Holekamp Seed Fund Supports WashU Founders with Strong Skandalaris Connections

The entrepreneurial momentum continues for WashU founders connected to the Skandalaris Center.

The Holekamp Seed Fund recently marked its eighth year of supporting student entrepreneurs, awarding 27 grants to 23 student-led ventures in 2026. The fund provides $1,000 Seed Awards to help early-stage founders turn ideas into operational businesses, while its Follow-On Awards provide additional funding to select founders committed to growing their ventures after graduation.

Among this year’s recipients are a number of founders and ventures that have also participated in Skandalaris Center programs, competitions and opportunities—demonstrating how WashU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem can support founders at multiple stages of their journey.

From SVC to Seed Funding

Several Holekamp Seed Award recipients were also finalists in the Spring 2026 Skandalaris Venture Competition (SVC), including:

Alon Technologies | Nate Scherer (LA ’27, MBA ’28)
Alon Technologies automates athlete discovery, campaign generation, and compliance tracking for NIL agencies. The venture received Disruptor Funding through SVC and continued developing through the Skandalaris Launchpad program this summer.

Amass Biosystems | Justin Traenkle (MBA ’27)
Amass Biosystems is developing a plant breeding platform for symbiotic species that enables farmers to diversify their operations with bioenergy crops. The venture received Innovator Funding through SVC and participated in the 2026 Launchpad program.

ArmorMed | Sundeep Chakladar (MD ’28)
ArmorMed uses AI-powered pose estimation to measure patient range of motion from video, creating a more accessible approach to musculoskeletal assessment. ArmorMed received Innovator Funding through the Spring 2026 SVC.

By Bri Boutique | Bri Nitsberg (BSBA ’26)
By Bri Boutique, an e-commerce lifestyle brand focused on thoughtfully designed productivity products for college women, advanced to the Spring 2026 SVC finals.

Euno | Brent Pennington (BSBA ’26)
Euno is building an AI-powered platform that makes meaningful cognitive change more accessible. After advancing to the SVC finals, Euno continued building through the Skandalaris Launchpad program this summer.

Netty’s Juicery | Ginette Rhodes (MBA ’27)
Netty’s Juicery offers handcrafted cold-pressed juices, loose-leaf teas and herbal beverages through a subscription model. The venture received Disruptor Funding through SVC and was part of the 2026 Launchpad cohort.

Realize to Act | Tanya Keskar (LA ’27)
Realize to Act empowers students through educational resources and technology that connects schools with community resources. The venture received Disruptor Funding through the Spring 2026 SVC.

Together, these ventures reflect the breadth of entrepreneurship happening across WashU—from health care and agriculture to consumer products, artificial intelligence, education and sports technology.

Building an Ecosystem for Student Founders

The Holekamp Seed Fund has supported more than 150 student startups since its establishment in 2018. This year, 23 ventures received Seed Awards, while four additional companies received a combined $20,000 in Follow-On Awards.

For the Skandalaris Center, seeing familiar founders among this year’s recipients highlights the value of an entrepreneurial ecosystem that gives students multiple ways to move their ideas forward. A founder might test an early concept, compete through SVC, spend a summer developing the venture through Launchpad, and pursue additional funding opportunities as the business grows.

Congratulations to all of this year’s Holekamp Seed Fund recipients, and especially to the founders who continue to engage, build and grow within the Skandalaris community.

Read the original story from WashU Olin Business School to meet all of the 2026 Holekamp Seed Fund recipients.