Meet the Founders: 20 New Entrepreneurs Envision A World With Their Startup Solutions

“Your product(s) will change constantly through the process of optimization. Your strategy will change less frequently (to pivot or persevere); but your overarching vision rarely changes ”

— THE LEAN STARTUP

From our accelerator participants to event attendees, speakers and more, we want to amplify the stories of the founders growing in Philadelphia. Learn more about our 2020 Founded in Philly idea-stage accelerator below.

During our first session of the Founded in Philly Series I accelerator, we had the chance to focus on their “WHY.” “Why are you pursuing entrepreneurship?” “Why are you passionate about this problem?” “Why are you going to put everything you have into building this solution?”

The 20 participating entrepreneurs spent time discussing how their personal and professional missions and visions align; citing their long term goals for the future, and why they want to create a world-changing business.

We are incredibly grateful to our speakers and mentors who helped guide the entrepreneurs through this process. You can meet them at the end of this post.

Pathlitics enlightens students by linking their unique attributes to professionals to unearth future careers where they can best impact the world. Founders: Amy Kopelman and Kim Rhodes

Grand Decor creates an enjoyable, stress free design and remodeling experience for all involved. Founder(s): Stephanie Gillin

Philly Tech Sistas’ bridges the diversity, equity and inclusion gap by providing a greater pipeline of diverse talent. Founder(s): Ashley Turner

BuySellRentMe helps socially and financially challenged individuals obtain home ownership. Founder(s): Khalil Lewis

Phoodie creates demand for restaurants during low peak times using an AI based, food-ordering platform that understands real-time restaurant behavior. Founder(s): Gaurang Bham and Jordan Gulbronson

Givzie empowers friends and family to practice meaningful gift giving through giving less, giving back and giving well. Founder(s): Amanda Olsen

Plaze fosters a connected community where musicians face no barriers in doing what they love. Founder(s): Ian DiBruno, Paul Henle and Casey Burke

Voluntary Nomad creates a more interconnected world that values diverse perspectives and contributes to local communities. Founder(s): Joelle Tolifero

Rabbit Recycling envisions a world where all hard-to-recycle items are disposed of responsibly and conveniently through their on-demand, sustainable service. Founder(s): Bryan Siegfried, Matthew Siegfried and Morgan Keller

Dacha Family Planning guides people through the family planning process, providing access to medical and legal information, and empowering individuals to build a family on their own timeline. Founder(s): Liz Vaysman

This is Opportunity breaks down barriers to representation and gives people a fair chance at being successful in the job market. Founder(s): Michale Costantini, Eric Festa and Colin Bryan

Ontrac helps people lead happier lives by helping them achieve goals related to their health, financial assets, and time management. Founder(s): Xan Hong

(NAME TBD) makes people feel less alone through the power of the shared human experience. Founder(s): Dana Mahoney and Peter Howells

VyB helps people think less, and enjoy more with a real-time rating application for social experiences. Founder(s): Adit Gupta, Nico Cohen and Mason Cohen

Echo Me Forward aims to level the playing field of industries that lack representation by providing easily accessible career content. Founder(s): Shannon Morales

(NAME TBD) helps individuals achieve their fullest potential by providing opportunities, resources and means to teach, and learn new skills. Founder(s): Shraddha Doshi

(NAME TBD) empowers every black and Latinx individual to build generational wealth. Founder(s): Less Cardinal

VENT strives to make a difference in the lives of high school students, by offering a new tool for supportive ventilation and stress reduction. Founder(s): Linda Donoho, Stacey Rabbino and Jennifer Finkelstein

Entrego aims to help the construction and remodeling industry by providing a time and money saving experience for workers and their consumers. Founder(s): Josh Mastromatto

MMURE is a sexual wellness and pleasure company with a mission to help all women discover what feels good for them. Founder(s): Shannon O’Niell