Celebrating Female Student Founders: From Forbes Features to Times Square Billboards
Emma Lembke, WashU '25, Named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Elise Pham’s Ultimate Ivy League Guide in Times Square, Brynne Norquist, Emerson '25 Wins GSEA Boston and Heads to Nationals.
This is WWV Labs’ weekly newsletter: Her Hustle, a place to learn all about the new and the next in female entrepreneurship, and we’re here to help you dive into it. We highlight all the fierce women who are building startups—from those launching from dorm rooms and balancing classes to recent grads and experienced professionals turning their bold visions into reality.
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We’re almost there—phew! I can’t believe it’s the last week of my final fall semester at Harvard. As I take it all in, I’m feeling a mix of excitement and reflection, knowing I have just one more semester before graduation.
Last Thursday, I had the privilege of speaking at the Junior Economic Club of San Francisco on Think Big: A Harvard Student’s Guide to Building Startups.
Invited by Emily Gorodetskiy, President of the SF Junior Economic Club, I shared my journey and answered students’ questions about entrepreneurship. Reflecting on my time at Harvard, I offered three key takeaways: 1) take risks and bet on yourself, 2) build technical skills, and 3) surround yourself with a community that inspires you.
The messages I received after the talk were incredibly heartwarming. It’s always a joy to connect with and support the next generation of ambitious student entrepreneurs!
Pamela Conley, Co-Founder of Nuvig Therapeutics, raised $161M—one of the largest funding rounds this week— in a Series B round led by Sanofi Ventures to advance autoimmune therapies, including NVG-2089, now entering Phase 2 trials.
Emma Lembke, a 21-year-old student founder at Washington University in St. Louis, earned a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work with Log Off, a movement advancing mindful social media use and media literacy worldwide.
Sarah Lee, Co-founder of Relavo, won first place at the 2024 Ignite Health Fire Pitch Competition for her work in making home dialysis safer, more effective, and affordable, earning top awards from Johnson & Johnson and Wilson Sonsini.
Kate Rosenbluth, Founder of Cala Health, raised $50M to expand non-invasive neurostimulation therapies for essential tremors and Parkinson's disease.
Halogen Ventures, led by Jesse Draper, is partnering with Innovate Alabama to invest $10M in local female founders, fueling Alabama’s tech ecosystem and empowering women-led startups in healthcare, manufacturing, and more.
💁♀️ Are you a female student or recent graduate who wants to work at a startup? Apply to WWV Labs Fellowship Program to find ad hoc projects, term-time internships, summer internships, or full-time employment opportunities at startups!
Join our community of 450+ fellows from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, UPenn, UC Berkeley, and other top universities today!
🚀 The Bain Capital Ventures Labs Fellowship is now accepting applications: a Summer 2025 internship program for tech-focused undergrads, master’s, and PhD candidates to work with BCV-backed startups in Silicon Valley, network with founders and VCs, and access exclusive career opportunities.
💡 Register for Hacking Health 2025 at Columbia University (Feb 8–9, 2025) hosted by the Columbia Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), a 48-hour healthcare hackathon with 150+ participants, mentorship, networking, and prizes in personalized medicine!
🌟 foundess’ Hatch is now accepting applications: a free 6-week program for female-led teams in North America to build bold ideas, gain mentorship from top VCs and industry leaders, and compete for $20,000 in prizes with an exclusive IRL demo day in San Francisco!
💰 The Genesis Fund, a $2M student-led fund managed by students from top universities in Boston, is now supporting exceptional Boston-based student founders—female founders, DM me for a warm intro to the Genesis Fund team!
TechCrunch’s NYC Top VCs Under 30 list highlights exceptional female investors including Layla Alexander, Emily Herrera, Zehra Naqvi, & many more!
Elise Pham, Harvard ’26 and founder of Ultimate Ivy League Guide, celebrated a major milestone with her company featured on a Times Square billboard, showcasing the impact of her work empowering students to thrive in college admissions and beyond.
Brynne Norquist, Emerson College ’25 and founder of Hiike, wins 1st place at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) in Boston, securing a $6K grant and advancing to Nationals in Puerto Vallarta this February to scale her mission of empowering filmmakers worldwide.
Looking beyond YC? Check out this list of 10 top startup accelerators like 500 Global ($150K for 6%) and Techstars ($120K for 8%) offering funding, mentorship, and connections to scale your venture!
The traditional 18-month fundraising cycle is being replaced by faster, leaner micro-raises, as cheaper startup costs and rapid product iteration allow founders to build, test, and scale at unprecedented speeds—read on to learn how to adapt your startup strategy in this new age of AI and intense competition.
Name: Swarna Shiv
School: Babson College ’23
Major: Entrepreneurship
Startup: Unsmudgeable
Sector: Coatings, Eyewear, Deep Tech
Description of Startup: Green fingerprint fading eyewear coating for a lifetime of clear vision.
Biggest Startup Achievement: Signing on our first pilot with Buhler Leybold Optics, a multinational eyewear manufacturer.
Biggest Startup Learning Moment: B2B Sales is no joke and should be addressed with speed and flawless execution while delivering on the customers' needs. The rate at which you follow up after a meeting determines how connected you'll be to your client and success rate in closing a deal.
Advice for Female Students Interested in Entrepreneurship: Don't self disqualify, your lack of experience/knowledge should not discourage you from at least starting and seeing how things go. Treat your startup as a project and move forward in small tasks incrementally. It will lower the stakes and allow you to more confidently gain traction.
Unsmudgeable has officially launched their equity crowdfunding campaign! Learn more or invest here.
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January 7 | 💁♀️ The Capital Boutique Salon: Build Your Social Capital (Info Session) (Virtual)
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After a busy November packed with events, I’m taking it easy in December/January to focus on thesis deadlines, final exams, and the holiday season. However, if you’re based in Miami or NYC and are building female-focused entrepreneurial communities, I’d love to connect—feel free to DM me!
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I hope you enjoyed this newsletter, Hustlers!
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Love,
Daniela