Baby Gear Group
Named one of Time’s Best Inventions of 2025, Baby Gear Group’s lending libraries are a savvy solution for parents who want top-tier baby products without overspending on items their little ones will quickly outgrow. Philadelphia mom Bo Zhao WG18 founded the company after spending countless hours — and plenty of money — searching for the right products for her daughter. Realizing other parents faced the same challenge, she envisioned a better option. Now expanding nationally, Baby Gear Group lets families rent everything from strollers to sleepwear and swap items as needs change, with monthly subscriptions starting at $49.
Carenostics
(Illustrations by Cristina Spanò)
After losing a family member to a late-diagnosed chronic illness, father-and-son duo Bharat Rao and Kanishka Rao ENG18 W18 founded Carenostics to address gaps in care that leave diseases undetected and untreated. The company’s AI tools flag patients at risk of conditions such as chronic kidney disease and support ongoing disease management. Their work — which also includes helping transplant centers improve operations and outcomes — earned Kanishka recognition on the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Rove
Max Morganroth W25
Rove is building a new way for young adults to earn airline miles without the barriers of traditional credit-card reward plans. Launched in 2023, the startup issues a universal currency — Rove Miles — that users accrue through everyday travel purchases and online spending, then redeem for flights and hotels. Rove’s founders, including CEO Max Morganroth W25, were named to this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 for their work, which is making travel rewards more attainable for those who lack extensive credit histories or access to premium credit cards.
Crosby
Legal contract reviews that once stretched on for weeks or months can now take minutes. Started by John Sarihan ENG21 W21 and Ryan Daniels C14, Crosby is a new kind of law firm powered by AI. The company’s AI agents — supervised by human attorneys — review and advise on contracts such as nondisclosure agreements and master service agreements, often delivering feedback in less than an hour. After exiting stealth mode with its first round of funding last June, Crosby announced another major round just four months later and a third one in March.
CarboWells
To win Penn’s Y-Prize for applications of emerging technologies, this group of first-year students dug deep. Bhuranyu Mahajan W29 and Yash Iyer W29, along with Yuki Qian C29 ENG29, Ronith Lahoti ENG29, and Ali Altan Yilmaz C29 ENG29, created CarboWells — a 3D-printed concrete plug. The team’s pitch: Across the U.S., two million oil wells remain unplugged, increasing the risk of leaks and creating a multibillion-dollar environmental crisis. Using printed concrete developed at Penn Engineering and offering 100 times lower gas permeability than traditional cement, CarboWells’s application expands and bonds completely into the well walls. With their $15,000 earnings from Y-Prize, which is supported by the Mack Institute for Innovation Management and Venture Lab, the CarboWells founders plan to pursue prototyping and lab validation.
AWKN
Tess Kim WG15
As they say around the world, “Cheers to your health!” This hangover recovery brand co-founded by Tess Kim WG15 and her sister, Soom Kim, is rooted in ancient Korean medicine. Nutritionists mix ingredients, including antioxidant-rich prickly pear and detoxifying reishi mushroom, that work together to protect the liver and promote rehydration. The liquid shots are individually wrapped in on-the-go pouches, to be taken with the first drink of the night. (A second can be taken before bed for optimal bounce-back.) AWKN now ships internationally and has been covered by the Independent and the Telegraph.
NoMatch
Inspired by a campus visit from legendary shoe designer Stuart Weitzman W63, Pattryze Garate W22 created NoMatch women’s sneakers. Ready for a kicker? Each pair is purposefully mismatched, to spark self-expression. The sneakers are handmade using premium leather and include playful details, such as sun-activated colors. Garate told Wharton’s Baker Retailing Center about the secret sauce behind her business: “When you truly care about your product and the experience behind it, people will feel it.”
