“A product built by athletes for athletes.” Zuventurez winners and Azusa Pacific University graduates Riley Burns ’25, Isaiah Chang ’25, and Nathanael Covarubbias ’25 have created the newest track meet staple. Phantom Pacer, initially a senior engineering capstone project, is quickly becoming a potential tool for universities and high schools across the country to help track and field and cross-country athletes continually improve.
Beginning with their senior capstone project, Burns, Chang, and Covarubbias found an LED pacer that was being manufactured overseas in Europe. Aisha Chen, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Physics and Statistics, teaches a senior engineering class that challenges students to improve an existing product or service. Students look for new ways to improve production, design, or the cost of manufacturing. Wendi McGehee, PhD, CF-LSP, interim dean of the School of Business and Management was inspired by the students’ product they created for Chen's class. “They found a Dutch product called Wavelights, and wanted to make it more cost effective for the user in the U.S.,” McGehee said. “These students took what they learned in engineering to redesign and improve that product.”
Phantom Pacer was designed to be a new, affordable game changer for track teams. “Our main goal was to provide the best system possible for athletes when racing,” Burns said. “A system created by athletes for athletes.” This system would be used to help runners achieve personal bests. “The Phantom Pacer is an LED pacing system for a 400-meter track. Typically, runners would need to have a physical pacer, a person running next to them setting the pace. The LED pacing system goes on the inside of the track and the runners are able to follow that pace, controlled by the system,” Covarubbias explained. By following LED lights on the track, athletes can know when they need to increase their pace to achieve personal records.
The three students worked over the span of two semesters, designing, creating and coding their prototype under Chen’s guidance. “I’ve known them since they were freshmen, so it's been awesome seeing them develop to where they are now as engineers,” Chen said. “When they’re freshman they are sponges who want to learn as much as they possibly can. In my senior design class with them, I got to see them put together everything that we built in our engineering program. It was amazing to see it all come together.”
Burns, Chang, and Covarubbias decided to present the Phantom Pacer in APU’s Zuventurez competition. Zuventurez, a Shark Tank style competition run by the School of Business and Management, is an amazing opportunity for APU students to present their ideas not only to a panel of judges, but to potential clients and investors as well. Each spring, students of all majors compete in this event, providing opportunities for innovation and collaboration. “If business, computer science, and engineering students all worked together we would have a lot of really cool entrepreneurial opportunities. There’s already talks about creating something like that at APU, ” Chen said.
Zuventurez not only allows for collaboration within APU but it opens up opportunities for students in the marketplace and industries that they are designing for. The Zuventurez program bolsters the School of Business and Management’s reputation nationally. “Zuventurez provides a multifaceted impact. For the school, it highlights APU’s commitment to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Dean Rehfeld ’84, who served as one of the three judges of Zuventurez. “For the students, it’s a transformative opportunity, a validation of their hard work, and a launchpad for their careers with a viable business. For companies, this initiative is a goldmine of emerging talent as they identify individuals who are technically skilled, entrepreneurial, and capable of turning ideas into market ready solutions.” Investors and potential clients were part of the crowd in this competition, looking for new brilliant ideas.
McGehee echoed Rehfeld’s sentiments.
When Burns, Chang, and Covarubbias decided to compete in Zuventurez, they could not have anticipated the outcome. “Zuventurez gave us confidence and reassurance that we have a great idea, there is a demand for it, and it helped motivate us to launch our company,” Chang said. As they start to build their business, the students have encountered new challenges. “Learning how to jump into the deep end of entrepreneurship has been big for all of us,” Burns said. “We’re engineers learning to be businessmen. It's a lot of new territory for us.” Inspired by their product, Rehfeld became Burns, Chang and Covarubbias’ mentor as they transitioned into the business world. “I’ve encouraged them to move with focus and speed,” Rehfeld said. “With a clear plan and the right support, they’re well-equipped to bring their innovation to market effectively.” The students have done just that. After winning the Zuventurez first place prize of $4,000, they met with an additional investor and secured an additional $100,000 in funding for their business.
Post-competition, Phantom Pacer is looking to bring their product to the marketplace by spring 2026. They still have some more details and processes to work out in the next few months, but time is of the essence. “Track season starts in the spring, so our hope is to be able to meet with track teams and go to track events with our product ready to sell,” Burns said. The track teams at APU and Mt. San Antonio College have already shown interest.
As Burns, Chang, and Covarubbias set out into the business world with the Phantom Pacer, they are supported by APU faculty and alumni. Through winning Zuventurez, they have gained insight into the marketplace and valuable mentors to guide them through it. Zuventurez will continue next spring, bringing a new group of entrepreneurs into the incubator, hoping to see them accelerate their careers through the process.