Impact Entrepreneur in Residence
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Abhi LokeshUF, 2009
In Spring 2006, the second semester of his freshman year, while on track to follow both of his parents and his older sister in a career as a physician, Abhi Lokesh stumbled upon Dr. Kristin Joys’ Honors Introduction course. He took the class and for his final project, worked with two classmates to start a nonprofit that sold art in order to raise money to help alleviate the health and poverty epidemic in Eswatini. Abhi credits his experience in Dr. Joys’ class as the catalyst that led him to get involved in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (EIC) at UF. He joined the EIC Ambassadors and served as a RA for the first Young Entrepreneurs Summer Program for High School Students (YELS) in 2007.
These experiences offered Abhi the opportunity to spend time with entrepreneurs who were changing the world, to learn from and work alongside them. With help from Dr. Joys, Abhi & his two classmates applied for and won a $10,000 Projects for Peace Grant, taking them to Eswatini, where they worked with the Ministry of Health and WHO to pilot their ideas. It was here, in a small town in Eswatini, that Abhi and his partner Alex came up with Fracture, a revolutionary technology that takes photos directly from a smartphone (or any digital device) and beautifully prints them on glass to be displayed in people’s homes.
Abhi graduated from UF in 2009. Under his leadership, Fracture raised over $2 million in capital, processed over 2 million orders across 180+ countries, and reached $30 million in annual sales—all while maintaining 75%+ gross margins and 48-hour custom turnaround times. Fracture employed over 100 full-time team members and operated out of a 30,000 sq. ft. solar-powered facility in Alachua. In 2021, the company was successfully acquired by Summit Partners, a top-tier private equity firm, delivering strong returns to investors and marking a milestone in innovative & impactful consumer goods.
Abhi continues to mentor and inspire the next generation of changemakers as the Impact Entrepreneur in Residence at UF. He frequently returns to campus to speak on entrepreneurship, innovation, and impact. In 2024, he launched Odyssey Ventures, a firm focused on advising founders, CEOs, and high-growth startups. You can learn more about Abhi on LinkedIn.
More information about Abhi & Fracture.
Abhi in Warrington news: Lokesh, Fracture give back to Warrington
