Spring 2026 Cohort
Obzest
Adam Taylor
Obzest was born from a simple, frustrating observation: commercial juicers discard mountains of nutrient-dense citrus peels every single day. We saw a massive opportunity where others saw trash. While we now source premium whole fruits to ensure the best quality, our mission remains rooted in sustainability. We have designed a production model where nothing is discarded: the peels are transformed into high-intensity "Sophisticated Sour" confections, and the juices are captured for premium syrups. We aren't just making candy; we are proving that a CPG brand can be 100% waste-free from the ground up.
VAMP
Ahlay Hussain
VAMP is the first app built for college students that makes blood donation simple, social, and rewarding.
The problem: Demand is predictable. Supply is not. This gap costs lives. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. One donation can save up to 3 lives. Yet hospitals are facing critical shortages because the current donation system is broken—drives are hard to find, donating is inconvenient, and it’s easy to lose motivation. Students want to help, but the outdated process stands in the way of action. VAMP meets students where they spend their time: their phones, transforming blood donation into a seamless one-tap decision.
Arboria
Alex Muzyka
The local food economy is a $20B+ market held
together by phone calls, spreadsheets, and guesswork. Every step from farm to table is siloed — and the people who grow and deliver our food lack the tools to succeed. We're building the connective tissue. Arboria is a single platform that links farmers, processors, distributors, and consumers — replacing analog chaos with a networked operating system for local food.
Nowy
Branda Fan
Nowy (Now We Go) is an AI-powered travel platform that transforms social media content into bookable trips. Gen Z discovers amazing destinations on TikTok and Instagram—but turning that inspiration into an actual trip can feel overwhelming. Nowy bridges that gap.
Where we are today: 13,000+ organic users, 4.9-star rating, revenue through Priceline & Viator partnerships, iOS app.
Unicover
Elie François
Unicover is application fee protection for college-bound students. School districts purchase
coverage for their students — if a student gets rejected, they get the application fee back.
The Problem: Middle-income families spend $300-$1,000+ on college application fees with zero
protection. Too wealthy for fee waivers, not wealthy enough to shrug off rejection losses — they
self-limit their college lists while wealthier peers apply freely. The Solution: Districts buy plans → Students apply to schools → Upload rejection letters → Get
50-65% of fees reimbursed within 48 hours.
AVAC
Fidel GomezTorres
American Veteran Arts Collective (AVAC) is a DC-based nonprofit piloting a workforce translation model that connects veterans and military families to careers in the arts and cultural economy—treating arts and culture as economic infrastructure, not just creative expression. Our flagship program, Arts Career Bridge, is a 10-week cohort-based accelerator that translates veteran competencies (operations, logistics,
leadership, project management) into employer-aligned roles within museums, performing arts organizations, and cultural nonprofits. AVAC is currently preparing its first fully executed pilot cohort in April 2026, with a parallel fundraising campaign to support scale and replication.
WhutWeShare
Jasmine Lamb & Kennedi Price
Whut We Share is an all-in-one, Al-powered business platform built to help modern creators grow from personal brand to thriving enterprise. As the creator economy rapidly professionalizes, creators are no longer hobbyists — they are multi-hyphenate entrepreneurs managing content, audiences, revenue streams, and operations without the business infrastructure traditionally available to companies. WhutWeShare exists to close that gap. Our platform acts as a next-generation business co-pilot, helping creators turn creativity and influence into sustainable income, operational clarity, and long-term growth.
Babble Health
Jessica Bieligk
Babble Health is a digital care companion that enables users to prepare for their doctor’s appointments, record and summarize what is said in the appointment, easily share the summary with family and caregivers, and maintain a single, holistic medial record - in human language. Babble was catalyzed by research on the Silver Tsunami: by 2029, all 76 million baby boomers in the U.S. will be age 65 or older. As this large segment of the population ages, many will be managing increasingly complex health conditions—often while living alone and/or far from family. Babble was initially built to address this gap. The platform helps older adults keep track of their medical visits and health information while giving adult children and caregivers a single, centralized source of truth for understanding what happened in appointments and what needs to happen next.
Caddie.AI
Joe Tashjy
Caddie.AI is an AI-powered digital golf caddie that delivers real-time, personalized shot and putting decisions during a round, helping golfers play smarter, manage risk, and commit with confidence, just like a professional caddie would.
JETT LLC
Justin Taliaferro
JETT LLC is an e-commerce focused brand operator that partners with a select group of consumer brands to launch, scale, and protect their presence online. We manage the full scope of the e-commerce ecosystem! From building the listings, advertising, and compliance to inventory flow, forecasting, and operational execution—all while helping brands maintain control over their IP, distribution, and long-term positioning. JETT is not a traditional agency and not a passive distributor. We work best with brands where we can take real ownership, influence outcomes meaningfully, and operate as a true extension of their business, rather than an external vendor.
BeautyPro Funnels
Tiyana Robinson
BeautyPro Funnels brings the business side of beauty into one simple software, for one affordable subscription. Users can manage bookings, accept payments, communicate with clients, send follow-ups, manage marketing, and sell digital products or courses all in one place. Everything is designed for people who are not tech-savvy and don’t have a team, but still want to run their business like a pro. Our goal is to help beauty professionals spend less time managing chaos and more time doing the work they love, while building businesses that can actually grow and support their lives.