Wash U’s Holekamp Seed Fund Awards $1000 to Kickstart 9 Student Ventures
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Reducing food waste, identifying greener shopping options and lubricating gigantic metal cables are just some of the ideas student entrepreneurs are looking to pioneer.
Former Olin professor Cliff Holekamp, and Cofounder, Managing Director and General Partner at Cultivation Capital has a cool little business incubator for student entrepreneurs. The Holekamp Seed Fund awards $1000 equity-free grants to student entrepreneurs at Washington University in St. Louis.
The Fund directors—Holekamp, Elise Miller Hoffman, BA ’11 and MBA ’16, and Doug Villard, Olin’s academic director for entrepreneurship— recently announced which student ventures they selected in a blog post.
- Tylmen – a direct-to-consumer line of accessories includes ties, belts, scarves and even face masks that double as pocket squares.
- Greenlight – an online shopping extension that grades sustainability of brands and offers alternatives.
- EDUrain – an app that simplifies college financials by bringing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), scholarships and housing fees together in one place.
- Made by BLU – gourmet nut butters using natural, high-quality and traditional ingredients in the base product then adding exciting mix-ins.
- RaiseMeFunds – a service similar to GoFundMe, but accessible to people in West African countries.
- FreeEats – a mobile app that seeks to reduce food waste and provides information on leftover free food produced on college campuses.
- Sherpa – combines data and technology to guide event staff with real-time information.
- Lumière – a streaming platform designed for short films aimed to revolutionize the way that short films are consumed worldwide.
- DRIPTEK – a tool that automatically lubricates wires for cranes and elevators significantly reducing downtime.