Alumni VentureCat, Northwestern's alumni startup competition, is a new initiative that aims to feature and support innovative early-stage businesses founded by Northwestern University alumni by providing access and exposure to critical connections and resources.
In its inaugural year, five alumni-founded startups spanning various industries have been selected to compete live and in-person at the Finals Showcase on Friday, July 19, 2024, at Northwestern’s academic space located in San Francisco’s Financial District. The stakes are high, with the top finalist set to win $100,000.
Alumni VentureCat officially launched in February 2024, and received more than 75 submissions from alumni-founded startups across the country.
The 2024 finalists include Blip Energy, founded by Sophia Wennstedt ‘22 & Chance Cobb ‘20; Campground Systems, founded by Sruti Bharat ‘19; CollabWORK, founded by Summer Delaney ‘15; OrdrSMART, founded by Prarthana Gupta ‘17 & ‘18; and Zest, founded by Jake Gutstein ‘20 & Graham Kirstein ‘20.
Finalists will pitch live to a world-class panel of judges, as well as a curated audience of Bay Area investors, entrepreneurs, and Northwestern alumni. The Showcase will also be livestreamed as an added opportunity for finalists to expand the reach and awareness of their businesses to a global virtual audience.
Continue reading to learn more about the five alumni-founded startups chosen to compete at the Finals Showcase on July 19, 2024!
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