These 12 Youth-Founded Startups Aim to Be The Next Big Thing
The Next Big Thing, an entrepreneur-led charitable foundation empowering young entrepreneurs, this week announced 12 ventures, comprised of 24 founders, that will represent the 2016 TNBT cohort.
Founded in 2013 by Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes and entrepreneur Meredith Powell, the eight-month accelerator offers Fellows access to mentorship, networking opportunities, and hands-on learning.
“We received a record number of submissions this year which made the selection process really exciting and equally difficult,” said Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber, Managing Director of TNBT. “From social media platforms to fashion products, the level of creativity and ingenuity in this year’s cohort is remarkable.”
The TNBT curriculum is designed to provide access to businesses and education resource, and facilitate introductions to a network of industry leaders for mentorship opportunities. It will operate out of Hootsuite’s headquarters in Vancouver.
Notable Fellows include Chase Ando and Valerie Song, co-creators of AVA, a smart technology for precise garden growing, and 21-year old co-founders Robert Kirstiuk and Joseph Lee, the visionaries behind Coastline Market, a platform that connects commercial fisheries to retail buyers of seafood.
The official TNBT 2016 cohort is:
- AVA – Chase Ando and Valerie Song
- Dau Academy – Kavita Dau
- Coastline Market – Robert Kirstiuk and Joseph Lee
- Culitech – Madeleine Liu and Angela Wang
- Mohini – Sonia Sidhu
- ElleBox – Jessica Bilmer, Taran Ghatora and Bunny Ghatora
- Internuncio – Kevin Ho, Bijan Mawji and Nolan Tait
- Juniper – Joel Wegner and Ryan Wong
- Kanekta – Priyanka Vasudev, Fran Aquila and Sheen Sagalongos
- Spocket – Saba Mohebpour
- The Good Stuff – Tonner Jackson, Graeme Taylor and Michael Steele
- Tiiip – Bryan Chiang
