Venture Lab 2017 – 2018 Participants
We are delighted to announce the 2017-2018 Venture Lab Winners!
In alphabetical order
Broke Broadway
Broke Broadway, a newly-incorporated non-profit organization, intends to open a performing and fine arts facility that will be called “Mom Mom’s House” outside Newark, New Jersey. Their mission is to make performing and fine art resources accessible and available to all.
Tasneem Nathari, Dramatic Arts (BFA), College of Performing Arts
Lisa McCree, Social Worker, Broke Broadway Team Member
Dante Bailey, Video Director/Photographer; Broke Broadway Team Member
Entryway Design
Entryway Design works to serve communities that are threatened with symbolic or physical displacement by developing and implementing several prototypical models that combine design, design thinking, and social advocacy.
Ilya Benjamin Washington, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design Marisol Cantu, Entryway Design Team Member
Arlene Thompson, Entryway Design Team Member
Haluk Oz, Entryway Design Team Member
ESL Works
ESL Works strives to build a more diverse, efficient, committed, and skilled workforce for the American food industry by designing and delivering English language training and professional development opportunities for employees who face communication barriers. As they expand, ESL Works plans to develop online training tools that will provide affordable resources to individuals who don’t have access to on-site classes.
Rachael Nemeth, Founder and CEO, ESL Works; TESOL (MA), School of Public Engagement
Robin Burger, COO, ESL Works; Economics (BA), Vassar College
Leadership Institute for Global ChangeMakers
Leadership Institute for Global ChangeMakers provides professionals of color in the nonprofit arts and culture sector with leadership development opportunities that promote active, deep, and authentic personal development for racially and culturally diverse people at the emerging and mid-career stages of their career.
Anthony D. Meyers, Founder, Leadership Institute for Global Chang Makers; Organizational Change Management (MS), Schools of Public Engagement
Sandra Stollar, Counseling Psychology (BS), Schools of Public Engagement
Leform
Leform is a peer-to-peer platform that aims to democratize learning by connecting young professionals and college dropouts who want to develop career and life skills with real world practitioners at an affordable cost.
Sundar Subramanian, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Abhishek Nair, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Jennifer Hsieh, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Victoria Ka Wai Chan, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Modesty Group
Modesty Group is a fashion brand that aims to transform the relationship women have with the beauty and fashion industry by designing simple, elegant and comfortable women’s clothing at affordable prices. Their enterprise started in Senegal, however, they are currently seeking to expand to France and the United States.
Ndeye Aminata Dia, President, Modesty Group; Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Fatymatou Dia, Senior Associate, Boston Consulting Group; Global Affairs/African Studies (BA), Yale University
Mouhammad Fall, Financial Economics, (BA) Columbia University
Rokhaya Ndoye, (MS), ISM Dakar, Senegal
Mame Aminata Diambo, ESP Dakar, Senegal
Nightingale Farms
Nightingale Farms seeks to tackle poverty, environmental, and socioeconomic issues in an effort to restore degraded ecosystems in the Jamaica Blue Mountains that are caused by unsustainable practice of conventional coffee farming.
Cheryl Bennett, Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management (MS), School of Public Engagement
Ralph Olacio, Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management (MS), School of Public Engagement
Nora
In India, personal feminine hygiene is considered a taboo subject, and 95% of India’s sanitary napkin market uses harmful chemicals known to cause Urinary Tract Infections. Nora is creating awareness about the importance of personal feminine hygiene by creating affordable and quality made feminine hygiene products. Their first product will be sanitary napkins made of 100% organic cotton.
Nagasai Adama, Founder, Nora; Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Kalpana Parvathaneni, Doctoral Candidate, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences
Nandan Reddy, Co-Founder, Swiggy; Physics (MSc), Birla Institute of Technology and Science
Nancy Guetssoyan, Nora Team Member
Original Kids
Original Kids (OK) is a community that encourages creative expression among children and adults. Through the lenses of neuroscience, mindfulness, and the arts, OK provides opportunities and tools to develop the emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and resilience needed to thrive in the 21st-century. They plan to do this by collaborating with co-working spaces to design learning experiences, programs, and tools that inspire people to live creatively.
Carolina Corseuil, Transdisciplinary Design (MFA), Parsons School of Design
Alice Cardoso, Psychologist; Neuroscience and Education (MA), Columbia University
Isabel Salgueiro, Business Consultant, London College of Communication
Spirus Breathing Mask
Spirius Breathing Mask is an attempt to address the deteriorating air conditions in cities globally by designing a breathing mask that will be reusable, aesthetically pleasing, and has the ability to filter out air pollution.
Chien Lo, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Wei Li Lo, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Hao Zheng, Strategic Design and Management (MS), Parsons School of Design
Uput
Uput is attempting to develop a way for millennials to broaden their understanding of diverse viewpoints and perspectives about current events. They plan to do this by creating an online news platform where people are encouraged to debate current world issues and comment on content from a range of sources.
Allison Pinz, Strategic Design and Management (BBA), Parsons School of Design
Gusztav Simon, , Strategic Design and Management (BBA), Parsons School of Design
Elizabeth Morrocco, Strategic Design and Management (BBA), Parsons School of Design