Zan Chaudhry is a 17-year-old entrepreneur who looks as if he is going to be a real-life Tony Stark in the medical field. Zan is a high school student who created a business that tackles a big problem which fixes all lab equipment. They cover a very wide range of equipment that can cater to basically any lab’s needs, from biotechnology to space research.

Here is his Under 25 story!

“Zantek Scientific is a lab equipment solutions company. We have contacts with surplus companies, from whom we purchase used, untested lab equipment. We test, calibrate, and possibly repair or refurbish this equipment and resell to labs. 

We deal in equipment utilized in diverse fields, including biotech, high energy physics research, medical research, space research, semiconductors, electrical engineering, and more. We cater to practically any lab’s needs, providing equipment ranging from vacuum pumps and oscilloscopes to electron microscopes and mass spectrometers.

The idea of this company was born in the summer of 2017, but it was not until January 2018 that it was founded. My father owns a medical equipment company, Tekyard. I was working basically as a technical consultant, wielding my experience with advanced analytical equipment and passion for physics to test and calibrate equipment inaccessible to the other employees. 

I began to notice that a lot of lab equipment was not receiving proper attention and getting recycled due to a lack of knowledge on how to test these devices. I began taking items set aside to be recycled, cleaning, testing, calibrating, repairing, and refurbishing, then creating very detailed data-driven item listings. I immediately started making sales and realized that there is a huge market available here, and I founded Zantek Scientific to fit into this niche.

The biggest challenges I have faced are creating a sustainable, repeatable system, marketing the company and establishing a brand, and attending high school while trying to run a successful lab equipment company. Due to the wide variety of equipment we deal with, it is very difficult to create a standardized system for testing/calibrating this equipment and for marketing this to the right buyers. 

We are continually addressing this by devising new standard protocols. Creating a brand name is difficult, especially when you are in such a niche field, so we are constantly trying to grow our digital and social media presence. Obviously, it can be quite challenging to run a business and go to high school, but I’ve gotten pretty good at sending emails without teachers noticing.

In the next 12-18 months, we are aiming to increase our product volume substantially, hoping to achieve half a million sales in 2020 and to support around 3 more employees. Also, a big part of this business is the learning aspect. We want to expand our student outreach/internship opportunities to provide students with the opportunity to encounter advanced lab equipment and spread the passion that led to the founding of this company. 

We are also aiming to establish more of a recognizable brand by improving our social media network. I want Zantek to exude a youthful startup energy that defines it. Another important aspect is the diversification of our product specialties. We have definitely become entrenched in the vacuum and medical equipment fields, but are hoping to expand more towards the higher end analytical equipment (more mass spectrometers and hplc).”

Zan is tackling something that many, many adults let alone teenagers can not accomplish. On top of that, he is a full-time high school student juggling emails during class. If you were looking for motivation then here you have it! 

The Under 25 section of 1PRCNT is meant to showcase to everyone that there are plenty of young entrepreneurs out in the business world making strides to better themselves and the world around them. 

If you are an entrepreneur under the age of 25 and have a story you would like to share then please feel free to email us and we would love to interview you!