Each spring at 1871, a selective cohort of women-identifying founders participate in WMNtech Founders, a 10-week experience designed specifically for early-stage entrepreneurs. Through tailored programming and personalized mentorship, these founders grow their solutions, hone their leadership skills, and unlock a motivating community of fellow builders.
The 2025 program kicked off in April, led by Liz Tilatti, 1871 Entrepreneur in Residence, and Bridget Lohrius, Founder and CEO of Sandwina. Below, learn about this year’s cohort.
Meet the Cohort
Aliyah Kizibash, Co-Founder and CEO of TaxBack
Arusha Goyal, Founder of MyHealthHub
Emily Burrow, CEO of TBM Labs
Folasade Runcie, Founder and CEO of Doulala
Helen Sharron, Founder and CTO of Selfient
Janet Namutebi, Co-Founder of EcoGrains
Jing Ma, Co-Founder and CEO of Tabbird AI
Joanna Drew, Founder and CEO of Emergent Giving
Julie Achettu, Co-Founder and CEO of House of Jaya
Kelly Lakas, CEO of Onyx Point Systems, LLC
Keyuri Shah, Founder of Mosaicsoft
Laci Gatewood, Founder and CEO of The Mindful Spaces Group, LLC
Melissa McEwen, Founder of CurlsBot
Rebecca Abraham, Founder and CEO of Plesio Health
Sophia Carey, Founder and CEO of BuildWise
Yu Zhang, Co-Founder of Prometheus Data
Zainab Bakare, Founder of ZABA
Want to get involved?
WMNtech Founders runs every spring — stay tuned for information about joining next year’s cohort!
WMNtech Voices is 1871’s Community Resource Group (CRG) committed to fostering a vibrant and collaborative ecosystem for women-identifying individuals in tech. In the WMNtech community, the unique perspectives and talents of women professionals and allies are celebrated and leveraged to drive positive change.
To stay in the know about all WMNtech Voices events, fill out this form.
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