Introducing the 2025 Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator Cohort

The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management has selected the 2025 cohort of startup teams participating in its Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator. Notable for their innovative use of AI and other new technologies, the 29 companies are pursuing forward-thinking solutions in healthcare, hospitality, fashion, and more.

The Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator (JSSA) enables graduate management students to develop their entrepreneurial pursuits during the summer, while still engaged in an internship opportunity, or Executive MBA students continue their full-time roles. The accelerator is a structured and supportive 10-week program that provides participants the time, network, and knowledge to develop their business ideas into defined strategies and marketable products. The entrepreneurs receive training in weekly workshops, professional networking opportunities, and are supported in one-on-one consultations by dedicated Entrepreneurs in Residence.

MBA students planning to work full time on their startups post-graduation were eligible to apply for a stipend from the Vrinda Kadiyali Student Entrepreneur Fund. Stephen Smith ’91, MBA ’95, established the fund in honor of Vrinda Kadiyali, the Nicholas H. Noyes Professor of Management, who inspired him to launch his startup. Smith’s idea ultimately became Naviance, the successful college and career readiness software. Smith believes that the summer between the first and second years is critical for MBA students who plan to launch their own businesses, prompting him to establish the fund to alleviate the financial burden on young entrepreneurs.

This year’s recipient of the Vrinda Kadiyali Student Entrepreneur Fund is Bren Bodin, MBA ’26, founder of FYBRE.

“Through JSSA, I’m excited to learn how customers imagine fashion in their lives – what it is and what it could be”, said Bodin. “These conversations are critical for FYBRE, because we’re not just building a product—we’re rewriting the rules of the industry and redefining self-expression through what we wear”.

Meet the 2025 JSSA cohort

AI-based Medical Decisions: A startup that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to elucidate the causal factors of ADRs and recommend appropriate therapeutic intervention strategies, founded by Srikanth Kakumanu, MBA ’26, enrolled in the Johnson Cornell Tech MBA, and Vinod Petluri, MBA ’26, who is enrolled in the Cornell Executive MBA Metro NY.

AiSEPTor: A secure and reliable exam delivery platform, delivering high-stakes exams online-at-home to test takers globally, founded by Akshay Aggarwal ‘26 and Anirudh Keni, MBA ‘26, who are both enrolled in the Johnson School’s Two-Year MBA program.

BookMyOR: A platform for booking operating rooms and staff founded by Galina Borodulina, MBA/MS ‘26, is enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program offered jointly by the Johnson School and the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Catylyst Capital: A research-backed obligations (RBO)-structured financial vehicle that pool early-stage scientific projects and securitize their future potential to unlock scalable, institutional funding for breakthrough innovation, founded by Raphael Genova, MBA ’26, and Jorge Rodriguez, MBA ‘26, who are both enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

Clarity: A virtual closet that organizes in a familiar way, snagging thumbnail images from your recent purchases with AI capabilities, founded by Yahna Watkins, MBA ‘25, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

Empact Strategies: An AI-powered platform that identifies hyper-local health equity gaps and generates data-driven strategies for brands, athletes, and organizations to drive measurable social impact, founded by Harsha Kavuri, MBA/MS ‘26, and Tasia McLeod, MBA/MS ‘26, who are both enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

Fluffle Fertility: A startup that aims to offer a comprehensive fertility benefits solution tailored specifically for the individual market, founded by Cathy Lew, MBA/MS ‘25, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

Flush Awayy: A tampon that can be safely flushed down the toilet, founded by Zoe Schulte, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

FYBRE: A startup focused on reinventing how we interact with fashion by merging intelligent styling and dynamic garments to spark a new era of expression, adaptability, and design, founded by Bren Bodin, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

GEO: A location-based app that transforms geocaching into rewarding adventures, connecting users with local businesses, retailers, and events while fostering community engagement, founded by David Kunau, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

GO2: A startup that aims to combine at-home soda-making with a mobile and easily transportable delivery device, founded by Chris Archer, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

