2025 Duke Student Ventures

We’re excited to introduce you to groundbreaking Duke startups led by top-tier talent. Get ready to be inspired by trailblazers driving innovation across diverse sectors — including healthcare, AI, consumer goods, services, and energy.

1854 Reserve

Garrett Steck mms '25, Kathleen Barrow MBA '26, Aman Duvey MBA '25, Laura Tan '25, and Andrew Zhang MBA '25

Our mission is to craft premium, private label bourbons tailored to our clients' unique identities, providing personalized, high-quality products that elevate brands and foster lasting partnerships.

Advocait

Harrison Schreiber MPP '25 and Christopher Starr MPP '25

Advocait is a Knowledge-Augmented Generation platform designed to assist frontline professionals—such as social workers, legal aid providers, and clinicians—in delivering real-time financial guidance to individuals facing crises. By leveraging years of experience developing financial resource landscapes and crisis de-escalation tactics, Advocait streamlines the process of identifying and accessing financial resources, benefits, and legal protections tailored to users’ specific needs. The platform aims to bridge the gap between those seeking assistance and the complex financial support systems that exist, ensuring faster and more effective decision-making.

Auxiom AI 

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Rahil Verma BSE'26 and Mark Ghattas '26

A personalized AI journalist

 

Bern

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Avihan Jain BSE'27

LangPals by Bern is the first AI-powered interactive language learning stuffed animal designed to make second language acquisition fun, natural, and screen-free for children aged 5–10.

 

Bleu Story

Sujal Shroff MEGM '25

Bleu Story is a sustainable fashion brand that showcases Indian textiles through French silhouettes, exclusively in shades of blue.

Blue Horse Entries

Megan Van Son Ferryman MEM/MBA '27

Blue Horse Entries is a digital platform that increases access to equine sports by simplifying the process for horseback riders to find and enter equestrian events and helping event organizers manage entries, reach more riders, and increase profit.

Dr. Milou

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Rui Sun MEgM '25

Dr. Milou is the first all-in-one at-home pet oral care ecosystem, combining AI-powered smart tools and biotech innovation to make dental care simple, effective, and stress-free.

Ember Learning

Harrison Fazzone '26

A classroom copilot to make teaching simple and learning fun.

ForOurLastNames

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Ray'Chel Wilson mdiv '27

ForOurLastNames transforms financial trauma into financial action through its "ready, set, go" process for first-generation wealth-builders.

 

Girls in Quantum

Elisa Torres Durney BSE'28

Girls in Quantum is a nonprofit organization that provides accessible educational resources, workshops, and mentorship programs to inspire and empower young women globally to explore and engage in quantum computing and other emerging technologies.

Harmoniq

Justin Aronwald '26

Harmoniq is a social music platform that seamlessly connects users across different streaming services, allowing them to share, discover, and interact with songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts in a vibrant community.

Helian

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

John Buxton '26, Aryan Mathur BSE'25, and Bill Ssewanyana BSE'26

Helian is a trustworthy, efficiency-maximizing AI research tool for the high-stakes life sciences industry.

 

Hillman Hall

Abimbola Olurotimi MBA '25

Hillman Hall is a private members club connecting Black professionals globally through curated networking, cultural events, and resources designed to foster economic growth and promote professional development.

How Sanguine Dinner Experiences

Chann Little MBA '26

Intimate, luxurious dinner experiences in comfortable spaces.

Kounslr

Arihan Dixit '27

AI-powered high school and college application management to increase the efficiency of counseling teams at public schools, private schools, international schools, and college/career counseling firms.

Let's Get Visa

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Rahul Narang MBA '25

Let's Get Visa is an AI-powered immigration platform that streamlines the visa, green card, and other immigration application processes—eliminating the need for costly attorneys by automating complex tasks. Think of it as TurboTax for immigration services, making the process faster, more affordable, and hassle-free.

Lokaresto

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Keke Genio MBA '26

Lokaresto offers a digital menu system, allowing customers to view and order food digitally and restaurants to manage order systems to handle customer orders more efficiently. 

 

Lunch Bunch

Quinn Mair BSE'27, Eva Bonde BSE'27, and McKenna Wickers BSE'27

Lunch Bunch LLC is a lunch tray company dedicated to providing sustainable and customizable lunch trays to universities and schools to enhance dining room operations while reducing waste and improving menu offerings. 

Men's Health Clinic

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Ben Jammaine Ncube MS '26

Men’s Health Clinic Zimbabwe provides healthcare services just for men in a private, safe, and stigma-free environment adapted to suit the man’s needs. 

 

Moodscapes

Mikun Falade MBA '26

MoodScapes is an AR-powered event planning and visualization platform that allows planners and clients to preview, customize, and refine event layouts in real time. By bridging the gap between vision and execution, MoodScapes minimizes misalignment, reduces costly last-minute changes, and streamlines the planning process for memorable event.

MyRoots

Christopher Pare '25

MyRoots is a storytelling platform that connects families with their elderly loved ones through AI-assisted digital biographies, preserving personal histories while fostering deep intergenerational connections.

Pacto

Daniela Abisambra MBA '26 and Federico Bejarano MBA '26

A refreshing sunscreen for men.

Poppy's

Sydney McAuliffe '18 MBA '26

Poppy’s is on a mission to become the first national challah brand, bringing this rich Jewish tradition from small bakeries to the national bread aisle. Rooted in the ritual of breaking bread, Poppy’s blends quality, storytelling, and accessibility to make challah a staple in every home.

Solis

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Anish Mantri '25, Joseph Lu '25, and Evie Lee '25

AI-powered strategy, from research to execution.

 

StartSomething

Kanthi Makineedi '27

StartSomething is a platform that helps students and aspiring entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality by providing step-by-step guides, AI-powered tools, and a collaborative space to find cofounders and access funding opportunities.

StratoPlanner

Ellie Reyna '26

StratoPlanner is a neuroscience-backed paper planner specifically designed for individuals with ADHD, featuring tools informed by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) research to enhance focus, streamline task management, and improve productivity through a flexible disc-bound structure and dopamine-boosting sensory features.​

Students Who Sit

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Sydelle Bernstein '26

Students Who Sit connects student caregivers to faculty, employees, and alumni at their respective institutions to offer caregiving services.

 

Swan & Lake

Shannuel Lamptey BSE '26 and Alissa Rivero '25

Swan & Lake revolutionizes makeup removal by offering a water-free, single-use makeup-removing mitt that simplifies and shortens your beauty routine.

The Land of Can

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Riya Jain '28

The Land of Can produces world-class children's books and other resources that empower kids to realize that more is possible when they define themselves by their strengths, rather than by their deficits. 

uncharted

Benedikt Krob MBA '26

Building AI tools for institutional investors.

Toilemetry

A gold medal with the word FINALIST in the center

Ben Neubert PhD '25

Toilemetry is an NIH-funded medical technology venture developing a smart toilet that automates urine output tracking in hospitals, providing real-time, accurate data to improve patient outcomes and streamline workflows. 

Wild Horizon

Ethan Whitfield MBA '25

Wild Horizon is an animal-based protein bar CPG startup, focused on creating high-quality, nutrient-dense food products inspired by traditional methods.

Xerové

Miranda Zhong '25 and Azie Zong '25

Our revolutionary waterless wastewater system solves the Gates Toilet Challenge by providing a sustainable, cost-effective sanitation solution that processes black and grey water separately, converting waste into organic fertilizer on site using biodegradable technology, while eliminating the need for sewage infrastructure, reducing water use, preventing contamination, and improving hygiene in underserved and smart-city environments.