2021 Holekamp Seed Fund winners announced

Established by former Olin professor Cliff Holekamp, the Holekamp Seed Fund provides $1,000 in funding to student entrepreneurs. The award helps students kickstart their business ventures without financial obligation.

Fund directors—Holekamp, Elise Miller Hoffman, BA ’11 and MBA ’16, and Doug Villard, Olin’s academic director for entrepreneurship—select deserving students. Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until the funds run out.

This year’s awardees

Lloyd Yates, MBA ’22, founded Tylmen, a direct-to-consumer line of accessories includes ties, belts, scarves and even face masks that double as pocket squares.

Greenlight, co-founded by Evan O’Connor, BSBA ’20, is an online shopping extension that grades sustainability of brands and offers alternatives.

Arron Zheng, BSBA ‘22, co-founded EDUrain. EDUrain is an app that simplifies college financials by bringing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), scholarships and housing fees together in one place.

Made by BLU creates gourmet nut butters using natural, high-quality and traditional ingredients in the base product then adding exciting mix-ins. It was created by Fiona Blumin, BSBA ’21.

Elijah Olasunkanmi, BS ‘22, is the operating officer at Innovative Apollo Media. The service, RaiseMeFunds, is similar to GoFundMe, but is accessible to people in West African countries.

FreeEats, founded by Trey Rudolph, BSBA ‘23, seeks to reduce food waste. The mobile app provides information on leftover free food produced on college campuses.

Founded by Laife Fulk, MBA ‘21, Sherpa combines data and technology to guide event staff with real-time information.

Lumière is a streaming platform designed for short films aimed to revolutionize the way that short films are consumed worldwide. Trey Checkett, BSBA ‘22, is the founder.

Amanda Foley, MBA ’21, and Tom Dart, MBA ‘21 are co-founders of DRIPTEK. DRIPTEK automatically lubricates wires for cranes and elevators significantly reducing downtime.

Applications for the fund are open to current Washington University juniors, seniors and graduate students. Students must be US citizens or permanent residents. You must have at least 25 percent ownership of your startup venture. To apply, visit the Holekamp Seed Fund website.