The Most Disruptive Undergraduate Business School Startups Of 2024

PURSUING THE GREATER GOOD

In some cases, business students launched ventures to pursue the greater good. At Babson College, Anastacia Yefimenko started Elcove. Here, consumers can mix ingredients with water to create non-toxic home care products like soap. The solution also comes with reusable glass bottles to reduce landfill waste. The venture arose from Yefimenko’s allergies, which were tied to traditional cleaning and hygiene products.

“I found that the products meant to keep homes clean were compromising my health. When I dug deeper, I was shocked to learn that 2.5 billion plastic cleaning product bottles are discarded annually in the U.S. alone, contributing to an escalating environmental crisis. After looking for alternatives that were safe for both my health and the planet and not being able to find any, I decided to create my own solution.”

In the same vein, Rachel Domb, a December graduate of Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, started Rooted Living. Her solution involves pairing plant-based granola in “100% compostable packaging.” The product was so popular that it earned the Women Who Empower Innovator Award (along with $27,000 in funding). At the University of San Francisco, Owen Sordillo is a co-founder of Silvaye. His solution combines sensors and data analytics to measure how fires burn so authorities can mitigate their risk. Not only has Silvaye received $100,000 in funding from NASA, but the founders completed a rotation in a NASA-operated incubator and presented their solution at the NASA Earth Science Technology Forum.

Dhiya Krupashankar and Erin Donnelly were inspired to pursue entrepreneurship after completing a global health project in Ghana for the University of Michigan. Here, they were exposed to the prevalence of neonatal hypothermia, which contributes heavily to infant mortality. The situation galvanized Krupashankar and Donnelly to develop an incubator to be used in hospitals to reduce mortality rates. Designed for “low resource” facilities, Krupashankar describes NeoNest as a non-electric device that is “simple, accessible, and affordable.” Established as a non-profit, NeoNest has generated $75,000 in funding, along with being a finalist at the 2024 Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition, which attracted 286 proposals.

For Krupashankar, the Ross School of Business has played an integral role in the growth of NeoNest, with the founders able to work on the venture in various startup classes and competing in various competitions to hone their pitches and strategy.

“Academically, I have completed two capstone projects sponsored by NeoNest, one focused on prototype iteration and the second focused on identifying market opportunities,” Krupashankar adds. “To secure funding, we have participated in numerous grant opportunities through the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, the Center for Entrepreneurship, and optiMize. We are also clients of the Zell Legal Clinic, where we have received support in drafting our bylaws, assessing patent potential, and preparing our 501(c)(3) application.”

SUPPORTING CAREGIVERS…LIKE HER MOTHER

Growing up in India, Aakriti Kamal witnessed her grandmother descend into Schizophrenia. Although her mother became her primary caregiver, she knew little about how to care for the mentally ill – and the responsibilities took a toll on her. “It’s a role that’s consumed her life, affecting her health both physically and mentally, and showing the intense, and overwhelming amounts of stress and anxiety caregivers face on a daily basis,” Kamal explains.

Coming to the University of Texas’ McCombs School, Kamal wanted to connect her passions for psychology and business. Experiencing first-hand the limited resources available to mental health caregivers in India, she decided to launch a venture to help the millions who made the same sacrifices as her mother.

“Cura is an AI-powered app designed to support informal and family caregivers of mentally-ill patients,” Kamal tells P&Q. “Family caregivers experience immense burden of caregiving, which has been proven to take a severe toll on their health. We make it easier for caregivers to manage their daily tasks, improve their loved one’s recovery, and access useful resources. Cura also generates detailed reports on patient progress, ensuring smooth handoffs to doctors. This leads to better patient outcomes and increases efficiency in care delivery for hospitals.”

SOLUTIONS FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

Like Cura, many undergraduate disruptive startups are centered around platforms or apps driven by data analytics and artificial intelligence. Take CreditCliq, a FinTech that originated out of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. Started by Eve Idusuyi, Angel Idusuyi, and Eniola Osabiya, the firm focuses on helping internationals who’ve relocated to North America to share their credit histories with financial institutions. That way, these consumers can more easily apply for credit cards and loans. Thus far, the firm has attracted over 100,00 users, while winning 1st place in the Silicon Valley Business Plan Competition and Princeton University’s Impact Challenge.

Roam is another startup geared towards simplifying the transition for newcomers to the United States, says co-founder Krish Bajaj, who’ll be graduating from New York University’s Stern School this spring.

“We help them get set up with everything, from the basics like a bank account and credit card to the more complex tasks like choosing an insurance plan and procuring an H-1B visa without the lottery – all while saving them thousands of dollars, a ton of stress, and loads of time along the way.”

