For young entrepreneurs, the challenges of building a startup or creating new technology include the long hours of coding, developing and building a deck, often while navigating college classes or their entry to the business world. However, this year is unlike any other. Now, companies they help run and decisions they make affect the livelihoods of others. And some of the technology they create has the ability to impact communities around the world.
Some are plugging away at socially distanced office buildings and coworking spaces, some are working from dorm rooms. Others are tuning into accelerator programs taking place in other corners of the country. And many are working from their home offices – even if that’s the couch and coffee table. However, the moves made and lives helped by young innovators shows that the future will be shaped by the new generation.
To highlight the young entrepreneurs and leaders making the biggest impact in the local ecosystem aged 25 or younger, NTX Inno has put together a list of the brightest minds in the region. This year’s list was chosen based on nominations and Inno’s editorial selection process. Check them out below:
Pro tip: If you missed last year’s list, you can find that here.
Ritvik Ramakrishnan, 18, co-founder of IgniteSTEAM & CEO at Flaer
From the start, Ritvik Ramakrishnan has been driven by a passion for creating a community around STEAM. While in high school in Frisco, he co-founded Frisco Ignite, a student-led event organization aimed at promoting tech education in the city. Eventually the organization evolved into the scalable nonprofit IgniteSTEAM, which is looking to set up local chapters nationwide where students and parents can hear talks on innovation and get connected to the local scene.
His experience in the nonprofit world led him to launch Flaer, an app that uses AI to help nonprofits find new partners in their area. Since its creation, Flaer has helped make more than 500 connections, Ramakrishnan said.
He now attends Georgia Tech, where he is studying computer science as a Stamps President’s Scholar, Coca-Cola Scholar and CREATE-X Scholar.
Rohit Shenoy, 20, CEO at CampusOven & Guarav Sethi, 17, CFO at CampusOven
Rohit Shenoy’s entrance into the startup scene started in 2015, with the launch of his tutoring company Edututor. He now is a computer science and finance undergrad at UT Dallas, where he was active in the campus innovation ecosystem with stints as a venture capital analyst at UTD’s Blackstone Launchpad and as an undergrad researcher in the Advanced Polymer Research Laboratory. Shenoy has also been active working as a VC intern at Tech Wildcatters, a director of operations at Fixe Food and as an investment software engineer intern at Highside Global Management.
While also still young, Gaurav Sethi also has some business bonafides behind him. While studying finance and actuarial science at UTD, Sethi did time interning as a market risk analyst for Wells Fargo and as a process excellence consultant for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Since leaving university this year, he has also been working as a specialized CIB risk analyst for J.P. Morgan.
Together the pair has created the recently launched startup CampusOven. The student-focused meal prep and delivery startup was one of five recipients of local VC firm RevTech Venture’s $5,000 SAFE Schools grant to help students get safely delivered food to their doorsteps during the height of the pandemic.
Francois Reihani, 22, founder at La La Land Kind Café & We Are One Project
Francois Reihani moved to North Texas in 2017, transferring from the University of Southern California to Southern Methodist University to study business administration and management. While there, he co-founded his first venture, the Uptown restaurant Pōk The Raw Bar.
Reihani now uses his entrepreneurial and food background to give back to others. In 2017, he founded We Are One Project, an organization that helps people aging out of the foster system find employment. He also employs them at his new business La La Land Kind Café. Since launching in 2019 La La Land Kind Café has opened a second location in Dallas and has plans to expand to Houston next year.
Keyu Cao, 20, co-founder at SaniScanner
2020 has been a busy year for UT Dallas science and mechanical engineering undergrad Keyu Cao. Since the year began, Cao has helped co-found Comet Solar Racing, a student-led organization developing a solar-powered racecar, completed the Venture Deals Course from Kauffman Fellows and Techstars, as well as taken on a role as a teaching assistant at the university.
In April, alongside fellow student Parker Watts, Cao co-founded his latest venture – SaniScanner. The startup, created in response to the pandemic, uses UV-C light technology to implement sterilization units at retail locations. The following month, SaniScanner was one of five local ventures to receive a $5,000 SAFE Schools grant from RevTech Ventures.
Moksh Nirvaan, 17, ML developer at CovidScan.ai
Moksh Nirvaan uses technology to create things that can have an impact on the community and world. Already enrolled in coding school by middle school, Nirvaan was also previously enrolled in UNT’s Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science.
