Meet the Cohort

Meet our 2022 Inclusive Entrepreneur Fellows

The Northeastern Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship is proud to present the following exceptional entrepreneurs for the IE Fellowship program.

Michelle Beaudette

Michelle Beaudette

Founder of Kaolin Beauty

Michelle Beaudette is a fourth-year student at Northeastern University, studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and the founder of Kaolin Beauty, an ethical, non-toxic, zero-waste makeup and self-care company. Michelle started Kaolin Beauty because she saw a major problem with plastic pollution in the cosmetics industry and wanted to create a sustainable solution that embodied all her values. Over the past few years, she has also been involved with several different entrepreneurship organizations at Northeastern and is currently co-leading the venture catalyst program, WeLaunch, through the Women’s Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship (WISE).
Melissa Coriaty

Melissa Coriaty

Founder of Verbena

Melissa attended The Academy of Culinary Arts and honed her skills in kitchens in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Chambery, France and Naples, Florida before moving to Portland Maine in 2006. In Maine, Melissa worked as the Sous-chef in an independently owned restaurant where she had the opportunity to collaborate with local farmers and the culinary community. In 2009, Melissa opened Verbena, a cafe, where the team creates food from scratch using local and sustainable produce and staples in a warm, inclusive environment.  At Verbena we strive to operate with the community and environment in mind while creating fair and sustainable jobs for hospitality workers.
Gayl Crump Swaby

Gayl Crump Swaby

Founder of New Generations Consultants & Associates, LLC

Gayl Crump Swaby is a Mental Health Consultant, Associate Professor of Counselling, and Wellness Advocate who is deeply passionate about empowering her diverse range of clients to heal generational trauma and embrace wholeness. As the Founder of New Generation Consultants & Associates, LLC., a consulting, training, coaching, and counseling practice, that focuses on multicultural and trauma-informed treatment and care, she believes in “empowering minds to transform lives” via the work in the community she serves. Gayl has traveled across the US, Africa, and South America to share her message, provide training and consultations, and spread mental health awareness.
Siddharth Pannir

Siddharth Pannir

Founder of GenH

Siddharth is a founder and engineer at GenH, designing advanced energy systems addressing the big problems at the water-energy-food nexus. Siddharth has worked at multiple consulting firms across different verticals and across different sectors of the energy industry. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and an MS in Energy Systems from Northeastern University
Colleen Hall

Colleen Hall

Jamoji

Jamaican born, Colleen Hall, developed a Jamaican inspired emoji APP called “Jamoji.” Hall, a Tufts University graduate & Social Impact Analyst with a background in economics & financial services, launched Jamoji, an emoji and lifestyle keyboard mobile application that includes Jamaican cultural expressions, phrases, food and places! She is also the author of Jamoji—Essays of Life and Play in Jamaica, a story contextualized from the Jamoji keyboard to provide a fun and interactive social read in diversity and inclusion. When she isn’t behind her keyboard, Hall is an avid exercise enthusiast, she loves to indulge in her favorite snack: gummy bears.

Donna Childs

Donna Childs

Founder of Prisere LLC

“Donna Childs is the founder and chief executive officer of Prisere LLC. Most of the world lacks risk mapping and risk modeling tools essential to insure resilience. And where such tools exist, emerging risks and a changing climate are rendering them obsolete. Prisere LLC aims to fill that gap by building capacity for climate and disaster resilience with improved risk tools, including risk communications, risk mapping and software apps, training and technical advisory services.”
Carolyn Delaney

Carolyn Delaney

Founder of Journey Magazine

Carolyn Delaney is the founder of Journey, a media company devoted to making recovery from addiction stories, programs and resources visible to amplify hope.
After getting sober in 1993, she spent 20+ years leading IT departments until 2018 when multiple overdose deaths were the catalyst for wanting to use media, marketing and publishing to reduce addiction stigma.
Launched in 2019, Journey Magazine provides helpful articles, hopeful stories and accessible recovery programs where people live, work and eat.
Solomon Menashi

Solomon Menashi

Founder of BlocksCAD

Solomon Menashi has been a leader in STEM education both as an educator and entrepreneur for over a decade.   Sol’s current venture- BlocksCAD – helps students in K-12 learn math and coding through 3D design. In the course of his career, he has built and sold small businesses, taught in classrooms, and developed innovative curriculum   Sol has an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) as well as an MBA from Boston University.
Kate Weiler

Kate Weiler

Co-Founder of Drink Simple

Kate Weiler is the co-founder and CEO of Drink Simple, a plant-powered hydration company and the leaders in the maple water category. She has her Master’s of Science in Applied Nutrition from Northeastern University and her BA from Colby College. She is the co-author of a sports nutrition book Real Fit Kitchen. She is an endurance athlete who has completed numerous marathons and triathlons including 12 full distance Ironman triathlon races.