These global entrepreneurs got their start at Northeastern. They came back to share their stories.
Several alumni discussed their ventures, shared their experiences as entrepreneurs and imparted wisdom on their journey through the world of business.
From growing young vegetable greens, to growing audiences, Northeastern alumni have applied their entrepreneurial skills to tackling many unique challenges.
But being an entrepreneur takes a lot more than an idea.
At the University Leadership Retreat on Northeastern’s Boston campus on Monday, several alumni discussed their ventures, shared their experiences as entrepreneurs and imparted wisdom on their journey through the world of business.
Kaitlin McCarthy, B.S. Civil Engineering, 2009
Founder and CEO of Ionic Development Co., a woman-owned, Boston-based real estate development and consulting firm.
Lyle Stevens, B.S. Business Administration, 2009
Co-founder and chief strategy officer at Later, a leading social media marketing platform that helps creators and brands grow their audiences and revenue through smarter content strategy.
Nicholas “Nikko” Lara, B.S. Finance and Economics, 2015
Co-founder and chief operating officer of Otto AI, a financial operating system for creators, artists and self-employed professionals in the U.S.
Cynthia Orofo, B.S. Nursing, 2019; Ph.D. Nursing 2024
Founder and CEO of Culture Care Collective, a smart, whole-health support platform that connects underserved people with community health workers, social supports and health services.
Oliver Homberg, B.S. International Affairs, 2018
Co-founder and CEO of Boston Microgreens, Boston’s most central urban farm; and founder and executive director of the Boston Youth Farm Project, which brings a plug-and-play indoor microgreens program to middle schools.
Northeastern Global News caught up with these successful graduates to hear their views on entrepreneurialism, Northeastern as an incubator, and for advice on being an entrepreneur.
Here is what they said.
Why is entrepreneurialism so important in today’s world?
“The world needs innovation. No matter what your market is, we need to make sure we’re constantly evolving with changing times.”
Cynthia Orofo
“I think that entrepreneurship is so important today because we’re living in such a fast paced, dynamic landscape where creative thinking and breaking outside of the norm is going to be more rewarded than ever.”
Oliver Homberg
“It’s no secret that AI is touching every area of life and this is one of the most amazing opportunities to come up with new and different ways of doing things. Everything is so new, so the opportunities are endless about how to take advantage of those opportunities, it just takes somebody thinking outside the box and thinking differently.”
Kaitlin McCarthy
How did Northeastern prepare you to be an entrepreneur?
“By doing co-op you learn how important it is to just dive in and do things and be hands-on. That’s incredibly important with entrepreneurship…Having that 360-degree view of how you’re doing and then learning and then doing and then learning is something that I carry with me through my life and is a good reminder that that cycle propagates itself.”
Kaitlin McCarthy
“Northeastern allowed me to take real learning from the classroom and apply it to what I was doing outside the classroom at student leadership activities like my fraternity and other entrepreneurial pursuits that I have. I could practice it in a safe way without actually having to go build a real company, and I could then apply that down the line to my future business.”
Lyle Stevens
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What was the best advice you received as an entrepreneur?
“If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing. Every day, every week, I come across something that makes me uncomfortable that, once I’ve done it a couple of times, becomes old hat but that tells me I need to be stretching in different ways. I think that’s good advice for entrepreneurship and life, and I try to remind myself of that when there’s something new or difficult that I’m taking on – that just means that I’m growing.”
Kaitlin McCarthy
“One of the things that my mentors have always told me is to fail as fast as you can. Identify what doesn’t work and try to get to a solution as quickly as possible. In certain industries like finance and tech and AI, that is the recipe for success – being able to find that solution as quickly as possible and get to the next one.”
Nicholas “Nikko” Lara
What advice would you give to a Northeastern student who wants to be an entrepreneur?
“I would say it’s never too early to start and surround yourself with mentors – which Northeastern has plenty of, no matter what school you’re a part of – who are mission-aligned and are similarly passionate about the idea that you’re building out.”
Cynthia Orofo
“Find a place on campus to practice building a business around a problem you’re passionate about – whether it’s joining a student group, whether it’s running an organization as part of a college, or it’s trying to actually join a startup as a co-op and then learn how that grows from the inside out. This is a really great place to learn how to be an entrepreneur because we have all the resources – including the ability to actually raise funding – if you have an idea that you’re passionate about, and want to solve.”
Lyle Stevens
“Don’t give up. Be relentless. I think it’s one of the defining traits of a successful entrepreneur, and a lot of who I surround myself with are people who won’t take no for an answer and are determined to find an answer to what they’re trying to build.”
Nicholas “Nikko” Lara
