Summer 2020
Final Fellow Venture Presentation
Susan Namirimu | Gulu, Uganda
Namirimu was born and raised in Uganda. She has a Bachelor's degree in Quantitative Economics from Gulu University and is a co-founder and CEO at MODO. Most of her work has been around developing the fashion industry in Uganda by growing talent through a fashion entrepreneurship program and empowering trained tailors through providing dignified work at MODO’s factory. Her dream is to see an education system in Uganda that is more inclusive and for the last seven Susan years she has worked towards her vision by training out of school girls in Uganda in tailoring, fashion design, and entrepreneurship. Currently, Susan and her cofounder, Morgan Ginn, are working hard to grow MODO to further our cause of empowering women everywhere by providing them with the opportunity to design their own future
Venture | MODO
MODO is a social enterprise on a mission to empower women in Uganda and the United States through fashion entrepreneurship. We equip fashion entrepreneurs with the skills, tools, and resources to build sustainable and empowering fashion businesses. Click here to learn more.
Issue Area | Economic Development And Education.
Morgan Ginn | Deltona, FL
Morgan Ginn is a social entrepreneur dedicated to creating opportunities for women and girls globally. She is a Florida native who received her Bachelors in Advertising from the University of Florida. Shortly after graduating, Morgan moved to Uganda where she began her career in the social sector. For over two years, she served as the Communications and Development Manager at Cycle Connect, a social enterprise in Uganda that finances income-generating tools for smallholder farmers. In 2020, Morgan partnered with Susan Namirimu to launch MODO, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering women in Uganda and the United States through fashion entrepreneurship. MODO exists to ensure that every woman has the opportunity to design her own future. This means that every woman should have the opportunity to dream, to create, to aspire, and then to feel empowered to chase those dreams. Morgan operates on the belief that ‘all the boats rise with the tide’ and hopes that MODO is a catalyzing force in creating a more sustainable, more equitable, and more empowering fashion industry.
Venture | MODO
MODO is a social enterprise on a mission to empower women in Uganda and the United States through fashion entrepreneurship. We equip fashion entrepreneurs with the skills, tools, and resources to build sustainable and empowering fashion businesses. Click here to learn more.
Issue Area | Economic Development And Education.
Charlie Pioli | Orlando, FL
Charlie, founder of O-Town Compost, comes from a career in solid waste/recycling consulting, where he witnessed the egregious waste being generated and poorly managed around the country firsthand. Spurred to action, he started O-Town Compost as a community composter, in East Orlando, to give neighbors a sustainable option for their waste. With the help of our valued subscribers, O-Town Compost hopes to expand its offerings, ultimately making Central Florida a hub of sustainability in the United States.
Venture | O-Town Compost
O-Town Compost has a two-part mission that aims at both reducing the amount of food waste going to Orange County’s landfill, and making compost to support the local food system. Click here to learn more.
Issue Area | Environmental Sustainability
Gayane Hovhannisyan |
Yerevan, Armenia
Gayane is a vivid lover of social innovation. She has over 13 years’ experience in occupational therapy. She believes part of her life’s purpose is to help improving the lives of children with special needs and providing them opportunity to be more independent. Her experience includes extensive work both in Armenia and abroad. Gayane has always been an active part of her community. Back at university, she founded a social club to pursue social justice and her current startup, noomee is an outstanding example of social innovation. Gayane and her team developed a solution to help millions of children with ASD to improve their organizational, behavioral and communication skills.
Venture | noomee
noomee is a mobile companion app for children with Autism Spectrum disorders that helps to continue therapists work at home or anywhere else. Click here to learn more.
Issue Area | Health And Education
Samuel Curet |
Virginia Beach, VA
Formerly an active duty Marine Intelligence Officer and international real estate corporate attorney, Samuel has extensive experience in all source intelligence analysis, private equity compliance, and intelligence training. Samuel currently serves as COO of Zero Trafficking, an intelligence technology startup founded to fight human trafficking by hunting traffickers online. Zero Trafficking works with local and federal law enforcement, prosecutors, and strategic litigators to build investigations that target criminal networks where they are most vulnerable.
Venture | Zero Trafficking
Zero Trafficking provides data tools, data, and finished intelligence products to aid all stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking. We are the "Waze" of counter human trafficking intelligence. Investigators know where they want to go, we just help get them there faster. Click here to learn more.
Issue Area | Justice And Human Rights
Abdullah Tharoo | Orlando, FL
Abdullah was born in Karachi, Pakistan, migrated to the USA in the 80's and settled in Monroe Louisiana where he attended High school. He earned his Business Administration degree at Louisiana Tech University, followed by a specialty certification in Gemology at Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Santa Monica, CA. He moved to Orlando in 1996 and made Orlando his home. Through his philanthropic and voluntary work, he saw the gap in basic technology for small to midsize non-profits for auctions and donations, thus, his vision was transformed to Tuesday, nonprofit focused auction donation app.
Venture | Tuesday
Tuesday is a platform that will rejuvenate charity auctions by creating a customized social and mobile enhanced donor experience that will “make every day Giving Tuesday”. Click here to learn more.
Issue Area | NonProfit Support And Services