Startup Roundup

Gauchos building businesses of all types and sizes

Motion LA

Motion LA started with a desire to bring together different types of people – entrepreneurs, influencers, lawyers, professionals – and network through an amazing workout. We started off small but each week, a few more people would show up. Through Motion LA, we have recreated the way people socialize through health and wellness. The way folks bond over sweating and grinding at the gym together is like no other. Everybody immediately becomes family because it is such a great way for everyone to really get to know each other. Our team has created an environment and a community in which everyone feels comfortable to be themselves.”

HipTyper

“My brother Avi and I launched HipTyper, a subscription service for copywriting. We believe that the storyteller is the most powerful person in the world. There are so many brands in competition, so it is necessary to differentiate ourselves. HipTyper helps clients do that by telling their story through writing – clients can request any type of copy within their subscribed word count to be completed by our pre-vetted writers. My parents are immigrants from Israel and Morocco, so we grew up speaking four languages. My family is really good at coming up with business ideas but they lack the ability to properly write a good story. Avi and I took it upon ourselves to write it for them, and about a year ago

FirstGen_Resilience

“The challenges I endured throughout my academic journey were not unique, but representative of a recurring pattern among first-generation students. In graduate school, via my professional work and Ph.D. research, I studied more closely the experiences of Latinx, first-generation college students and their academic and professional aspirations. From my expertise and passion, I founded FirstGen_Resilience, which is dedicated to empowering first-generation students to reach their full potential by providing information, guidance, and motivation through specialized coaching. I especially love giving presentations and workshops to high school and college students.”

Aptitude Medical Systems

Founded by JP (Jinpeng) Wang Ph.D. ’13, Scott Ferguson Ph.D. ’11 and Jackson (Qiang) Gong Ph.D. ’09, Aptitude Medical Systems received an award up to $53.7 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to develop diagnostics for point-of-care and at-home use.

Beni

Secondhand apparel online retailer Beni, co-founded by Celine Mol ’17 ’19, raised $4 million in seed funding for a browser extension that works to let consumers easily browse listings for resale items while they’re shopping online.