The Rise of Female Founders: From Middle School Entrepreneurs to Multi-Million Dollar Ventures
Dr. Milou secures $5K to revolutionize pet dental care, Belong’s female founders raise Europe’s largest female-led pre-seed round, and Boundless Futures Foundation awards $60K to female founders.
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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As I finally wrapped up my last final exam on Friday morning, I opened my phone to an email from JetBlue announcing my flight that night had been canceled. What followed was a whirlwind of two separate flight cancellations and eight delays over 36 hours. After two restless nights, I’m so grateful to finally say I made it to my destination!
The holidays always seem to come with surprises, and if you’re feeling anything like me right now, here’s your reminder to REST. I’m looking forward to unplugging over the next few days, indulging in some pleasure reading, and reflecting on 2024 while drafting my goals and resolutions for the new year.
Before I dive back into the grind, I’d love to hear from you—please comment any of your favorite articles, digital works, or ideas you’ve come across lately. I’m always eager to explore what’s happening at the intersection of entrepreneurship, tech, and community.
Dr. Milou, co-founded by Duke master’s student Rui Sun and Columbia graduate Shuyi Fan, secures a $5K grant to tackle pet dental disease with ultrasonic oral care sets and an upcoming AI-powered app, supported by Duke’s Melissa & Doug Accelerator.
Boundless Futures Foundation awarded $60,000 in grants to female founders tackling social issues, including compostable underwear innovators CUFT, vegan bagel makers Best Coast Bagels, and For the Cubs, supporting foster children with sensitivity-aware products.
Sixth-grade students at Draper Park Middle School in Utah showcased their entrepreneurial skills at the Shark Tank-inspired "It’s My Business" competition, with Team Wish Wash Pet Brush, led by young female student founders, taking home the top prize for their all-in-one pet grooming tool.
Belong's female founders, Avion Gray and Samantha Rosenberg, broke records by raising £2.95M in Europe's largest pre-seed round led by a female founding team, paving the way for their fintech platform aimed at empowering millennials to build wealth.
Neha Sampat, founder and CEO of Contentstack, raised $169 million for her AI-powered CMS platform, overcoming funding barriers to lead one of the top female-founded tech companies transforming digital content management.
January TBD | 🏝️ I am thinking of hosting a happy hour for female entrepreneurs in Miami—know anyone or a potential partner? Let me know!
January 23 | 🌃 NYC Student Founder Dinner hosted by WWV Labs (NYC)
Hosting an event for women in entrepreneurship?
Share the details with WWV Labs Her Hustle’s community by filling out this form!
VCs are betting big in 2025 on high-growth areas like AI in clinical trials, ethical fintech, cross-border payments, and sustainability transformation, as highlighted by top investors including Marlon Nichols, Leila Rastegar Zegna, and Luna Schmid.
Yudara Kularathne, CEO of HeHealth, credits female co-founder Mei-Ling Lu for guiding their AI-driven healthcare startup through its toughest year, showcasing the critical role women play in leadership and decision-making during challenging times.
Latina-led venture networks VCFamilia and FounderFamilia have driven massive impact, with Latina investors achieving 38% female representation in senior roles—doubling the industry average—and 34% of female founders raising over $1M.
Oluwatomisin Owolabi, co-founder and technical product manager of Dishpal.ai, is redefining convenience with a centralized discount platform, securing funding and building transformative AI technology—all while balancing her robotics engineering studies.
Gen Z verticalized communities are generating millions, with platforms like The Knowledge Society driving $24M+ in annual revenue, proving high-margin, niche-focused memberships are a game-changing business model for the next wave of entrepreneurs.
Name: Kelsey Worsham
School: Duke MBA ‘25
Startup: Intuition
Sector: Health Tech
Description of Startup: Intuition is a behavioral health app seeking to reduce the prevalence of dating violence on college campuses. Our platform offers journaling, community support, and expert resources—all backed by AI to proactively identify dating red flags as users engage the app.
Biggest Startup Achievement: In just five months, my co-founder and I launched Intuition’s MVP app, which features proactive AI trained on a proprietary dataset created with mental health experts. Our AI reviews users' journal entries to provide real-time feedback and help them recognize toxic patterns, fostering healthier and more supportive relationships.
Biggest Startup Learning Moment: As a new founder, you'll receive feedback from all directions. It's important to understand when you should listen and whose advice to prioritize. While feedback can be both helpful and overwhelming, give yourself grace and recognize that some sources may provide more valuable insights than others.
Advice for Female Students Interested in Entrepreneurship: Don’t hesitate to speak out about the causes you’re passionate about! When I started business school, I purposefully shared my dream of using technology to address dating violence. This has created countless opportunities, as people remember my passion and connect me with relevant (and maybe sometimes niche!) opportunities.
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💁♀️ 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!
🌟 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 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!
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I hope you enjoyed this newsletter, Hustlers!
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Love,
Daniela