University of Miami alum Kyle Griffith, class of 2007, launched Formatr, an app designed to simplify academic formatting for students and researchers on July 25.
Griffith studied architectural engineering at UM and now teaches entrepreneurship at Syracuse University. He said the idea for the app dates back to his own struggles with lost files during late nights in UM’s engineering labs.
One night, he accidentally deleted an entire project from a flash drive and realized the importance of having a reliable academic workspace proved necessary.
“After a quick panic attack and some coffee-fueled all nighters, I realized having a single place to store my academic work would be a lifesaver,” Griffith said.
Formatr is designed to be exactly that. The app is a centralized hub where students can store papers, auto generate citations in all major styles and even receive submission reminders. The app runs on an AI model trained specifically for academic use and is currently free for students on the App Store and Google Play.
Griffith hopes that Formatr will give students back what they need most: time.
“We spend so much of our academic lives worrying about how our assignments look, oftentimes forgetting what we have to say is most important,” Griffith said. “Formatr eliminates all that.”
The app isn’t just for students. Griffith noted that researchers often lose valuable hours re-formating manuscripts for different journals. By automating the process, Formatr allows academics to focus on their ideas instead of the fine print.
Griffith also shared advice for current Hurricanes interested in launching products of their own. First, take a hard look at your everyday life and see what’s something you and other people struggle with daily. Then, create a solution and complete the paperwork for the product early. Avoid perfectionism and listen to your customers to make improvements once it’s out.
Griffith is preparing for the next stage of growth and fundraising. He hopes UM students will see his journey as proof that a simple observation can turn into a real venture.
“UM taught me to look at challenges differently,” he said. “That perspective helped me create Formatr, and I hope it inspires others to do the same.”