Since launching last summer, Roam has built a community of 25,000 international students across a variety of digital channels. Even more, the firm has launched what it calls “the world’s first AI-powered F-1 visa interview coach,” which has already been used by 5,000 students. Long-term, Bajaj says, he wants Roam to become the world’s largest student housing platform. At Notre Dame’s Mendoza College, Michelle Arandia Beltran is part of the founding team for Blink Mexico. Recognizing that half of Mexico’s 18-70-year-old demographic has limited access to banking, the team borrowed an idea from Indonesia to better connect Mexico’s cash-based system with easy-to-use digital tools. To accelerate this evolution, Blink is starting with a familiar first adopter population, says Arandia Beltran.

“Blink targets financially active students in Mexico City, offering a convenient way to manage expenses and make on-campus purchases. The platform promotes financial inclusion and aims to empower local businesses by increasing sales and providing better data insights.”

SUCCESS MEANS COMING BACK FOR MORE

At Southern Methodist University’s Cox School, Ephraim Sun has co-developed a solution that he describes as a “virtual Scrum Master.” Known as FuseLink AI, the platform streamlines Agile workflows and automates “routine project management tasks.” The inspiration, Sun says, came from team members’ internships at Amazon and Wells Fargo, where the tools often lagged behind the demands.

“During my time at Amazon, I observed firsthand how even the most advanced teams could be bogged down by repetitive, administrative aspects of Agile workflows. Despite access to cutting-edge tools, project managers and engineers were often overwhelmed by tasks like status updates, prioritization, and follow-ups, which detracted from actual innovation and slowed project velocity. This experience highlighted the need for a smarter, more automated solution that could handle these repetitive tasks while keeping teams aligned with business goals.”

While most student startups are still suffering growing pains, several are showing promise. IE Business School’s Alga.E, which curbs ecological risk by “transforming sargassum into a sustainable resource,” earned a spot in the Greentech Europe 2024 accelerator program. Custom Crumb, a cookie maker founded by twin sisters at Georgia Tech, sold 2,000 cookies in its first month. At Cornell University, The Outdoor Wholesaler, which provides a platform for clothing and recreation brands to connect with local shops, had signed up nearly two dozen marketers before fourth quarter. According to Chloe Lauren Samah, co-founder of Babson College’s BOND, the venture’s biggest milestone has been learning how to bounce back from failures.

“We’ve won over $150k in equity-free funding through grants and pitch competitions, but we’ve also lost out on over $3M in potential funding. The real accomplishment has been learning to embrace those losses—taking every “no” as a chance to get better. Each rejection has taught us how to refine our pitch, sharpen our product, and come back even stronger. It’s this resilience that has kept us moving forward, helping us build BOND step by step into something truly impactful.”

THE VALUE OF BUSINESS CURRICULUM TO STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS

Samah also credits her business major for her startup success. Working with diverse classmates in team projects prepared her to collaborate, motivate, and navigate. Alga.E co-founder Maria Elena Escribano absorbed applicable fundamentals, such as building financial models and identifying revenue streams, that she could apply directly to her efforts. In his freshman year, Roam’s Krish Bajaj completed a design sprint, which required him to interview over 50 strangers in Brooklyn to gain insights on their concept. Hesitant at first, Bajaj grew comfortable interacting with prospective customers – and gained an unforgettable insight in the process.

“It’s all about people. If you can understand people well, you can build world-changing businesses,” Bajaj explains. “Today, I follow the same mantra. Whenever we build a new product or sign a new partnership, the only question I ask myself is, “Who is the person behind this, and what can I learn about them that will help me serve them better?”

Claire Lee is a 2024 Georgetown University graduate whose Selleb startup uses receipts to bring transparency to product endorsements. She echoes Bajaj’s lesson from her own experience. “Your users have all the answers. All the theories, all the shiny concepts—they dissolve the second you hear real users talk about their needs, frustrations, and wishes.”

Lee says this point was hammered home in her Startup Studio course. While seasoned entrepreneurs may hype experience, this year’s class of disruptive student founders are equally bullish on classroom learning. BOND’s Chloe Lauren Samah points out that an idea from her Opportunities in AI course saved her 10 hours of work per customer. In her Business Model Design and Innovation course, Rachel Domb learned that a great product goes hand-in-hand with a great model – you can’t have one without the other. At the Wharton School, Ace Kim found his negotiations course to be particularly relevant to his venture.

“[The] class has informed the way I now lead conversations with clients and potential investors. I learned to separate positions (the outcomes people want) from interests (the reasons they want those outcomes) from options (all the possibilities in which people might agree) in order to form value-creating agreements.”

In his capstone course at NYU, Krish Bajaj was required to give a weekly presentation on the progress of his venture and the lessons he’d gained since the previous class. It was a structure – reflecting, communicating, and acting – that he has implemented in his own venture.

“We host bi-weekly stand-ups every Monday and Thursday where everyone shares what they’re working on that day, what they’re learning, what they need to do for the rest of the week, and what they need help with. This practice helps increase visibility into what every individual is doing, how far we’ve come, and where we’re headed. The inability to see a clear path ahead can be daunting; this practice helps our team reorient ourselves in the present and take baby steps toward the future.”

Next Page: In-Depth Profiles of 29 Student Startups