Holekamp Seed Fund marks 8 years of aiding student entrepreneurs

A vibrant cohort of Washington University student entrepreneurs launched their business ventures this year with support from Olin’s Holekamp Seed Fund.

Marking eight years of empowering student founders, the fund provided $1,000 seed grants to early-stage startups and awarded $20,000 in follow-on funding to help four standout companies scale post-graduation.

“When Olin launched the Holekamp Seed Fund eight years ago, our goal was simple: give young founders the vital early runway and encouragement they need at the exact moment they need it most,” said Professor Doug Villhard, Olin’s academic director for entrepreneurship. “Eight years later, it’s incredible to reflect on how many student ventures got their start with that first $1,000 check. Early financial support combined with belief in their vision can turn a promising concept into a thriving reality.”

Established in 2018 by Cliff Holekamp, MBA 2001, former professor of practice and academic director for entrepreneurship at Olin, the fund distributes $1,000 grants to student founders across the university to turn early-stage concepts into operational businesses.

Looking back over the past eight years, the growth and impact of this fund have exceeded what we originally envisioned. 

Cliff Holekamp

Over its history, the fund has backed well over 150 student startups across almost every academic discipline at WashU. This year alone, 27 grants were awarded to 23 student-led ventures.

“Looking back over the past eight years, the growth and impact of this fund have exceeded what we originally envisioned,” Holekamp said. “The quality, ambition, and diversity of ideas emerging from across campus continues to impress us.”

To further support founders committed to scaling their ventures full-time after college, the fund expanded its reach three years ago to offer Follow-On Awards. This year, four exceptional ventures received scaled-up funding:

• Jack Zhang, BSBA 2026, founder of Eagleland ($7,500)
• Caiden Hill, BSBA 2026, founder of Purple Bear Pest ($7,500)
• Rami Hahami, BSBA 2026, founder of Cleanly ($2,500)
• Reagan Swatosh, MBA 2026, founder of Ignite Performance ($2,500)

“Whether it’s developing custom original inventions, demonstrating remarkable founder hustle, or iteratively refining a business model based on real customer feedback, these four awardees showcase the dedication required to build a lasting company,” Holekamp said.

The 2026–2027 Holekamp Seed Fund awards are open to eligible WashU students (juniors, seniors, and graduate students with 40% or greater ownership in a startup). Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until May 1 or until the annual cap of 30 funded ventures is reached.

Seedlings of entrepreneurship

The $1,000 Seed Award recipients included:

• David Cui, EN 2026, 1Campus Xchange
• Nicholas Speller, MD 2027, Aurora
• Cosmo Guion, BSBA 2027, and Lucas Vogel, EN 2026, Pretus
• Ben Cook, EN, 2026, Replication Scientific
• Dennis Tahirovic, Baxt & Baubles
• Tanish Sathish, LA, 2027, Flipside
• Ginette Rhodes, MBA 2027, Netty's Juicery
• Arya Nandyal, EN 2026, Campusly
• Joe Schneider, MBA 2026, New Market Solutions
• Mahid Abdulkarim, LA 2027, Travnr
• Landon Wolf, MBA 2027, CRO Access
• Nate Scherer, LA 2027, MBA 2028, Alon Technologies
• Caiden Hill, BSBA 2026, Purple Bear Pest
• Bri Nitsberg, BSBA 2026, By Bri Boutique
• Brent Pennington, BSBA 2026, Euno
• Alisa Rosenblat, BSBA 2026, Waggy Days
• Brian Fromal, EMBA 2027, and Stephen Matic, EMBA 2027, OODA
• Chris Long, EN 2026, Cloud Cowboy
• Reagan Swatosh, MBA 2026, Ignite Performance
• Justin Traenkle, MBA 2027, AmassBiosystems
• Sundeep Chakladar, MD, 2028, Armor Med
• Tyler Atsumi, BME 2026, and Myles Anderson, BME 2026, Myorenova
• Tanya Keskar, LA 2027, Realize to Act
• Maieasha Rashid, BSBA 2026, Alexandria