Author Archive for Hannah Ya

Jui Khankar- AInspire

Oak Brook teen receives Diana Award for nonprofit focusing on AI ...

Imagine if at 16 years old you decided to start a company that helps others learn more about artificial intelligence. Well, that’s what Jui Khankar did with AInspire when she was only 16 years old! AInspire is a nonprofit that helps students to explore and familiarize themselves with AI better all for free! But how big of an impact does AInsipre have in our lives? Well, AInspire has helped to serve over 26,000 students in all 50 states and even 91 countries! Jui also works with a team of 11 other women who are helping to make a difference with AI. She started this nonprofit after attending a summer camp at Stanford University when she was a high school freshman. As more time went on, she had a desire to learn more about AI and how it can further medicine and the future. At first, Jui didn’t find a whole lot of sources and research opportunities about artificial intelligence, especially for beginners wanting to know more. Soon she created AInspire.org and started to help others learn more about AI and its possibilities. Artificial intelligence keeps developing as technology improves, and so does our future. With the rapid development of AI, Jui realized the importance of gaining more knowledge on the topic and concept to help beginners learn more about where the future of AI can take us. With utilizing AI, the future could improve a lot because it can help out businesses to simplify running their businesses.  With AInspire, Jui uses lessons and activities to help others grasp the concept of AI with the technical, comprehension, and interpersonal skills that are needed to have a career in the 21st century. Jui also started an AI club at Hinsdale Central. The program is targeted more towards middle and high school students but it’s also available for everyone too. Since AI is being integrated into our everyday lives, it’s better to get a head start on learning about it now. So, since AI is slowly being added everywhere, she wanted to make AInspire free for everyone. AInspire has been seen on NBC, Chicago Sun Times, FOX 32 Chicago, The Hinsdalean, Chicago Tribune, Swiss Cognitive, and much more! You can check out AInspire here!

Sources:

AInspire

Jui Khankari

Ask an expert – JUI KHANKARI, NONPROFIT FOUNDER – The Hinsdalean

Oak Brook teen receives Diana Award for nonprofit focusing on AI education – Chicago Sun-Times

Alinea- Eve Halimi and Anam Lakhani

Have you ever wanted to try out investing but was never taught very well, or do you want to know how to make some money passively? If you’re curious to learn more about investing, then Alinea is the solution for you! Alinea was founded by Anam Lakhani and Eve Halimi when they were only just 24 years old! They came up with the idea in class at Barnard College, Columbia University because they noticed that some of their classmates didn’t want to invest because they didn’t know a lot about it. They also realized that not knowing a lot about investing shouldn’t stop you from trying so they created Alinea, but what is Alinea? Alinea is an investing app that was created with Gen Z’s in mind to help them grow their investments. Alinea is also backed up by Harvard, Goodwater, Kima, Y Combinator and many others. Eve and Anam created this app because it can hard and tricky to understand financial markets, especially today. The internet and technology keep growing, and so do the opportunities to make money. Alinea is a great way for new investors to get more familiar with the stock market and they also offer an “inclusive community for new investors.”

In the app, there’s personalized investing recommendations and caters towards different demographics and generations. Another cool feature of the app is how users can even start investing with as little as $1 for fractional shares of stocks and EFTs. Not every investing app lets you start off with $1, and with the starting price being so low the risks are also pretty low. Alinea also has a feature called “playlists” that are groups of stocks that can be customized based on what your values or lifestyles are. There’s even the option to invest in female-founded companies and many others. Over the years, this app has $2.1 million in funding from a lot of strategic investors and even Hardvard! Alinea is SEC registered investment advisor, FINRA & SIPC Insured as a drivewealth partner, and bank-level security, and SSL & 256-bit encryption. Having all of these features makes investing safer and easier, with lower risks and a whole lot of learning without the stress! With an annual membership only being $96, you can get access to a whole lot of support and learning opportunities on how to invest! Check out their website here!

Sources:

ALINEA INVEST : FOUNDING STORY | Alinea Invest: Social Investing App for GenZ

ALINEA, NEW FEMALE-FOUNDED FINTECH AND Y COMBINATOR BACKED APP, REINVENTS CREATIVE INVESTING FOR GEN Z

Morgan Lerner and Annie Slabotsky- GoNanas

Have you ever recalled the last time you had a good slice of banana bread? Was the banana bread really good and was it healthy for you too? Well, if your banana bread wasn’t super good or healthy for you, GoNanas has you covered! GoNanas is banana bread that’s actually good for you and it’s also gluten free, vegan, and allergen friendly. How many banana bread companies can you think of that can hit all these points? Not many brands target all these points, and most banana bread aren’t always gluten free either. GoNanas was founded by Morgan Lerner and Annie Slabotsky, when they were freshmen in college at the University of Michigan. They both noticed the lack of how there weren’t a lot of healthy food options on campus and they both also loved banana bread. They began their journey by creating a banana bread recipe that was healthy, and it took them three years to get it just right. After they perfected the recipe, they started selling single-serve loaves around their campus and Michigan. They both moved to Chicago after graduating but the pandemic forced them to close indefinitely. They had a lot of ingredients left over in their inventory and a bunch of customers that missed the banana bread. So, Morgan and Annie came out with a new product line of banana bread mixes just as banana bread became the “official comfort food of the Coronavirus.” They soon launched their product with Nordstrom Rack and went viral on social media. GoNanas was featured in Forbes, Buzzfeed, and even USA Today!

