Tech founder Payton Woodruff is ready to revolutionize augmented technology.
“For decades, our technology has advanced, but the way we interact with it has remained the same,” he says. “We created Fusion, which transforms any surface into interactive, hand-controlled digital content, to bridge the gap between our digital and physical worlds. Because the future isn’t humans disappearing into tech, it’s tech integrating seamlessly into our lives.”
Payton isn’t based in Silicon Valley. He’s a senior at Bentonville High School in Northwest Arkansas, and one of 12 juniors and seniors participating in the district’s newly launched Ignite Professional Studies Startup Lab.
For nearly a decade, Ignite has supported local students in gaining work-based learning experience, industry-valued credentials and high-quality classroom instruction across a number of in-demand career pathways.
In the 2024-2025 school year, Ignite launched an Entrepreneurial Pathway in response to growing student demand.
“Across our career pathways, we have students with ideas brewing. They want to launch a business, but that can be a lot for a 16-year-old,” says Jessica Imel, principal of Ignite.
The Ignite Startup Lab launched with support from the Walton Family Foundation as part of our belief that a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem is critical to the region’s long-term economic vitality. As part of that vision, we are helping community partners build a pipeline of entrepreneurial talent with access to the resources they need to succeed.
The semester-long Startup Lab builds off a student’s prior Ignite experience. The inaugural cohort includes young entrepreneurs across Ignite’s Digital Media, Culinary Arts, Tech, Health and Global Business pathways.
Three times a week, students meet at Startup Lab, working through the practical elements required to bring their ideas to life—from choosing how to incorporate a business and discovering new customers to raising financial capital and building a social network. At the end of the semester, each student participates in a community pitch competition, attended by local business leaders, community leaders and fellow entrepreneurs.
Ericka Talley is Startup Lab’s Entrepreneur in Residence. The former director of operations at entrepreneur support organization Conductor, she is now bringing this experience directly into the classroom and connecting students with the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas.
“When I first toured Ignite, I was blown away, just fully in awe of the opportunity Ignite presented these students,” she says.
More than a class, Startup Lab is an experience in which students can directly apply what they are learning to their business in real time. Ultimately, through mentorships and networking opportunities, Ericka says “the end goal is to get them plugged into the entrepreneurial community and resources available in Northwest Arkansas beyond Ignite.”
Ethan McCarthy, a former Ignite student, also supports the program as a Startup Coach. “As a student, you always hear from teachers, ‘When you enter the real world, you will need these skills!’ Ignite puts the real world in your hands, and you know that every day you are making real progress toward a real goal.”
Payton and his business partner Hudson Dimmit launched Fusion this year with the support of Startup Lab. He says that Ericka and Ethan introduced them to area entrepreneurs, who provided guidance on how to best iterate and grow their business. When they wanted to test their product in the real world, Startup Lab connected them with audiences at the Bentonville Farmers Market and CTE Day at the Arkansas State Capitol.
Ella Plumlee is another Startup Lab participant. A Global Business Pathway student, Ella chose Startup Lab to launch and grow Surf & Saddle, a direct-to-consumer handmade jewelry line.
“I have a passion for creating things,” says Ella. “Ignite Global Business helped me understand what I like and don’t like, and it turns out that I love entrepreneurship.”
Through Startup Lab, she receives weekly check-ins, which include mentorship from financial and legal professionals. “I think where I struggle the most is managing the numbers. My mentor gave me a helpful tool for laying it all out and getting started,” Ella shared.
The most helpful piece of advice she has received? Focus on customer discovery.
“Social media has transformed my company. When I started posting to TikTok, I had 30,000 views. To capture that interest, I launched my website, and in the first 24 hours I made 14 sales from as far away as Hawaii. One necklace received 70,000 views and garnered 1,500 new followers to my account. It sold out, and now my parents’ dining room table is covered in product and packaging!”
Trey Bounds founded CTrek Outdoors, an online retailer. “Startup Lab has brought me from the beginning of an idea to having a fully-fledged business under an LLC, with a physical product in my hand that you can see on store shelves. My coaches have helped me every step of the way.”
Ericka believes the future of entrepreneurship in Northwest Arkansas is bright.
“While I've worked in higher education, this was my first time working directly with high school students. It has been incredible to watch them support each other with such care and respect, and their work ethic is truly unmatched,” she says.
As the first group of Startup Lab entrepreneurs prepares to graduate, Jessica says her ultimate goal is to graduate students who are confident and prepared for whatever comes next. “We’re building a talent pipeline for the region, but no matter what they choose to do, they will enter the next phase empowered to accomplish their goals.”
Payton graduates this spring and will enter the University of Arkansas as a Bodenhamer Fellow this fall. “Often people say to build what I want to build, you have to move to San Francisco or New York,” he says of the next stages for Fusion. “But what Ignite has shown me has completely changed my mind. There are so many organizations in Northwest Arkansas willing to help you … If you have a vision and a plan, you can make it happen here.”
