More than 135 contestants vied for the second annual Women Who Empower Innovator Awards this year, greatly impressing the panel of judges, who evaluated participants based on innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, authenticity, community and inclusion, and track record. All the winners demonstrated a great deal of heart, love for what they are doing, and willingness to keep trying and face the obstacles.

It’s about the innovator, not the innovation

The Innovator Awards are given to the woman, not to the venture. Many accelerator programs focus on the venture itself, and have stringent rules about how money can be spent. And despite improved balance in the number of women who think of themselves as entrepreneurs compared with men, women’s access to capital still lags far behind. The Innovator Awards are changing that paradigm, one award at a time.

Each of the 2022 recipients is a source of pride and inspiration to the university and beyond. They represent all of Northeastern’s colleges and schools, and countries across five continents. As you will see below, these powerful women—along with their ideas, products, businesses, and services—are already making a meaningful mark on the world.

 “It is inspiring to be around all of these women who are taking ownership of their leadership, taking ownership of their ideas, and taking ownership of where they want to go in life.”

—Jill Bornstein, judge, Women Who Empower Innovator Awards, and founder, UpNext Leadership and Executive Coaching

DOWNLOAD THE PDF BOOKLET

To receive a printed booklet, reach out to Betsy Ludwig at b.ludwig@northeastern.edu

YOUNG ALUMNAE UNDERGRADUATE AWARD WINNERS

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

Temidola Ikomi, DMSB’17

Irawo Studio

Female-owned womenswear business in Nigeria

Read the story at News@Northeastern

Read her Bio

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

Amy Andes, PhD, S’17

Banzo Brands

Dedicated to creating food innovations that are free from the top 14 food allergens, nutritious, delicious, and safe

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Eliana Berger, DMSB'21

Envision

Inclusive startup incubator

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Birta Ólafsdóttir, DMSB’14

LDV

Retail platform for luxury vintage furniture design

Read her Bio
Visit the Aurora Foundation

YOUNG ALUMNAE GRADUATE AWARD WINNERS

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

Samantha Johnson, E’21, MS'21

Tatum Robotics

Communication product specifically customized for DeafBlind individuals

Read the story at News@Northeastern

Read her Bio

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

Wenjun Zhang, PhD'16, MBA’21

UniWise

Non-invasive disease detection and health monitoring platform that utilizes saliva sensing

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Jae’da Turner, DMSB’14, MBA’16

Black Owned Bos

Helps close the opportunity gap for Black Owned Businesses

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Tahisha Charles, MA’20

Miixtapechiick

Journalism platform in Massachusetts

Read her Bio

EXPERIENCED ALUMNAE AWARD WINNERS

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

Natasha Shazana, DMSB’13

Soko

Empowering bra brand for everyday women in Malaysia

Read the story on News@Northeastern

Read her Bio

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

Ashley Girard, S’07

Welly’s Wellness

Mobile storefront selling health on-the-go essentials to underserved communities

Read her Bio

 

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Yewande Masi, SSH’09

Ornami

Innovative body care

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Wendy Faren Price, BHS’94, MS’00, DPT’14

Healthcore

Comprehensive women’s health and wellbeing practice

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Kate Weiler, MS'13

Drink Simple

Harnesses the natural power of trees to create nutritious and delicious maple water

Read her Bio

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AWARD WINNERS

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

Tabitha Boyton, NCH’22

Res Publica

Interdisciplinary magazine of politics, law, art and culture

Read the story at News@Northeastern

Read her Bio

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

Hannah Ung, DMSB’23

Boxy

Crowd sourced local storage solutions

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Michelle Beaudette, DMSB'23

Kaolin Beauty

Sustainable and ethical skincare

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Valerie Robert, Khoury’23

The Circuit

Student run media platform focused on technology

Read her Bio

GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD WINNERS

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

FIRST PLACE: $22,000

Cynthia Orofo, BHS’19, PhD'24

Culture Care Collective

Hybrid health support program sustained by community health workers

Watch Cynthia’s story

Read the story at News@Northeastern

Read her Bio

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

SECOND PLACE: $10,000

Priscilla Marie Colon, MBA’22

Reduce maternal mortality and facilitate change globally

Read her Bio

 

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Amanda Céspedes, MS’22

EZReg

Software company to simplify the regulatory pathway for medical devices and healthcare startups

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Madhuri Iyer, MS’22

EZReg

Software company to simplify the regulatory pathway for medical devices and healthcare startups

Read her Bio

HONORS: $5,000

HONORS: $5,000

Melissa Mullen, Khoury’22

Meet our Judges

These experts took their seasoned knowledge to evaluate applications  and final presentations to select our Women Who Empower Innovator Award winners:

Jill Bornstein, PNT’22

Jill Bornstein, PNT’22

Founder, UpNext Leadership and Executive Coaching

 

Leslie Kilgore, PNT’25

Leslie Kilgore, PNT’25

Board Member, Netflix 

Julietta Dexter, PNT’20

Julietta Dexter, PNT’20

Co-Founder and Chief Growth and Purpose Officer, Science Magic Inc.

Cathy Papoulias-Sakellaris

Cathy Papoulias-Sakellaris

Member of the Board of Trustees, Leadership 100

Cheryl Kaplan

Cheryl Kaplan

Co-Founder and President, M.Gemi

Jean Kovacs, CPS'83

Jean Kovacs, CPS'83

Partner and Co-Founder, Hillsven

QUESTIONS?

Contact:

Betsy Ludwig
Executive Director of Women’s Entrepreneurship
b.ludwig@northeastern.edu

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