While Nirvaan is working on a number of projects, one which includes developing a medical supply delivery system using drones, his most recent was created out of the current crisis. As an ML developer, Nirvaan and others developed CovidScan.ai, a web app that uses AI to determine whether spots on x-ray images of the lungs are due to COVID-19 or pneumonia.
Alex Quian, 22, co-founder at Young Leaders for Change & LetsThriveNow.org
After returning to North Texas with a degree in information science from Cornell University, Alex Quian teamed up with SMU director of community engagement and special projects Greg Weatherford to create Young Leaders for Change. Aimed at offering personal and professional development programs to young adults, the nonprofit was inspired by the summer of 2019, when Quian completed 30 different service projects around the region in 30 days.
Young Leaders for Change was supposed to be rolled out as a nationwide program this year. However, those plans were put on hold due to the pandemic. In that time though, Quian and Weatherford have created two new projects. One is the podcast Mentor Moments, which launched last week with guests like TopGolf’s CEO sharing insight. The other is LetsThriveNow.org, a site dedicated to sharing vetted resources on personal and professional ways for young adults to navigate their first economic downturn.
Neha Husein, 23, founder and CEO at Just Drive
While in high school, Neha Husein was injured in a car accident, when a distracted driver rear-ended her vehicle. A few years later, in 2017, while getting her degree in marketing and human rights at Southern Methodist University, she launched an app to help prevent that from happening to others. Called Just Drive, the app allows users to earn points for driving safe and not using their phones on the road. The points can then be redeemed for coupons and discounts at local shops and on car insurance.
Her success as a founder has earned her a number of accolades. Last year, Husein was the fifth-place winner of the WBENC Student Entrepreneurship Program pitch competition. That year, she was also named on Forbes’ Best and Brightest Students of 2019 list.
Ramzi Taim, 21, co-founder & co-executive director at Cooked-19
As a health care studies major at UT Dallas, Ramzi Taim’s focus is on helping others. On campus, he serves as a student ambassador, as well as peer-led team learning team leader. He has also worked with a number of local organizations, including Dallas Hope Charities and The Terry Foundation.
Taking his passion for public health and helping out in the community, Taim and friend Jeannie Nghiem co-founded Cooked-19, a fundraising organization that has helped provide more than 6,250 individually packed meals made by local restaurants and donated to frontline health care workers and first responders in Dallas, Arlington and San Antonio. The nonprofit was one of eight ventures to receive $5,000 in funding through RevTech Venture’s Impact Grant Program, which was created in March to find entrepreneurial solutions to help those affected by COVID-19.
Rachel West, 24, director of business development at RevTech Ventures
Rachel West is someone many have likely seen in across the Texas startup ecosystem. Graduating from Baylor with degrees in economics and business, she has done stints at tech companies, including as a program manager for RippleMatch and a management consultant for Credera. Now she spends her time helping other startups as a director of business development at local early-stage VC firm RevTech Ventures, which has funded a number of COVID-related ventures during the pandemic.
In addition to her position at RevTech, West gives back to the regional startup and innovation community by serving as the president of the Dallas branch of the SoGal Foundation, being a member of the advisory board at Fundr and being a fellow with the Baylor Angel Network. West also does volunteer work in the scene, acting as a host and pitch coach for Founders Live, as well as serving as lead director for Health Wildcatter’s Women in Science & Healthcare Hackathon.
Harshini Rallapalli, 21, VP at UT Dallas Entrepreneurship Club
After enrolling as a cognitive science major at UT Dallas, Harshini Rallapalli quickly made herself an integral part of the on-campus innovation and entrepreneurial scene. Last year, in addition to working as a student tour and admissions representative, Rallapalli also became the vice president of the university’s Entrepreneurship Club, helping plan events and connect students to related-resources on campus.
At the beginning of this year, Rallapalli did a stint as a venture capital associate for UT Dallas’ student-led Seed Fund, which invests in one UTD affiliated venture per semester. Also this year, as one of the leaders at the Entrepreneurship Club, Rallapalli became the host of its podcast The Up & Coming, which highlights the individual journey and passions of the people behind some of the university’s startups.
