by Katie Calabro | Sep 1, 2022
Premama Wellness is maternity wellness company that provides high-quality supplements to parents in all stages of their pregnancy journey. Founder Dan Aziz ’11 was inspired to create prenatal supplements that were easier to consume and more bioavailable than those currently available on the market. Currently, Premama Wellness offers a variety of products to aid expecting and new parents through direct-to-consumer sales.
Premama Wellness was founded in 2011. The company raised $3.5 million in their first institutional investor round in 2020, and was included on Inc’s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list in 2021.
Photo Credit: Dan Aziz
by Jonas Clark | Aug 30, 2022
Rip Van was started by Amsterdam-native Rip Pruisken, ’10 and Marco De Leon, ’12, from their Brown University dorm room in 2010. The two used Kickstarter to launch their business, calling their product Van Wafels. The two founders slept in a Volvo station wagon as they drove across the country to deliver their product to stores. They spent two years on campus trying to improve product marketing and the quality of the snack, which is now available in stores nationwide. Rip Van now offers an expanding product line of healthier takes on classic snacks.
Read their profile in Forbes here. Both founders were named Forbes 30 Under 30 awardees in 2016.
From Left: Marco De Leon, Rip Pruisken
Photo Credit: Rip Van
by Jonas Clark | Aug 29, 2022
Runa was founded by two Brown University students and friends, Tyler Gage, ’08 and Dan MacCombie, ’04, after a soul-searching trip to the Amazon rainforest. Fueled with positive energy and with new-found purpose, the two returned to Ecuador a year later and built the world’s first supply chain for Guayusa and created a new way for more people to experience this unique feeling.
Runa was named one of Inc Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the US in 2015 and 2016. Read Tyler Gage’s profile in Forbes here.
From left: Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie
Photo Credit: OBSERVER
by Jonas Clark | Aug 28, 2022
Founded by Scott Norton, ’08 and Mark Ramadan, ’08, Sir Kensington’s is a globally inspired, New York admired company best known for making condiments with character. With a mission to reimagine ordinary and overlooked foods with fearless integrity and charm, Sir Kensington’s has become an integral offering at the nation’s leading retailers and restaurants. The company joined Unilever in 2017 and is a certified B Corporation.
Both founders were named on Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2012 – read their Forbes profile here.
From Left: Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton.
Photo Credit: Sir Kensington
by Tori Gilbert | Aug 27, 2022
Founded by Nicole Cuervo ‘16 in 2020, Springrose designs adaptive intimate apparel with the goal of improving the quality of life for women with limited mobility (eg. conditions like arthritis, shoulder injuries, MS, and stroke). Their innovative clothing technology empowers women to dress painlessly and independently.
Springrose’s journey began with an idea in 2015, was further pushed in ENGN 1010, and has since blossomed into a thriving venture, thanks to support from Brown Alumni mentors, Brad Falkof ’74 and Troy Henikoff ‘86 and successful fundraising efforts. It has raised an impressive $750K from grants and investors.
Springrose has also been a standout in various accelerator programs, including AARP Innovation Labs, Remarkable Accelerator, Zell Fellow, and 1871 LTNtech Founders. Their accolades include first place at the Kellogg Venture Challenge, third place at the Tulane Business Competition, and recognition as one of “100 Rising Latinx Founders to Watch” by Inicio Ventures.
To learn more check out their feature in AgeTech and Cerebral Palsy Foundation podcasts.
Photo Credit: Nicole Cuervo
