Through Cardinal Intelligence, we are shaping how UofL uses AI to advance our university and find solutions that strengthen the communities we serve.
https://www.uoflnews.com/section/science-and-tech/uofl-students-use-ai-to-create-software-tools-and-companies/