Laiba Mehmood, 17, and Inaya Sheikh, 17, co-founders of CleanItCube
It isn’t often that you find high school seniors acting as mentors of startups. However, after joining DiscoverSTEM’s Innovation Program in 2018, Frisco ISD students Laiba Mehmood and Inaya Sheikh now act as assistant innovation facilitators at DiscoverSTEM, in part thanks to the startup they created when they first joined the program.
CleanItCube was co-founded by the pair to commercialize a door handle disinfectant product they created. But CleanItCube wasn’t created this year, it was invented by the team nearly two years ago. Mehmood and Sheikh are currently working on further developing the product and bringing it to market, as demand for similar types of technology has rapidly increased.
Rebecca Port, 21, lead programmer at Animal Cloud
While still studying mathematics at Texas Christian University, Rebecca Port has already cut her teeth on the local tech scene, working as a business analytics intern for Bell Flight.
In her LinkedIn profile, she states that she is “deeply passionate about serving others,” with an “unquenchable thirst for knowledge.” In addition to serving as a service site coordinator for TCU’s Day of Service, Port shows that through her work as a lead programmer for Animal Cloud Device Connectivity. Launched in April, the startup uses military-developed technology to create a vital monitoring platform for law enforcement animals. She is currently leading a team at UT Dallas on an Animal Cloud-related project that is set to launch next year.
Vikram Aditya, 23, co-founder at Sahai
Vikram Aditya came onto the North Texas tech and startup scene will studying logistics, materials and supply chain management at UT Dallas. While there, he became part of the university’s division of the nonprofit Enactus, which is aimed at providing educational business skills training and helping students take part in national and regional competitions.
After joining the business world in 2018, Aditya worked as a supply chain analyst for McLane Company. In February, Aditya went into business for himself, co-founding and launching, alongside Maithreya Chakravarthula, the startup Sahai. The company is focused on developing wearable devices that use IoT, computer vision and AI to assist people with blindness and vision loss navigate their world.
Samuel Lefcourt, 18, counter terrorism researcher at SMU
According to Samuel Lefcourt, he was the youngest person to ever enroll at Southern Methodist University, beginning courses in science and computer science at the age of 13. Now 18, Lefcourt has already put his tech training to work with a software development engineering internship at AT&T, as well as using software and machine learning to help research courter terrorism at the university.
As he was gearing up for his final semester and a global pandemic was declared, Lefcourt was part of a six-person team that created MustangMobile. The app creates a mobile student ID system to help limit in-person interactions on campus. And since it is connected to the SMU Health Center, the app can also be used for contact tracing. This semester Lefcourt said he is working on launching an AI-based cybersecurity startup to detect threats before they can cause harm.
Grace McKeehan, 21, co-creator of The Armed Forces Against COVID-19
When not working to develop ideas that could potentially save lives, Grace McKeehan can sometimes be found training at the local rock climbing gym. She is a member of USA Climbing, which is one of the organizations recognized by the U.S. and international Olympic committees.
However, amid the pandemic, she was part of a team of five that created a proposal called The Armed Forces Against COVID-19 at Southern Methodist University’s sixth annual Battle to Save Lives pitch event. Like the military, the concept uses a land, sea and air approach that combines symptom tracking, isolation rooms and other devices to slow the spread of the virus. While the project was funded via RevTech Ventures, no company was formed around the concept. However, while pitching the idea, one of the co-chairs for SMU’s President’s Task Force for a Healthy Opening Fall 2020 said the organization would be drawing from the concept to develop its final plans.
Amelia Novikau, 21, co-founder & CTO at Comely
Before entering college in 2017, Amelia Novikau had already co-founded project management startup Nomire. And that same year, she co-founded another – Onyx Software.
Her latest venture is Comely, a social and dating app that connects users to the people at the local hangouts around them, where she serves at co-founder and CTO. The app launched on the Google and Apple stores in March, and Novikau expects the startup will become profitable by the end of next year. Comely was one of six finalists to pitch at UT Dallas’ 2019 Big Idea Competition.
When not working on Comely or studying business administration, management and entrepreneurship, Novikau uses her skills in web and software development to volunteer as a teaching assistant at Little Elm Russian Day Care, helping kindergartners learn to code.
