Innovation
Procurement management is essential for small businesses — but it’s also tedious and time-consuming work. Now there’s a virtual employee to help with that.
Created by Northwestern engineering professor Nick Marchuk ’10 MS and David Meyer ’12 MS, ’15 PhD, nLab is a credit card–sized device that turns your laptop into an electronics lab and gives students a chance to practice hands-on circuit-building.
Gannon Schram, an economics major at Northwestern, and his friend Shrikar Lekkala co-founded MetaFrazo, a video-dubbing service that uses artificial intelligence to translate educational videos with both voice and lip synchronization.
Roughly 2,400 children in the United States are injured by electric shocks from wall outlets each year, and tripping over electrical cords is another hazard, especially for older adults. To help eliminate these risks, Chirag Goel ’21 and his team at Tego created a magnetic wall outlet that can help prevent injuries and hazards while improving wall outlet accessibility.
Manufacturing and design engineering majors Gass Iyacu ’24 and Emma Jackson ’24 teamed up with classmates Pratham Bansal ’24, Alicia Cabrera ’24 and Kevin Kaspar ’24 to invent an expandable bike helmet that accommodates thick, curly and voluminous hair while prioritizing safety and ventilation.
The Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has launched a new course, Innovate for Climate, which encourages students to engage in climate-conscious problem-solving and business ventures.
Suyash Mohan is co-founder of Breer, a Hong Kong–based startup that upcycles unsold bread from local bakeries into craft beer.
Ruchi Gupta is co-founder of Yobee, a startup that makes an all-natural, topical scalp treatment clinically proven to revitalize the skin’s microbiome and reduce flakiness, itching and redness. In spring 2023 Gupta was one of three women chosen to be part of the inaugural class of FoundHer Fellows, a program supporting women faculty at Northwestern who are first-time founders of entrepreneurial ventures.
A common pet peeve for parents became the subject of four alums’ manufacturing and design engineering capstone project. Joanne Park ’23, Callista Sukohardjo ’23, Ben Miller ’23 and Sarah John ’23 surveyed friends and family about everyday annoyances, gathering ideas for an invention.
Blair Matthews ’22 JD and Giuliana Zaccardelli ’22 MD, MBA are co-founders of Zuri Fertility, an app that serves as a personalized digital fertility clinic, with educational resources, a menstrual and ovulation tracker, access to at-home fertility testing and referrals for specialized treatment options at nearby brick-and-mortar fertility clinics.
