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The awards, now in their fourth year, have provided more than $1.32 million in funding to over 100 changemakers in the Northeastern community.
Northeastern University’s 2024 Women Who Empower Innovator Awards will recognize 33 entrepreneurs for their innovative, boundary-pushing work.
The recipients — students and alumni from the Northeastern community — were selected by a panel of judges and will receive a total of $500,000 in funding.
The Innovator Awards, now in their fourth year, have provided more than $1.32 million in funding to over 100 changemakers.
The awards are unique in that the money goes to the individual entrepreneur, not their venture, with the intent of investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs and offering them the network of support they need to be successful.
More than 100 applications were received this year as the program was expanded to include the Roux Institute Founder Residency program and the Lab of Inclusive Entrepreneurship.
“Our students and alumni never cease to impress, inspire and energize me,” says Diane Nishigaya MacGillivray, Northeastern’s senior vice president for university advancement and founder of Women Who Empower. “This group — our current and past innovator recipients — truly represent the best of Northeastern. We are honored to invest in them and work together to create a community driven by impact. Their success has a halo effect — enriching all that we do. I could not be prouder to claim them all as Women Who Empower Innovators.”
For nearly 10 years, Women Who Empower has been building a global, inclusive and dynamic community through events, scholarships, mentorship programs and entrepreneurial initiatives.
The women in the 2024 Innovator Awards cohort represent Northeastern’s global reach, hailing from the U.S. and U.K. to Nigeria, Hong Kong, Nicaragua and Vietnam. They also span the entire spectrum of Northeastern’s academic offerings, representing every college at the university.
Organizers are already looking ahead to the fifth cohort of Women Who Empower Innovators next year and Women Who Empower’s 10th anniversary with global celebrations and plans for even greater impact ahead.
“This program supports founders with more than critical financial capital — it also provides networks and community,” says Betsy Ludwig, executive director of Women’s Entrepreneurship at Northeastern. “The power of these connections can sometimes be overlooked, but it’s what makes all the difference.”
The panel of judges included several parents of current and former students. Some, like Jill Bornstein, have been with the program since the Women Who Empower Awards began.
“This is my fourth year being a judge. It’s so inspiring to see the work of our applicants … to see how this program has grown,” she says.
Parent Julietta Dexter says it’s an honor to be part of the Women Who Empower community.
“I want to thank Northeastern for making this a possibility,” she says.
Sharon Wong, another parent, says “90% of entrepreneurship is about courage.”
“The courage to hang on to an idea, the courage to listen to your instincts and … the courage to believe in the value of yourself,” she says. “There is so much courage here that I’m blown away.”
And parent Asha Chandra congratulated all 33 award-winning entrepreneurs.
“The ideas all of you have … the inspiration, the perseverance, the passion, the grit, and the resilience it showed in everything that you’re doing,” she says.
Winner: Marissa Mullen
College of Arts, Media and Design
Class of 2015, New York
That Cheese Plate: A global community for cheese plate inspiration, pairings, recipes and tutorials
First place: Calypso Newman
Northeastern University London
Class of 2021, London
Rock Badger: An innovative consultancy that partners with its clients to develop the opportunities of emerging media, using technology including artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality
Second place: Rachel Cossar
Roux Institute at Northeastern University
Founder Residency, Boston and Portland, Maine
Virtual Sapiens: Uses artificial intelligence to help professionals and teams master their presence and communication at scale so they can effectively develop trust and show up with confidence in our new world of work
Third place: Becky Mashaido
Khoury College of Computer Sciences
Class of 2022, Oakland, California
KiAsili: Reimagining the future of an inclusive beauty industry using science and artificial intelligence
Third place: Mariana Charakopoulou Travlou
College of Science
Class of 2019, Athens and London
Nous Health: A digital platform that allows you to connect with a mental health professional by reducing barriers to accessing mental health support and using artificial intelligence to enhance treatment outcomes
First place: Ashley Cummings
D’Amore-McKim School of Business
MBA, Class of 2009, New York
Natural ASH: An all-natural skincare line catering to women in their reproductive years
Second place: AJ Addae
Class of 2020, Los Angeles
SULA LABS: A business-to-business beauty innovation lab that closes inclusivity gaps in beauty product development
Third place: Samantha Asprelli
Class of 2026, Boston
Give n’ Glow: A 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers underprivileged women to see past their circumstances and recognize their worth and beauty through new and gently used product donations
First place: Cheuk Yan Tse (Kat)
Class of 2024, Boston, London, Hong Kong
Terms and Conditions: A fashion wellness magazine based in London and Hong Kong that starts deeper conversations in the creative world while supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs
Second place: Violetta Skittidi
Class of 2019, London
Formulaw: A platform that assists SMEs in managing their contractual affairs from start to finish, offering an affordable, efficient and hassle-free experience
Third place: Claudia Tobar
College of Professional Studies
Doctor of Education, Class of 2020, Pichincha, Ecuador
Kamina: A revolutionary financial wellbeing platform that provides a comprehensive solution with advisory, access and assessment, committed specifically for women and non-banked individuals
First place: Meaghan St. Marc
Class of 2010, Boston
Rev’d: An athletically challenging, body-changing experience, all about you
Second place: Muskaan Gill
College of Engineering
Class of 2026, Los Altos Hills, California
Zor: A non-invasive and portable device that will predict epileptic seizures
Third place: Naomi Rajput
CareWallet: A point-of-sale system that exchanges health information between patients and providers in 3 seconds
First place: Kadesh Simms
Classes of 2001 and MBA 2008, Holbrook, Mass.