Sameer Ranjan, 25, Healthcare Analyst Intern at Fusion Consulting
Before coming to North Texas, Sameer Ranjan already had an engineering degree in mining engineering, as well as experience with McKinsey & Company as an associate consultant and as a marketing research analyst for educational consulting company Meridian Studies in India. After arriving at UT Dallas to study business analytics, Ranjan has gone one to work as a RPA business analyst at the American Heart Association and most recently as a health care analyst intern at Fusion Consulting.
However, one of his most impactful endeavors started this year amid the pandemic. Along with fellow student Preksha Shah, Ranjan helped develop Shop Ticketing System, a RevTech Ventures-backed venture to limit the amount of people and movement in a given space. It uses a ticketing system and CDC social distancing guidelines for people to book slots of time to enter a shop or space. Since its creation Shop Ticketing System has been implemented in at least 10 shops in the area.
Youssef Ayoubi, 14, and Evan Weng, 15, co-founders of Comfort Housing
Youssef Ayoubi and Evan Weng started Comfort Housing in 2018. Originally the plan was to develop a real estate business. However,
living in Texas they saw how floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters affect people and property across the state. So, after taking second place Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship North Texas Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in the first tier, they went back to the drawing board.
As they were working on the new iteration of Comfort Housing, this time as an app that connects people to temporary housing during natural disasters, tornadoes tore through North Texas destroying a number of schools. So the pair quickly turned to creating a GoFundMe and raised more than $800 for Walnut Hill Elementary School. They continued working on the project, which this year won first place at the NFTE Entrepreneurship North Texas Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in the higher level tier.
Comfort housing has gone on to rack up other awards, including the United Nations World Series of Innovation Assurant Stronger Community Challenge Runner-Up and the Toastmasters Best Speaker’s award. Ayoubi and Weng plan to hire developers to begin expanding the app’s capabilities and conduct market testing.
Amy Foertsch, 25, co-founder and COO at Ataia Medical
A startup created as a capstone design project while getting her degree in biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech eventually brought Amy Foertsch to North Texas. In 2017, she co-founded Ataia Medical, which has developed a retrofittable communication device that can be attached to a ventilated patient's mask, allowing them to communicate with the doctors treating them.
Shortly after launching the company, it joined Health Wildcatters fifth cohort. The next year, it landed a $300,000 seed round led by health care focused VC firm Green Park & Golf Ventures. This year, Ataia took home the top prize of $10,600 in cash and in-kind gifts at the MedVentures 2020 pitch competition.
Zara Kabir, 19 and Francisca Li, 19, co-founders at Orenda Change
Juggling a major in science and another in marketing and political science alone would be difficult enough. However, since enrolling in UT Dallas last year, Zara Kabir helped co-found the on-campus organization UTD Women Pursuing Law, has become a TikTok influencer with nearly 20,000 followers, and she’s in the process of writing a fiction book called “Kismet” about Islamic marriages, which is set to publish next spring.
Francisca Li also balances duel majors. However, her's are in IT systems and finance at UTD. And also like her co-founder, Li helps lead UTD Women Pursuing Law as its treasurer. However, her passion for entrepreneurship and of graphic design – goes back to before she enrolled in university, working as a self-employed graphic designer and later the head of marketing at UTD organization Women in Technology and Business.
Together, the pair has launched e-commerce platform Orenda Change with fellow UTD student Fracisca Li. On Orenda’s site, users can purchase apparel, of which between 25% and 30% of the profits are donated to aid organization affected by the current socioeconomic environment. Currently, donations from purchases on Orenda can be made to help donate medical and sanitation supplies to Yemen, donate to Black Lives Matter, the Save Uighur Campaign or the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 response.
Bilal Ali Shah, 13, inventor
As a middle school student, Bilal Ali Shah enjoys sports and reading about popular science. As a winner of the America’s Top Young Scientist award, he enjoys inventions. Already Shah has filed seven patents that are waiting approval, with the help of Plano-based DiscoverSTEM’s Innovation Program.
It started with his first idea, Relay Launch System, a way to use relay launch and catch platforms to put satellites in orbit. The idea landed him the first place prize at the NASA Ames Space Settlement Challenge. Shah has followed that up with a string of wins at big name competitions with different ideas, including a geothermal desalination system (which of course is patent pending) that took the top prize at the International Future City Competition.
