Smoke break.

• Position: TRIANGLE REGION - Nicotrax

If Raleigh startup Nicotrax's hunch is right, its smart device and corresponding mobile app could make it easier for the world's 1 billion smokers to quit the habit. To kickstart its ambitious goal, the company launched an online fundraising campaign in August, raising about $7,200 of its $50,000 target in the first two weeks. Supporters who pledge at least $70 will receive a smart cigarette case that links to an app designed to motivate smokers to quit. The case would track how many cigarettes are consumed and alert them just before their usual 5 p.m. smoke with a motivation to not light up, such as a picture of a loved one or a message from a counselor. "We focus on being as simple for the user as possible. People might not always know what their specific habits are," CEO Kyle Linton says.

The company is the brainchild of an N.C. State University entrepreneurship program. Four undergraduates were devising an idea for a business, when they noticed one team member kept leaving for smoke breaks. Nicotrax founder and Chief Technology Officer Suraaj Doshi, 22 and a native of Gujarat, India, stuck with the project after graduation. Linton, 23, joined after earning a degree in business administration.

Their market opportunity...