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Startups

Since its launch in 2014, Kellogg’s Youn Impact Scholars program has recognized, supported and convened 100 talented creators from Northwestern and beyond, helping them tap into an exceptional global network of leaders, all working toward effecting change in social and environmental areas that matter most.

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Portrait of Nicole Cuervo
Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management has received a landmark gift from the Zell Family Foundation that will be combined with past gifts from Sam Zell to endow the Zell Fellows Program. As part of the program, MBA candidates aiming to run small businesses upon graduation benefit from mentorship by Kellogg faculty and outside experts, regional and international treks to meet with global industry leaders and resources to advance their businesses.

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David Schonthal Zell Foundation
Armed with a love for Shakespeare and a degree in languages and literature, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2009 amid the Great Recession. I applied to doctoral programs in English, thinking, “I am going to be a professor!” Never mind the warnings that the job market for college educators was collapsing, with more PhD graduates than tenure-track positions.

Read Greenberg’s essay

Illustration of Aaron Greenberg
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.

Watch our video with Gupta

Portrait of Dr. Ruchi Gupta
Suyash Mohan is co-founder of Breer, a Hong Kong–based startup that upcycles unsold bread from local bakeries into craft beer.

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Gif of an illustration of a beer bottle with little bread slice dominoes falling inside the bottle.
Northwestern alum Aspen Buckingham ’23 and senior economics major Steven Jiang are the creators of Intervallic, a new video game changing the way aspiring musicians can practice their skills. Both musicians, Buckingham and Jiang are making practice into entertainment.

Let’s play!

Screencap of the video game Intervallic
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.

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Giuliana Zaccardelli and Blair Matthews sit on steps next to each other smiling for a photo, both are wearing "Zuri" shirts.
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.

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An illustration shows the expandable boot, with close ups of various features.
Undergraduate students participated in the first Farley Bay Area Quarter, a new program offered by Northwestern’s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation that provides classes in tech ethics, product management and venture fundraising, as well as an experiential seminar that includes externships at a range of tech companies.

Read about the students’ experience

Bay Quarter News Opener

The Plug Drink

Spring 2023
After a decade researching the role of liver health, Justin Kim ’15 and his brother, Ray, launched The Plug Drink, an herbal beverage backed by athletes and celebrities.

Quench your curiosity

Justin Kim and Brother