The NYU Female Founders Fellowship program provides community support, training, mentorship, networking, and grant opportunities to entrepreneurs at NYU who are committed to advancing gender equity in entrepreneurship. Fellows get fully plugged into NYU’s ecosystem of resources, and upon graduation from NYU, are invited to apply for Student Loan Alleviation Grants of up to $50,000 each. These loan alleviation grants help to reduce financial burdens, which can be significant barriers to starting a startup. The grants are made possible through the generous support of the program’s lead donor: entrepreneur and NYU alumnus Mark Leslie (WSC ‘66, Trustee), and his wife, Debra.

The Female Founders Fellowship comes with several benefits, including:

• Invite-only monthly peer group events with other members of the Female Founders Fellowship, from both the new and from past cohorts,
• Invite to special social and networking events
• 1:1 mentorship with  external mentors, and priority office hours with Entrepreneurial Institute coaches
• Invite to office hours with external mentors - investors and entrepreneurs
• Automatic interview for the next Summer Launchpad Accelerator or Tech Venture Accelerator
• Automatic interview for the Max Stenbeck Venture Equity Program
• Opportunity to apply for up to $30K in grants to help pay down their student loans, after graduation from NYU

This fall, we welcome four new NYU Female Founder Fellows, who will join Past Fellows in the Cohort. They are:

Emily Cohen (Steinhardt  ‘23)

Chief Development Officer of Resist Nutrition

Resist Nutrition makes plant-based, functional protein bars filled with science-backed ingredients for food-conscious people with hormonal or blood sugar issues, so they can support their health and avoid symptom flare ups.

Emily is pursuing her Master's degree through NYU's Food Studies program. She is passionate about the role food plays in the health of people in the environment. She has experience working in the health and wellness space and hopes to continue educating others about the power of food.

Participated in: Startup Bootcamp, Startup Sprint, Summer LaunchPad, Startup Coaching, Max Stenbeck Venture Equity Program

Erica Ramos (Stern ‘23)

Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Trousso

Trousso is a digital resale platform making high-end wedding wear accessible and sustainable.Our modern platform for nearly-new wedding fashion helps the next generation of savvy Brides dress up for all of their wedding celebrations.

Prior to Trousso Erica worked in Product, Operations & People for a small healthtech startup in NYC. She’s currently a Stern MBA candidate.

Participated in: Startup Bootcamp, Startup Sprint, Summer LaunchPad, Female Founders Circle, Startup Coaching, Max Stenbeck Venture Equity Program

Adrienne Crow (Stern ‘23)

Founder of Adelphia

Adelphia offers direct-to-consumer luxury, leather handbags.

Adrienne is from Atlanta, GA and graduated from Tufts University in 2016. Prior to attending Stern, she spent five years working in CRM and marketing technology at HubSpot. She launched her business in 2020.

Participated in: Startup Bootcamp, Startup Sprint, Startup Coaching

Dana Bevilacqua (GSAS ‘17, GSAS Staff)

Founder of ViBILLER

Our wearable tracks physiological markers of emotion in real time. These signals create an immersive and dynamic live music experience by using the audiences' and artists' emotions to the music to trigger the sound and light experiences. Venue managers need to meet capacity on weekdays and will use this tool to increase ticket sales, beverage sales, and audience engagement.

Dana is  currently the co-founder and CEO of ViBILLER and is also working in psychology research and education. Previously, Dana’s research explored how group dynamics of engagement modulate learning, by assessing brain-to-brain synchrony in real life environments and she has worked internationally with interactive installations at the interface of science and art.

Participated in: Tech Venture Workshop, NSF I-Corps, Max Stenbeck Venture Equity Program, Startup Coaching

These phenomenal female founders will join our existing female founder fellow community, who continue to grow their ventures:

• Adriana Teresa Letorney (GSAS '21), Founder & CEO of Visura
• Aleksandra Medina (Abu Dhabi '21), Founder & CPO of Frich
• Ann Andrews (Stern '22), Founder & CEO of Techfunic
• Ashley Xie (Steinhardt '20), Co-Founder & CEO of Rooted Fare 
• Ayman Mukerji (Silver '21), Founder & CEO of Jivika
• Caitlin Ellen (Stern '21), CEO & Co-Founder of Sabai Design
• Caroline Catherine Fitzgerald (SPS '22), Founder & CEO of GOALS
• Caroline Vasquez Huber (Stern '23), Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Jones
• Caylin Waller (Steinhardt '22), CEO & Co-Founder of Theatre Advocacy Project (TAP)
• Dessa Shepherd (Steinhardt '19), Founder & CEO of VisionVoice
• Drew Lederman (Tisch '20), CEO & Founder of Resist Nutrition
• Jade Kearney (Steinhardt '20), Co-Founder & CEO of She Matters
• Laura Rocha (Wagner '20), CEO and Co-founder of Dathic
• Lindsay Perper (Stern '23), Founder & CEO of Shop Rodeo
• Mikaila Roncevich (Gallatin '21), Founder & CEO of Kaila Katherine
• Nikki Powers (Stern '21), Founder of Nourish & Refine
• Paige Anderson (Steinhardt), Founder of HealthBoxed
• Phantila Phataraprasit (Law '20), COO & Co-Founder of Sabai Design
• Rina Patel (Gallatin '20), Founder of SHE
• Sutton King (School of Global Public Health '20), Co-Founder of ShockTalk
• Tinsley Maier (Gallatin '20), Co-Founder & CPO of Edgi Learning
• Thanisha Pariage (Wagner '20), Founder & CEO of KinNect Careers

Working on a startup and interested in applying to the Winter/Spring ‘23 Female Founders Fellows or Circle Cohort? Attend an info session on November 18 or November 29 to learn more. Applications will be due on December 12 at 6pm. For more information or to apply to the Fellowship, visit the The Female Founders Fellowship web page here.