CREATE-X alum Samuel Porta talks about his startup queues, his experience with Startup Launch, and the progress he’s made since completing the program.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Samuel Porta and I am the founder and CEO of queues. As CEO, I lead our team at queues in the pursuit of using data to improve people’s lives.

Can you tell us about your startup?

At queues, our mission is to help people save time. Our startup uses computer vision to collect live wait times for dining locations at college campuses which we make available to students through our iOS and Android “queues” app. Because of queues, gone are the days of arriving to find a surprise line that is longer than you expected. 

Where did the idea for your startup come from?

In my freshman year at Georgia Tech, I noticed a trend throughout the day. The Starbucks line could be 20 minutes or more at various intervals and then, an hour later, might be completely empty.

During my first week of midterms, I was studying in Clough Commons, which is an open floor plan, five-story building with a Starbucks on the ground floor. I loved that the smell of coffee would percolate all the way to the top floor. It was around 9 p.m. and I was about four hours into my study session when I felt the need for a coffee to keep going. I figured at that time the wait time should be minimal, so I packed up my things and went downstairs. To my surprise the line was packed. The wait was over 40 minutes, so I just went back upstairs because I wasn’t going to wait that long just for a coffee.

Once I got back upstairs my table had been taken and since it was a hell week, there wasn’t any other tables available. It was in that moment, while I was sighing in frustration that I had no coffee and no table to study at, that I thought surely at a school known for its Computer Science department we would have some sort of solution that could tell us the wait time for coffee only five floors below. I looked into it and couldn't find a good solution. As I thought more about this problem, I could see the potential for a solution where people could see the wait times not only for restaurants on college campuses but for lines anywhere. 

When did you participate in Startup Launch and how was your overall experience with the program?

2018, Batch 5

It was an awesome program and my first real taste of being in a startup environment.

What was your favorite part of Startup Launch?

My favorite part of Startup Launch was spending week after week with so many different founders. The social element of being surrounded by like-minded people who were all so passionate about the idea that they were working to build was the highlight.

What was your biggest challenge during the 12 weeks?

I wouldn't really say there were any challenges. The program was very busy and engaging which I thoroughly enjoyed.

What progress have you made with your business since completing Startup Launch?

When we went through Startup Launch, we were trying to solve the problem by crowdsourcing the data. We’ve come a long way since then. All our data is now collected via computer vision, and we have paying customers.

We announced our collaboration with Tech Dining to provide live wait times for Kaldi’s Coffee and Blue Donkey Coffee earlier this year. We hope to have every Tech Dining location, including the dining halls, on the app by the end of 2022.

Did you participate in any other CREATE-X programs during your time at Georgia Tech?

I like to say I am a “triple X,” like the movie, since I did three CREATE-X programs: Startup Lab, Idea to Prototype (I2P), and Startup Launch.

What would you tell students who are interested in Startup Launch or another CREATE-X program?

I would encourage them to do them in order as it makes the process so much more fulfilling. There are no shortcuts to learning to be an entrepreneur. It's all about getting the best information possible and then learning from your mistakes along the way. 

What’s next for you and your startup?

Growth. Our biggest focus right now is getting our sensors in as many colleges and university dining programs as possible.

Learn more about queues online or on social media: Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn