Student Entrepreneurs Named to Inc.’s Coolest College Startups List

Daniel Kuenzi (center) at the 2015 Evening of Social Innovation pitch competition

Two startups run by Georgetown University students have been named to Inc. Magazine’s 2016 “Coolest College Startups” list, including Local Roots Farms, co-founded by Daniel Kuenzi (MBA ’17), and MISFIT Juicery, led by Ann Yang (SFS ’16).

Inc.’s 16 Coolest College Startups were selected from a list of more than 100 companies from universities across North America, and were chosen based on the originality of the idea, the pitch, and growth potential. Out of the 16 startups, one will be named the Reader’s Choice, based on the results of a March Madness-style tournament.

Local Roots designs, manufactures, and operates indoor farms that seek to grow organic produce year-round in an efficient manner. The student founders, who are focused on eco-friendly growing practices, have turned 40-foot shipping containers into scalable indoor farming systems.

Kuenzi, who co-founded Local Roots in 2014, won the pitch competition at Georgetown’s Evening of Social Innovation in 2015. Local Roots also has garnered press (new window) and accolades (new window).

MISFIT Juicery aims to fight food waste by using aesthetically unappealing fruits and vegetables in its juice products. The student startup, founded by Yang and Phil Wong (SFS ’15) in 2014, makes its cold-pressed juices with produce that would otherwise end up in the trash bin.

Yang was a 2015 Entrepreneurship Fellow, and Yang and Wong participated in Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative’s summer launch program in 2015. MISFIT Juicery has been featured in The Washington Post, among other media.

“Daniel, Phil, and Ann are wonderful examples of ‘Hoyapreneurs’ who are using the power of entrepreneurship to solve important problems,” said Jeff Reid, founding director of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative. “I encourage the Georgetown community to rally behind them by voting for them in this competition.”