Grow the Earth: A startup focused on pioneering a farm-to-fork food company utilizing regenerative practices, automation, and AI to produce fine food products in Croydon, NH, founded by Ryan Ramnarine, MBA ‘26 and Caroline Feldmeier, MBA ‘26, who are both enrolled in the Cornell Executive MBA Metro New York program.

iW2 Innovations: A startup that designs and deploys intelligent robotic window-cleaning solutions for property managers, real estate owners, and facility maintenance firms managing mid-rise to skyscraper assets across major North American cities. The startup aims to enable safer, more efficient façade maintenance, reduce operational costs, eliminate high-risk labor, and support sustainability goals. Founders include Armando Venegasm, MBA ‘26, Flor Berenice Barrios Perez, MBA ‘26, Hiwot Misker, MBA ‘26, Dmitri Golovatch, MBA ‘26, who are all enrolled in the who is enrolled in the Johnson School’s Executive MBA Americas.

JointCare: A synergistic health platform that coordinates “joint care” between rheumatology, physical medicine, and rehab and orthopedics to optimize diagnosis, facilitates medical and surgical management, and promotes effective recovery. The founder is Priya Chokshi, MBA/MS ‘26, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

LifeQuest: A digital platform that helps users document and celebrate meaningful life experiences, big and small, through intentional micro-journaling and gamified reflection, founded by Tyler Hein MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA.

NEURIS: Is building a universal healthcare pool that simplifies access to healthcare for patients, doctors, and employers founded by Regina Clarke, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA Metro New York program.

Nol Karbon: A startup that helps companies and investors analyze large volumes of ESG data using AI to generate predictive sustainability insights for smarter investment decisions, founded by Pera Sihite, MBA ‘25, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA Metro New York program.

Palletpay: A dynamic, AI-powered interface that empowers payroll and HR software companies to deliver personalized, mobile-first experiences that slash training time, cut development costs, and automatically adapt the interface as integration needs evolve, founded by Neelam Naik, MBA ‘25, and Michael Piggott, MBA ‘25, who are both enrolled in the Executive MBA Metro New York program.

Physician Shortage Solutions: A startup that focuses on developing a solution to address the physician shortage by leveraging technology, global partnerships, and regulatory frameworks to enhance healthcare access through more efficient workforce allocation and licensing, founded by Andres Suarez Londono, MBA/MS ‘25, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

Pocket: A startup that develops and commercializes AI-powered tools to transform complex and varied datasets, founded by August Mawn, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

RxJuris: A startup that helps hospitals reduce legal risk and improve patient safety by detecting compliance errors before discharge, saving time, costs, and lives, founded by Joealen Benson, MBA/MS ‘26, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

SafeVoyage: A startup that helps millennial travelers with safety insights, political landscape details, and a curated list of safe attractions so they can travel safely and confidently without spending hours on research, founded by Kaneesha Dawood, MBA ‘25, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA Metro New York program.

Silversky: A sake brewery, founded by Kaiser Khoo, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

Think Forward VC: A venture capital fund focused on fueling Africa’s next wave of innovation by co-building and backing high-impact startups in healtech, fintech, and agritech, “because underdogs deserve the biggest bets,” founded by Ebony Bogui-Akinyi, MBA ‘26, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

TopDocIME: A platform that streamlines and standardizes the independent medical examination (IME) process, improving transparency, efficiency, and scalability for providers and clients, founded by Ben Cooper, MBA/MS ‘25, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

Viktor Lavrenyuk: An AI tool for financial and operational management of small businesses, founded by Viktor Lavrenyuk, MBA/MS ‘25, who is enrolled in the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

Vision Partners: A youth-led consultancy that trains high school students to deliver real-world marketing and strategy solutions for local nonprofits and small businesses, founded by Daniel Lyle, MBA ‘25, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program.

WhiskerOS: A software platform that uses smart algorithms to reduce the administrative burden on veterinary clinics by automatically summarizing and organizing pet health records, ultimately enhancing veterinarian access to information and enabling better patient care. Founders include Daniel Rasmusson MBA ‘25, who is enrolled in the Two-Year MBA program, and Haripriya Bhattaru, ‘25 M.Eng.