The Garage x McCormick


The Garage is a community and physical space for every Northwestern student interested in entrepreneurship to learn, iterate, and grow. We offer students resources, programming, and mentorship designed to help build the skills and entrepreneurial mindset they need to succeed in any industry.

Students from across the University bring a wide range of diverse academic and personal experiences that enrich the entrepreneurial environment at The Garage through exposure to new ideas, ways of thinking and skill sets.

In the fall of 2022, there were 98 McCormick students participating in programs at The Garage, working on projects ranging from SteadyScrib, a startup designing a pen to increase ability and independence for people with Parkinson’s Disease, to Overture Games, a startup developing video games for music students that they play with their instrument.

Niraj Shah, McCormick ‘23 & Will Xenakis, McCormick ‘23

Niraj and Will, longtime members of The Garage’s Residency program, are co-founders of Xenah Developers, an affordable web development firm. The pair advanced to the finals of VentureCat 2022 and were recently featured in Chicago Inno’s ‘25 under 25′ list.

Will Xenakis (left) & Niraj Shah (right)

Major: Both students are pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science

Project / Company: Xenah Developers is a coding consultancy that aims to develop skills for CS undergrads while delivering quality apps and websites to clients.

  • The Garage has been instrumental in creating my startup, we wouldn’t be where we are today without it. We’ve gotten provided valuable resources and mentorship from the very beginning that have helped turn ideas into reality. It’s a place that connects you with all the resources you need to build a company and fosters a culture of innovation and success.”

Alexis Chan, McCormick ’24

Alexis participated in The Garage’s summer pre-accelerator program, Jumpstart, and is a current member of the Residency program working on her startup, SteadyScrib. Alongside her co-founder, Izzy Mokotoff, Medill ’24 the team took home first place and the audience favorite award at the end-of-program Demo Day, securing a $5,000 prize. They were also featured in Chicago Inno’s ‘25 under 25 list.

Alexis Chan

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Project / Company: SteadyScrib is designing a pen to increase ability and independence for people with Parkinson’s Disease, specifically counteracting the most writing-inhibitive Parkinson’s symptoms.

  • My experience in The Garage has truly changed my experience at Northwestern. The resources and support they provide through the Jumpstart and Residency programs has taught me about startups, success, and community. Every time I am in The Garage I feel comfortable asking for advice and sharing updates in the supportive environment. People are always willing to help and I love learning new things from both peers and mentors.”

Tyler Nanoff, McCormick ’23

Tyler is a member of the Residency program and recently began exploring his own venture in The Garage’s Activate program – designed to create an inclusive community and resources for Black Northwestern student founders.

Tyler Nanoff

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Project / Company: Buddybot is a kid-focused builder kit that allows kids to learn how to build a quadruped robot and code its movements with relative ease.

  • The resources that The Garage has available has made it immensely easier to focus more on making my ideas a reality and less on the process of gathering the maker tools that are necessary just to start developing my ideas. The space itself is also one of the best on campus for helping me focus and lock-in to whatever it is I need to get done.”

Isaac Winoto, McCormick ’24

Isaac is a participant in the Residency program building out his startup, Skuy. He’s also a member of the fifth cohort of the Little Joe Ventures Fellowship where a select group of students are offered immersive learning opportunities, networking, and a financial award. He and his team at Skuy recently launched a beta version of the app and are testing key features with students at Northwestern.

Isaac Winoto

Major: Computer Science

Minor: Data Science and Entrepreneurship

Project / Company: Skuy is a community-focused discussion and news aggregation mobile platform where students can start a chat, ask for help, or even rant about a certain topic, AND find other people who would love to join in on the conversation.

  • The Garage has provided me with a lot of resources to build and innovate my ideas, seek mentorship, or get support for my startup. It’s such an encouraging and positive community full of student entrepreneurs and staff members who only want to see each other succeed. Very grateful for The Garage’s support!”

McCormick Students at The Garage

Tinker Program:

Sparsh GautamStanley ChenChloe Leung
Eagan NotokusumoMatt WilliamsAndy Curran
David DorfSam RidetAya Ben Saghroune
Justin DongMatthew KhoriatyShannon Tan
Jason LuSpencer HongPeyton Ridland
Dev ShahMark ChauhanIan Lundeen
Khalid SirajZachary BraffmanRyan Poon
Sneh DeshpandeDavi GutkinBuğra Gündüz
John KalemkerianAlisha SpradlinJagruti Garia
Nityasri AileniAmi TakamatsuWencheng Zhang
Trevor AbbottZhengyuan LiVidita Hasija
Zach DelsonPhilip HoRichard Lam
Alexa KeaneAditya SinghSitanshu Goyal
Mohamed ElbayumiAntonio SantanaMatthew Chang
Matthew LeeMia ScarpatiMichael Miller
Yibo WenTahira GrewalEduardo Cienfuegos de Paz
Prarena ChailaivanichkulKai Feinberg

Residency Program:

Kai YunZachary GerstenfeldTaehyun Yim
Tyler LeeYvan ChuTyler Nanoff
Radek ChlebickiHerminio BodonYuzhou Du
Charlotte OxnamManu DevaZegale Talmadge
Justin DongFrank YangJenna Kim
Zihan YinKevin KasparPablo Schnelle
Jay ParkBrennan BensonJasmine Javaheri
Charlie TanasErin ParkAbhishek Shah
Brent O’ReillyEmran MajidyPanashe Muriro
Pratham BansalBryan SanchezIsaac Winoto
Priya DaveBriana SegalAlexis Chan
Bella Gonzales-PortilloCheryl ChenSidharth Runwal
Gabe BiderValeria VitaGrayson Donnelly
Niraj ShahWill XenakisEdward Lee

Jumpstart Program:

Alexis ChanErin ParkIsaac Kim
Taehyun YimSidharth RunwalMinwoo Chang

Activate Program:

Tyler NanoffAda Michaels ShapiroLutgardis Ineza Ukangutse
Fortune Emmanuel-KingIphigenie Bera

Propel Program:

Aya Ben Saghroune

The Garage x McCormick News

McCormick students win big at Jumpstart Demo Day 2022

Cue the Curves, SteadyScrib featured in The Garage’s Holiday Gift Guide

McCormick students featured in Chicago Inno’s ‘25 Under 25‘ List

The Late Knight Team Spotlight: Featuring Sidharth Runwal ’23

SteadyScrib Team Spotlight: Featuring Alexis Chan ’24

Overture Games Team Spotlight: Featuring Erin Park ’24

Isaac Winoto, McCormick ’23 to launch Skuy, a community-based social media app

McCormick students featured in The Daily Northwestern’s student startup photo gallery

Jimmy Paul, McCormick ’13, returns to The Garage as a Family Dinner Guest Speaker

VentureCat 2022 Results: Kevin Kaspar, McCormick ’24 wins Grand Prize

Questions?

Email us at thegarage@northwestern.edu