Hidden Gems, an alumnae-launched company, produces a refreshing beverage from avocado seeds.
Four local minority-owned startups were chosen by the University City Science Center and Drexel to receive support from the Raynier Seed Fund for Underrepresented Founders program.
Each company will receive $25,000, in addition to mentoring from Raynier Seed Fund community partners:
Hidden Gems, a beverage company originally launched by Drexel alumnae Sheetal Bahirat, MS culinary arts & science ’20, and Zuri Masud, MS food science, ’19. Promoting sustainability by upcycling typically discarded food, such as avocado seeds, the startup found early success with its refreshing Reveal beverage, which won a Startup CPG Shelfie award in 2022.
Naturaz is the creator of the Moisture Burst System, a lineup of 100% vegan, non-genetically modified conditioning shampoo; rehydrating mist and de-tangler; and hair moisturizer made with sustainably sourced ingredients.
SnapRefund is a financial technology company that simplifies and expedites the claim payment process for the insurance industry.
VasoWatch, a company that has developed a non-invasive wearable device to improve postpartum hemorrhage risk prediction. This novel labor and delivery technology supports continuous monitoring of a mother’s risk for postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death and complications.