by Jonas Clark | Oct 3, 2022
AsianFeed was founded by Justin Kim, ’21, and is a trendsetting news, lifestyle, and entertainment publication that celebrates the shared cultural experiences of millennial and Gen-Z Asians. AsianFeed is operated under the Famous Media Group umbrella. Endorsements include Microsoft, the Clinton Foundation, the 1517 Fund, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Accelerate NY Seed Fund. The publication has accumulated over 180k followers on their social medias. AsianFeed was a finalist in MassChallenge 2021.
Justin was a Brown University Peer Entrepreneur in Residence in 2021, and is also co-founder of Cress Health, a tech startup with the mission of democratizing mental wellness for all. Cress Health’s app, Callie, utilizes journaling, breathing exercises, meditation, and analytics, allowing users to reflect and learn about their mental health.
Photo Credit: Justin Kim
by Jonas Clark | Sep 29, 2022
Bloom is an app that teaches teens how to invest via educational modules, empowering the next generation of Americans to build wealth. Features include parental safeguards and bank-grade encryption. Additionally, Bloom works with nonprofits and student-led organizations to spread financial literacy and support the social-good finance leaders of tomorrow. It offers UTMA/UGMA custodial brokerage accounts that helps teenagers invest in a safe and educational way. Bloom was a part of 2021’s Y Combinator, and recently raised $4.3 million from investors, including from a 2020 US Presidential Candidate. As of April 2022, the app’s waitlist has over 35,000 teenagers, with 200,000+ current users.
Bloom is founded by Sonny Mo, ’21 (right) (2019 Brown Venture Prize Finalist), Allan Maman (left), and Sam Yang (middle). Bloom was recently featured in Fast Company and Forbes.
Photo Credit: Bloom
by Jonas Clark | Sep 18, 2022
Toy company Healthy Roots was founded in 2015. The company’s bestselling doll, Zoe, addresses a key lack of representation in toys. Founder Yelitsa Jean-Charles, (RISD ’16, B-Lab ’15) designed Zoe with the aim of teaching and helping children learn to love and care for their hair. Zoe’s curly, naturally textured Black hair can be washed, dried, and styled in a variety of ways. The company also provides over 30 free YouTube tutorials on how to style Zoe, with videos detailing shampooing, sectioning, and comb-outs—alongside more-elaborate lessons on mermaid braids and unicorn bantu knots.
Healthy Roots’ seed funding was led by Backstage Capital, which was joined by Lightship Capital, Broadway Angels, Alpha Bridge, The Community Fund, Sequoia Scout and a group of individuals, including Sahil Lavingia. The startup has now raised a total of $1.5 million in 2021. The doll was featured in New York Times. Zoe can be found in 1200 Target stores nationwide.
Photo Credit: Yelitsa Jean-Charles
by Jonas Clark | Sep 9, 2022
Omena is a non-profit organization committed to increasing awareness of emotional abuse in Madagascar’s educational system by providing tools for students to combat and stand up to abuse. Currently, Omena has 100+ volunteers around the world and has expanded to 13 countries (and counting). The Forbes 30 Under 30 accoladed organization was profiled in the Boston Globe here.
Omena was featured on MTVU Stories, now known as Cheddar University, which brought her story to the mainstream. The nonprofit is supported by the Clinton Foundation. Founder Francesca Raoelison, ’22 was a PEIR, Brown Venture Prize 2021 finalist, and 2019 B-Lab Alum.
Photo Credit: Francesca Raoelison
by Jonas Clark | Sep 6, 2022
When it comes to summer opportunities like internships, college students face challenges not only in securing these professional opportunities but also in financially supporting themselves–especially in metropolises with high costs of living. Pangea is a marketplace startup connecting college talent with companies, ensuring students can access funded entry-level opportunities and build professional experiences. Jobs are flexible and remote. The Y-Combinator backed venture has raised over $3 million.
Since the company was founded in 2017, Pangea has now expanded to 1500 college campuses. Pangea was founded by Adam Alpert, ’17 and John Tambunting, ’17, both members of the 2017 B-Lab cohort.
From Left: Adam Alpert and John Tambunting
Photo Credit: Pangea
