entrepreneurship Archives

A silhouette of two men shacking hands against the background of windows facing the ocean.

Maine Venture Fund makes three-year commitment to support startups at The Roux Institute

Maine’s largest state-sponsored venture capital firm is allocating as much as $250,000 annually over the next three years to invest in the businesses coming out of The Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator, an immersive entrepreneurship program that works with startups.

by Ian Thomsen March 29, 2022

This triathlete relies on maple water tapped from trees to stay hydrated

Northeastern alumna Kate Weiler is the founder and CEO of Drink Simple, a sports drink that comes straight from nature. In this episode of “What…

by Cam Sleeper and Brilee Weaver December 17, 2021

The scene at the Roux Institute Demo Day.

Startups pitch high-tech baby bottle warmer, rent payment ideas, and more to investors

Ten startups pitched their services to more than 100 potential investors at the first annual Demo Day, a culmination of the inaugural Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator—an intensive entrepreneurship program that has been working with the companies at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University in Portland, Maine, for the past three months.

by Ian Thomsen December 10, 2021

This startup is developing safe cosmetics for pregnant people

After testing more than 20 blends of lipstick personally and among volunteers, Michelle Calderon is preparing to launch the initial products of her startup, Addition Beauty. “We are the first sustainable makeup line that supports fertility and pregnancy,” says Calderon, who earned a Northeastern MBA last spring.

by Ian Thomsen October 13, 2021

Startup deploys underwater drones to save oceans from bacteria

Shital Waters, a graduate student in computer science and a star of YouTube videos, is co-founder of BluePlanetAI, which plans to deploy underwater drones to detect dangerous bacteria. In support of her efforts, Waters has received an inaugural $5,000 Innovator Award from Northeastern's Women Who Empower inclusion and entrepreneurship initiative.

by Ian Thomsen October 12, 2021

When her clothes went missing, she started a clothing line

JET NOIRE, a startup that fuses identity with fashion, began when Mya Brown’s clothes were lost by a shipping company during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown, a Northeastern international business graduate, began sewing new clothes for herself—and then for customers.

by Ian Thomsen September 29, 2021

An innovative cosmetics idea turned her into an entrepreneur ahead of schedule

Aniyah Smith’s career timeline underwent a radical adjustment last year when the MBA student placed second among Northeastern entrepreneurs based on her idea to create inclusive and accessible cosmetics for a diverse population. “I did not expect to be building a company at 22 years old,” says Smith, winner of an inaugural $2,500 Innovator Award from Northeastern’s Women Who Empower inclusion and entrepreneurship initiative.

by Ian Thomsen September 24, 2021

Roux Institute teams up with Techstars to help incubate startups in Maine

Ten startup companies have moved into the headquarters of the Roux Institute in Portland, Maine, where they are engaging in an intensive 13-week partnership with Techstars that is designed to grow high-tech businesses that will attract investors and strengthen the regional economy.

by Ian Thomsen September 14, 2021

Northeastern graduate Camille Martin poses for a portrait at The Engine in Cambridge, Mass.

How the natural pigments in marine life inspired a beauty products startup

The promise of Camille Martin’s first venture as a Northeastern PhD student was Seaspire Skincare, which develops new ingredients inspired by marine ecosystems that can be used to treat cosmetic and chronic skin conditions. Entrepreneurs who have contacted Martin for insight will be assisted by her second startup, Alexandria Growth Brands.

by Ian Thomsen August 20, 2021

A selection of caviar from California Caviar Company.

The caviar industry was in trouble. This former nursing student is saving it.

An entrepreneurship award from Northeastern is helping to revolutionize the caviar industry, says Deborah Keane, founder and chief executive officer of the groundbreaking California Caviar Company. She is committed to the development of “no-kill caviar,” which enables ripe eggs to be massaged from a female sturgeon without killing or cutting into the fish.

by Ian Thomsen August 10, 2021

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