BreachRx
With ever-evolving technology come endless new challenges for cybersecurity. BreachRx provides a tailored incident-response platform for companies looking to “bring order to the chaos.” It provides ready-to-use templates for informing stakeholders, and publishes blogs covering industry news, including incident-response-management predictions for 2026 co-authored by CEO and co-founder Andy Lunsford WG17. Clients from industries such as pharmaceuticals and banking say the platform has led to reduced manual effort, faster decision-making, and improved oversight. BreachRx closed $15 million in Series A funding in May 2025.
Bridge Project
Jeffrey Lieberman ENG96 W96 and Holly Fogle W96
In the debate over how best to support low-income families, the Bridge Project is betting on a simple tool: direct cash. Founded by Holly Fogle W96 and Jeffrey Lieberman ENG96 W96, the nonprofit provides unconditional payments to mothers in need during pregnancy and through their babies’ first years — a window critical to healthy development and economic mobility. Launched in New York in 2021, the Bridge Project has since expanded to additional states, enrolling thousands of families and directing tens of millions of dollars in support. Alongside the payments, the organization advances policy change and conducts research in-house and with partners, including the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research.
Theon International
Since its start in Greece nearly three decades ago, Theon International has grown into a global supplier of night-vision devices and other imaging systems for armed forces and security operations. The company’s products help soldiers operate in low-light and high-risk environments and are used today in more than 70 countries. Founder and CEO Christian Hadjiminas WG83 has overseen Theon’s expansion from the beginning — including its public-market debut in 2024 — positioning the company as a significant European player in advanced imaging technology.
Probook
Sending the right technicians to the right jobs can make or break a home-services business. Probook, co-founded by George Eliadis ENG24 W24, offers AI-powered software designed to help plumbing, electric, HVAC, and other skilled-trades companies schedule jobs more efficiently and drive revenue growth by automating dispatching decisions that have historically been manual. In customer case studies, Probook clients describe improved operational consistency, stronger sales performance, and greater customer satisfaction after adopting the tool. The startup was part of Venture Lab’s VIP-X Philadelphia fall cohort in 2022, an early milestone in its growth.
Fifth Taste Foods
(Photo: Brad Lampe)
Beyond the basic flavors of sour, sweet, bitter, and salty, there’s an elusive, savory fifth taste called “umami.” To find it, CEO Mark Engel G95 WG95 drew on his experience traversing the back alleys of Taiwan via motorbike as a young man. After launching a line of internationally inspired chile crisps called Oo’mäme — selected as a Best New Condiment finalist by NEXTY, a natural products industry award, in 2020 — Engel has expanded to plant-based protein. His latest product, Harvest Shreds, captures the hearty texture of shredded meat without the GMO guesswork. The company’s mission, says Engel, is to improve the health of both people and the planet, “one great meal at a time.”
LifeSaver Mobile
Distracted driving claimed 3,275 lives in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To ensure that hired drivers keep their eyes on the road, co-founder and CEO Ted Chen W87 L91 created LifeSaver Mobile. The software blocks cell-phone use while fleet drivers are behind the wheel, resulting in a 50 to 80 percent reduction in at-fault collisions for some clients. The company offers a simple turnkey solution for employees’ phones by disabling screen use and enforcing hands-free calling. LifeSaver Mobile also provides helpful resources, from an e-book on cell-phone addiction to a cost-savings calculator.
WTHN
Michelle Larivee G12 WG12 is bringing the calming remedy of Chinese acupuncture to hectic Manhattan. After a ski accident left her with chronic pain, Larivee found relief through the ancient form of medicine. That experience led her to launch WTHN, a wellness center offering holistic healing through licensed acupuncturists who perform treatments including back cupping, facial gua sha, and ear seeding. The four spa-like New York locations are designed for de-stressing, with details such as heated tables, aromatherapy, and an herbal tea bar. The brand had early funding from actress and lifestyle maven Gwyneth Paltrow, raised $5 million in Series A financing, and was praised by Vogue for being “as easy (and affordable) as a blowout bar.”
Published as “Kid Gear Rentals, Unique Sneaks, and Distracted Driving Solutions” in the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Wharton Magazine.
Read about other alumni-powered ventures in the full Watchlist.