Standard Size Baking MixesBut what else makes GoNanas unique? They are a women-owned startup, and they help to empower other small business owners! They also swapped out artificial and refined ingredients for healthier and simpler alternatives that make their banana bread taste even better! They also now sell different banana bread flavor mixes like birthday cake, cinnamon roll, strawberry caramel, and more! They even launched some cookie mixes like lemon shortbread and chocolate chip! You can find more about their delicious products here!

Sources:

Morgan Lerner and Annie Slabotsky of GoNanas: Five Things I Learned As a TwentySomething Founder | by Jerome Knyszewski | Authority Magazine | Medium

About | GoNanas – GoNanas (eatgonanas.com)

Our Story – GoNanas (eatgonanas.com)

Rajia Abdelaziz: Co-founder of InvisaWear

Have you ever been in a scary situation like walking back to your car at night and then someone jumps out of their car and starts to approach you? Well, this happened to cofounder Rajia Abdelaziz after a night out during college. She was walking back to her car during the night after an event at college and a car full of guys stopped and started catcalling her and one even got out of the car and started walking towards her. After surviving this scary night, she realized that she didn’t have a lot of time to call for help using her phone and that all the panic buttons on the market weren’t fashionable or subtle. So, what did she do with this information? She created her own jewelry line selling fashionable and everyday accessories that have safety devices disguised underneath. Her product, InvisaWear, was soon founded with the help of her co-founder Ray Hamilton.

Star Burst Charm Necklace

InviaWear was made with the intent of keeping people safer, especially when we’re in tough situations and we can’t access our phones to call for help. Rajia wanted to make the world a safer place to be in, and didn’t want other people to suffer when they needed help during difficult situations. Statistics show that around 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 7 men get attacked at some point during their life. That’s a lot of people who get attacked, which caused such a spark that InvisaWear has been featured on ABC News, CBS, Good Morning America, and WBZ. InvisaWear has also made national headlines for helping to save a young woman’s life when she was in a car accident. There are so many other success stories about InvisaWear saving other people’s lives, and this was all thanks to Rajia Abdelaziz after she realized that there was a need for more safety panic buttons. Rajia’s company doesn’t just sell jewelry, she also sells pepper sprays, and other self-defense products to keep others safe. InvisaWear believes “that everyone deserves to feel safe and secure”, and Rajia did just that! You can check out her website and shop here! 

Sources:

Why We Created invisaWear – Our Founder Rajia’s Story – invisaWear®

WoW Woman in Wearable Tech I Rajia Abdelaziz, founder of invisaWear — WOMEN OF WEARABLES

Monika Dharia- Founder/CEO of EcoRain Poncho

Imagine coming up with and launching a business idea straight from your dorm room based off an issue with ponchos! Well, that’s what Monika Dharia did in 2016 as a sophomore at Duke. Monika Dharia studied environmental engineering, entrepreneurship, and economics during her time at Duke. She first realized that it rains a lot on the campus and went from thinking about renting umbrellas for free to eventually thinking about no plastic-based ponchos. She noticed that there was a problem with disposable petroleum-based products, especially with the ponchos. But how can you make a rain poncho more eco-friendly? And how can you make a poncho that’s different than any other poncho? Well, the answer lies in renewable materials and responsible packaging to help this ongoing issue. EcoRain Ponchos are sustainable ponchos that help to lower greenhouse gas emissions as well as being reusable and recyclable. These ponchos are responsibly sourced from Brazil made from sugarcane ethanol. What else also makes these ponchos unique? It’s that Monika made sure to include that the packaging for the ponchos is plastic free and made from FSC-certified recycled kraft paper. Soy based ink also helps to make their paper packaging easier to recycle. How many other companies that sell ponchos have unlimited uses because they’re 100% recyclable and is great for the environment? Not many other companies have thought of innovative ideas like Monika has! Monika has also won $35,000 in funding for her ponchos, but things started getting tough during the pandemic. Eventually she pulled through after getting a partnership with GreenGear. But it doesn’t stop there, because she also got a partnership with the Eagles and Braskem! So far, her ponchos have made an impact by fulfilling orders with Duke, Yale, North Carolina FC, the Eagles, and even some national parks like Yellowstone and Zion! Monika Dharia’s ideas and innovations towards the poncho market are groundbreaking, and it’s no surprise thanks to her entrepreneurial and environmental engineering skills! From an idea to reducing plastic in ponchos to being “the first 100% sugarcane-based poncho.” Monika has also been featured in Forbes 30 under 30, and in 2023 they have donated $11k to nonprofit organizations. If you still thought that was amazing, their business is also a minority and woman owned small business while also being 1% for the Planet members. So, Monika proves that if you see a need that can be fulfilled and even improved in the process to be more eco-friendly, to take a chance because your idea might be as great as an EcoRain Poncho!

Check out the EcoRain Poncho website here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Sustainable Rain Ponchos & Bags | GreenGear Supply Co.

Women ‘Green-Sports-Preneurs’: Monika Dharia, Founder of GreenGear – GreenSportsBlog

Forbes 30 Under 30 2024: Social Impact