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NYU Female Founders Fellowship Launches with Four Steinhardt Fellows

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A launchpad for female founders, the NYU Female Founders Fellowship provides participants with training, mentorship, and grants of up to $50,000.

Students lounge and study in the first floor lounge at Pless Hall

Four members of the Steinhardt community will participate in the inaugural cohort of the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute's Female Founders Fellowship: Paige Anderson ('22)Jade Kearney ('20)Vanessa Sepul-Azcarraga ('20), and Ashley Xie ('20)

As participants in the program, Female Founders Fellows gain access to support and resources such as startup training and mentorship, networking events, and grants to alleviate the financial burden of building a startup.

Read on to learn more about each of the Steinhardt Fellows and their ventures. Congratulations, all!

Paige Anderson ('22)

Founder, HealthBoxed 

Paige has a passion for health and wellness and is on a mission to improve the health of America’s workforce, one healthy snack at a time. Paige is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and studies nutrition and dietetics.

HealthBoxed is a healthy snack box delivery service that functions as an employee wellness program, helping businesses improve the health of their employees, contributing to lower health insurance costs and enhancing overall productivity.

Jade Kearney (‘20)

Co-Founder & CEO, She Matters, Inc.

Jade is a recent graduate of Steinhardt with a degree in digital media design for learning. Her professional background is in education and professional development. Jade is a wellness expert and has certifications in yoga, Ayurveda, and mindfulness. Her passion is wellness education to Black and Brown communities throughout the United States. Jade is certified in diversity and inclusion management and enjoys conducting seminars on the importance of diversity and mental wellness. Jade is a mother, partner, and motivational speaker. She currently resides in Harlem with her daughter and fiancé. Jade is also a Mark & Debra Leslie Fellow and was awarded a loan alleviation grant.

She Matters is an online/offline platform designed to address postpartum anxiety and depression in Black women. She Matters offers community, culturally relevant resources, and culturally competent therapists and mental health care professionals certified through the organization.

Vanessa Sepul-Azcarraga ('20)

Co-Founder, Wazo

Vanessa is a 2020 graduate of Steinhardt’s master's in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness and a 2018 graduate of the Parsons Design and Management Program. As a therapist, health coach, and spiritual counselor, she combines her passion for healing with her love of problem-solving, innovation, and technology to creatively minimize gaps in our health systems. 

Wazo is a peer-to-peer mentoring program that supports college students in getting matched with fellow peers to receive individualized support through a structured 6-week program and get connected with the university resources they need.

Ashley Xie ('20)

Co-Founder & CEO, Rooted Fare

Ashley is a daughter of immigrant restauranteurs and a 2nd generation Chinese American. She’s worked in food-related nonprofits, restaurants, and the NYC Health Department. Ashley received her MA in Food Studies at Steinhardt and BA in Natural Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

Rooted Fare partners with immigrant chefs to deliver essential cultural ingredients and food education tailored to Asian Americans who want to cook cultural foods they love and identify with. Rooted Fare is creating a community that enables Asian Americans to reconnect and reclaim their heritage through food and facilitates a much-needed shift in celebrating immigrant chefs as dignified and integral to our culture and society.

The NYU Entrepreneurial Institute aims to better support and remove financial barriers for founders pursuing startups and set a new standard for gender equality in entrepreneurship at universities. Applications are welcome from any student with a demonstrated commitment to women’s issues in the entrepreneurial space, regardless of sex or gender identification as the Institute seeks to build a diverse, inclusive cohort of fellows.


Visit the Female Founders Fellowship website to explore the full inaugural cohort.

Relevant Programs

Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness

A combination of graduate course work and clinical training will prepare you for a career as a professional clinical counselor.

Educational Communication and Technology

Prepare to create, use, and evaluate media and technology through academic and leadership positions in research, technology, and education.

Food Studies

The Food Studies program explores the cultural, historical, and sociological aspects of food and food systems.

Nutrition and Dietetics

Degrees within the Nutrition and Dietetics program combine basic science, nutritional science, food science, and research to prepare you for many career paths.