Angel Teagle

Angel Teagle is a young entrepreneur who was inspired to invent after hearing about a problem that hit close to home. In 2019, he learned that he was going to be a father, which heightened his awareness of news about the dangers of hot-car deaths among infants and young children.

That’s when he developed the idea for Car Seat Companion, an invention to warn parents, guardians, and caregivers when a child is inadvertently left unattended in a car. His device is a bluetooth-enabled smart pressure pad with an ambient temperature sensor that is placed beneath a child in a car seat. If the adult gets more than 15 feet away while the child is in the car seat, the pad sends an alert via smartphone. 

To help make his invention a reality, Teagle was supported by a higher ed innovation ecosystem. He first brought his idea to an entrepreneur pitch competition at his college, Elizabeth City State University. This led to the Better Futures Pitch competition led by an accelerator called the HBCU Founders Initiative, and then a connection to VentureWell’s E-Team Program, which provided grant funding and mentorship to help continue developing the Car Seat Companion through an ecosystem of support. Teagle and his business partner competed in VentureWell’s OPEN 2024 conference, where they won the Audience Choice Prize.

Teagle graduated with a BS in Emergency Management — and a minor in Military Science — and is taking those skillsets to the U.S. Army, where in 2024 he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Meanwhile, he continues his invention and entrepreneurship journey to further develop the Car Seat Companion.