The initial idea for the Ergonomic Shovel came from personal experience, says inventor Stephen Bosse. "Shoveling is tough," he says. "You get tired and sore. So I came up with this pen-and-paper design for a more comfortable shovel."
Bosse was studying entrepreneurship and finance at Loyola Marymount University when he decided to make the shovel his thesis. "That was two years ago when I first pitched it, and I ended up winning the business-model competition."