UCalgary student seeks to revolutionize how people study

When Kendra Baretta was completing her undergraduate degree, she experienced the same challenges most students face: procrastination, distraction, overwhelm and anxiety. But it doesn’t have to be like this — which is why she created ZenZero Inc — a venture to revolutionize productivity.  

ZenZero uses self-sustainable clean technology integrated into innovative adaptable, modular, egg-shaped study pods, customizable to the learning needs of individual students, all while being energy-neutral.  

“When I first started this venture, I had my younger self in mind. I wish there was a space I could go to, to refocus, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find what I needed,” says the Master of Management student, BKin’20.  

Working with Tangent Design Solutions which helps startups bring their ideas to market, Baretta’s study pod design minimizes background noise, eliminates visual distractions and reduces anxiety and feelings of overwhelm by allowing students to pace, stand, or sit while modifying the environment to fit their specific study needs.  

“Research conducted at Canadian post-secondary institutions recorded that 70 per cent of students experience overwhelming anxiety,” says Baretta. “The world has changed drastically over the last couple of years; it’s time for study spaces to change, too.”  

The goal is to improve the health and well-being of students by curating spaces that are comfortable and distraction-free. The possibilities are endless: in the pod, students will be able to adjust ambient lighting, listen to music and engage in forms of study that work for them while being surrounded by calming greenery.  

Baretta is currently working on a virtual reality prototype of the pods using data collected from University of Calgary students. “I want to know what we can do better on this campus because every campus is unique,” she says.  

“I want to make the university experience more inclusive so people can relax, focus and succeed. I want to share the data with the university and show them that this can help their students be more productive and help address some of the challenges students face.”  

And soon, Baretta will be manufacturing a physical model of the study pods using the responses from UCalgary students during the virtual-reality prototype phase. But her goal is much more ambitious. “I want to reach beyond UCalgary,” Baretta says.  

“I believe this venture can reach multitudes of places: the university space, learning environments in general and even office spaces. Really, anywhere where people need to learn or need to focus and be productive.”