The inaugural St. Louis Entrepreneurial Fellowship cohort has come to an end. To mark the completion of the program fellows presented their capstone projects to the Skandalaris Center Experts on Call Natasha Conley, PhD and Pat Mathias, Skandalaris In-Residence Professional Katie Silversmith (AB, MSW ’12), and members of the Skandalaris Center staff.

These students shared ten-minute presentations of projects that were developed during the fellowship year and reflected on what they learned and experienced during their time in the spring seminar and summer internship.

Constanza Gonzalez Navarrine (AB ’22) presented her idea for Recycloop, a company that will recycle clothing from waste to new fabrics that can be reused again in the production of clothing. Connie shared that her project was influenced by meetings with ventures in the spring semester and how they developed their ventures from a problem.

“I received a lot of feedback on my ideas and got a lot of questions that encouraged me to pursue the idea.” - Connie Gonzalez Navarrine

Loubao Kraka (BS ’21) shared his idea for RaiseMeFunds, a web-based crowdfunding platform that allows people in Africa to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging problems like natural disasters and illnesses.

Reflecting on the Fellowship’s influence on his project Loubao shared, “The program gave me the push to go hard on my idea. Going to T-Rex and seeing the opportunities there really helped me see the resources available for entrepreneurs.”

Diva Harsoor (AB ’22) presented Beta STL, an online platform that facilitates connections between St. Louis startups and WashU student groups.

“The Fellowship introduced me to the fact that in my local area there are so many ways to get involved with having to go to Silicon Valley or New York,” Diva shared. “It would be really great for other WashU students to be able to connect with these groups and greater St. Louis projects.”

“We are so proud of our first class of fellows,” Jessica Weldon, Skandalaris Center Assistant Director of Programs. “These students demonstrated true resiliency and adaptability in the face of this year’s challenges. Their in-depth exploration of and commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation at WashU and in St. Louis over the course of 2020 has made a lasting and positive impact on our community.”

The 2021 Fellowship cohort has been selected and will begin their program in the Spring with a for-credit entrepreneurship seminar.