Keynote: Alumni Panel
To celebrate a decade of Startup Yale, this year’s event is shaking things up with an exclusive alumni panel instead of a traditional keynote. “Defining Your Own Success” will be a dynamic, unfiltered conversation featuring three groundbreaking founders who launched their ventures at Yale and went on to reshape their industries. Expect candid insights, hard-earned lessons, and a fresh perspective on what it truly means to succeed as an entrepreneur. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear from innovators who’ve turned bold ideas into lasting impact!
Panelists:
- Erika Hairston (YC ’18), Co-founder of EdLyft – Hairston co-founded EdLyft, an AI-powered tutoring platform that helped thousands of underrepresented students break into tech and was later acquired by Google.
- Ben Young (SOM ’16), Co-founder of Hugo & Hoby – Young turned his startup, Hugo & Hoby, into a Certified B Corp and sustainability-driven furniture company, responsible for planting over 100,000 trees in at-risk forests.
- Rachel Laryea (GRD ’22), Founder of Kelewele – Laryea built Kelewele, a Brooklyn-based brand blending food, culture, and business, which has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, and BET.