Wishing Well: A mobile app that provides financial resilience through group economics in underserved communities, one shared goal at a time
Second place: Michelle DeBlois
Founder Residency, Lewiston, Maine
ReMo: A web-based platform for independent reading that empowers students to grow their identities as readers and supports teachers’ efforts to connect with their students through reading
Third place: Hayley Oleksiak
College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Class of 2018, Philadelphia
Open Space Sandbox: A website tool that empowers communities to co-design their parks and open spaces through gamification
First place: Melissa LaCasse
Founder Residency, Boston
Tanbark: Plastic-free, planet-friendly solutions, pushing the limits of molded fiber design
Second place: Debbie Madueke
D’Amore-McKim School of Business, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Class of 2019, Oakland, California, and Nigeria
Replast: A recycling company that aims to solve plastic pollution in Nigeria
Third place: Darrel Schreiner
Class of 2022, Los Angeles
Cake Denim: Redefines the denim landscape by intertwining cutting-edge sustainable technologies with a deep commitment to inclusivity, offering not just eco-friendly jeans but a statement of change
Third place: Dominique Schreiner
Class of 2022, Boston
First place: Samantha Asprelli
Second place: Cheuk Yan Tse (Kat)
Class of 2024, Boston, London and Hong Kong
Honorable mentions:
Muskaan Gill
Class of 2026, Los Altos Hills, Calif.
Nicole Guadagno
Class of 2025, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
Remetra: A wearable medical device that measures inflammatory markers through sweat and transmits the data collected to a mobile platform for tracking and analysis
Aleena Jacob
Bouvé College of Health Sciences
Class of 2024, Danbury, Conn.
HMS MEDscienceLAB Forensics: Immersing students in murder mysteries, engaging students with innovative pedagogy as they collect evidence, analyze samples and tackle forensic analysis at the lab bench
Manvi Kottakota
Class of 2026, San Jose, Calif.
Jot: A note-taking platform that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning for seamless organization and effortless retrieval
Sofia Urrutia
Class of 2024, Severna Park, Md.
Palmarosa: A Latina-owned accessories brand with roots all over the world
Emily Zeledon
Class of 2026, Boston and Nicaragua
Las Mujercitas: A socially conscious coffee venture empowering women coffee producers in Nicaragua
First place: Mary DeVega
Class of 2022
Northeastern University School of Law
Class of 2025
San Francisco
MPowered: A staffing firm dedicated to empowering women through training and professional development
Second place: Hannah Kim
Class of 2028, Boston
Bok Bok: Enhancing health and supporting holistic homeostasis free from artificials through naturally fermented K-Balsamic Vinegars
Third place: Kerrian Johnson
MBA, Class of 2025, Boston
Fruit Juice Studio: Elevating Black, women-owned brands — blending market research, consumer psychology and creative ideation to drive brand success and visibility
Linh Dinh
Class of 2025, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
ATURE: Bridging the gap between Asian SMEs and global markets
Rama Doddi
Class of 2024, Boston and Vizag, AP, India
RegPulse: Identifying the regulatory “pulse” of small to mid-lev pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biologic industries and provide solutions for their regulatory concerns
First place: Kaitlin McCarthy
Class of 2009, Boston
Ionic Development, Co.: A real estate development and consulting firm to affect positive change through development in the Greater Boston area, as well as to promote women in real estate development and ownership
Second place: Marissa Mullen
Third place: Meaghan St. Marc
Ashley Cummings
Kadesh Simms
Class of 2001, MBA 2008, Holbrook, Mass.
First place: Becky Mashaido
Class of 2022, Oakland, Calif.
Second place: Claudia Tobar
Third place: Fatema Janahi
Class of 2022, Bahrain
Palm: Value-driven shopping platform empowering women to express their identities through cultural fashion and uplifting local designers across the MENA Region through community
First place: AJ Addae
SULA LABS: A Business-to-Business (B2B) beauty innovation lab that closes inclusivity gaps in beauty product development
Formulaw: A platform that assists SMEs in managing their contractual affairs from start to finish, offering an affordable, efficient, and hassle-free experience
Third place: Debbie Madueke
D’Amore-McKim School of Business, College of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Class of 2019, Oakland, Calif., and Nigeria
Calypso Newman
Hayley Oleksiak
Mariana Charakopoulou Travlou