The Propel Program

Launched in 2018, Propel is an internationally recognized, award-winning program providing networking, mentorship, and immersive learning experiences. Women who are full-time students can apply for the program, which is made possible by generous donors. Ideas can be for profit or nonprofit, hardware or software, commercial products, or artistic endeavors—anything that requires bringing a new idea to fruition.

Pictured above, Propellers visit the Goldman Sachs office in New York City on a 2018 field trip.

“I am so honored to be part of the inspiring group of Propel Ambassadors, and I am very excited to help other female entrepreneurs reach their goals. Our trip to New York was a great reminder of how far we have come and how far we can go.”

Arshya Srinivas

McCormick ’21

“I’m so glad to have gone on the Propel trip to NYC because not only did I get the opportunity to meet incredible alumni across many different industries, but I got a taste of what living in NYC would be like. I hope to take the knowledge and experiences I’ve gained on the trip and apply them through my continued entrepreneurial engagement with The Garage!”

Helen Lu

SESP ’20

“Through Propel, I’ve been able to talk to a variety of successful women alumni who shared their struggles and success stories. I am deeply inspired to create my own story and have renewed enthusiasm to work on my startup. The biggest takeaway for me was finding a group of like-minded women entrepreneurs on campus.”

Audrey Wu

McCormick ’20

“I’m excited to talk with other Propellers and learn about how they have overcome the different challenges they have faced growing their companies.”

Yasmeena Faycurry

Weinberg ’22

“The Propel program gave me a network of inspiring women founders at The Garage. Every time I see these women in this space I feel empowered and supported.”

Regina Morfin

McCormick ’21

”It’s inspiring being in a space created by women with the goal of uplifting women entrepreneurs. I’ve met so many amazing friends and alumni who I can learn and grow from.”

Sophie Davis

Medill ’21

Program

The Propel program includes:

Award

Up to $1,000 to spend on an entrepreneurial project.

Mentorship

One-on-one mentorship with accomplished professionals.

Networking

Invitations to networking events throughout the year.

Showcase

An annual showcase at which select participants present their projects.

Field Trips

Participants attend an all-expenses-paid annual field trip to visit industry-leading brands.

Propellers

Inaugural Cohort

2019-20 Cohort

Fall 2020 Cohort

Winter 2021 Cohort

Spring 2021 Cohort

Fall 2021 Cohort

Winter 2022 Cohort

Spring 2022 Cohort

Fall 2022 Cohort

Winter 2023 Cohort

Spring 2023 Cohort

Mentors

Angela McHaney Valavanis

Casey Grage

Judy Lubin

Lejla Sudar

Lisa Schumacher

Natasha Ramanujam

Tricia Hough

Tricia Rothschild

Molly Rouch

Severina Ostrovsky

Tapasya Wancho

Background

40% of US businesses are owned by women. However, less than 10% of venture-backed companies have a woman founder and only 2.8% of venture capital went to all-woman founding teams. The Garage is committed to supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs. In 2018, The Garage launched the Propel program to support women students.

Donors

Thank you to the following generous donors for their commitment to supporting the Propel program and student entrepreneurs at Northwestern:

Steve KSM ’92 and Katherine Elms
Whitney de Hosson Marriott WCAS ’86 and Michael Marriott
Natalie and Jonathan Silverstein
Andrew WCAS ’91 and Heather Zuckerman

FAQ

Women who are full-time students can apply for the program.

We plan to offer one Propel cohort (up to 8 students) per quarter. Check back here for the upcoming application dates.

Because of a limited number of spots (up to 8 per cohort), we are not able to accept more than one team member into a Propel cohort.

You can be starting your entrepreneurial journey or have already taken initial steps (i.e. formulated your idea, conducted some customer discovery, have started building a prototype, etc.). Propel aims to support you wherever you are in your journey.

Propel consists of 8 weekly accountability / speaker sessions during the quarter and each session is one hour long. Propel students are matched with a mentor and are responsible for meeting their mentor 3 times during the quarter. Additionally, we suggest that students apply to Propel during a quarter where they anticipate having 3 hours or more per week to work on their project or idea outside of Propel meetings.

Propel offers a financial award of up to $1,000 for approved items, 1-on-1 mentoring, and an inclusive community. Community is fostered by weekly accountability meetings and speaker events.

Examples of items covered by Propel include web hosting fees, marketing materials, on-line advertising and components to build a hardware prototype. Items typically not covered by Propel include gift cards, meals and travel. Propel cannot be used to compensate another student for their work on your idea or project.

There are up to 8 students in each cohort.

You may request an extension to use any left over funds during one quarter following your Propel quarter of the academic year by submitting a “continuing grant” application, provided you remain in a full-time program at Northwestern during that quarter.

For example, Fall Propel students may apply for this “continuing grant” (CG) during Winter quarter. Spring students may apply for CG during the Fall quarter of the following year. Propel does not offer CG or reimbursements during the summer.

Please reach out to former Propel students listed by cohort on this site to find out about their experience. You can also email Propel Program Manager, Charlotte Oxnam, at charlotteoxnam2023@u.northwestern.edu