The latest round of the Magnuson Center Founder Grants awarded $12,000 to Dartmouth Entrepreneurs working on six distinct projects. 

The grants, available to Dartmouth students, faculty and staff, award up to $5,000 per endeavor to move a venture forward. This fall, the Magnuson Center received 27 grant applications, making the selection process difficult. 

“With so many great ideas hungry for funding to make progress, it was a challenge to distribute the awards across a limited number of grantees,” said Roy Schmidt, Program Manager for Startup Support at the Magnuson Center. 

The recipients of the grants are:

Nerd Apply 

Founder: Cooper Weissman ’27

Award: $2,500

When Cooper Weissman was applying to colleges, he struggled to understand how to create a compelling application. That changed when he asked older friends if he could review their college essays. 

“Going through them sparked a flood of ideas, and the writer's block that had plagued me for months vanished,” said Weissman. 

He wanted every student to have access to the same type of resources, so he founded Nerd Apply, a database of college applications lodged by students who were accepted into Ivy League Universities and other prestigious institutions. High school students can filter more than 1,000 applications, browsing what works in order to give them a better chance of getting into their dream school. 

The Nerd Apply team includes Taj Horowitz ’27 (leading social media and content creation), Dean Ambrose ’27 (a Magnuson Center volunteer assisting with web design) and Nico Meetze, Fordham ’27 (software development), as well as high school interns. 

Recently, Nerd Apply went viral on Reddit, leading to an influx in new memberships. Weissman and the team will use the Founder Grant funding to test features, collect user feedback, and build collaboration, with an eye toward equitable access—the team is working on a database that will be available for free to any students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. 

Create Ensemble

Co-founder: Professor Monica Ndounou

Award: $2,000

Create Ensemble is a digital platform that helps creatives of color develop their talents. Co-founder Monica Ndounou, Associate Professor of Theater at Dartmouth, says Create Ensemble will serve as an incubator for the arts. 

“It encourages cross pollination through collaboration across various creative spaces and cultural backgrounds,” Ndounou said. “Through seed funding and community support, Create Ensemble fosters a thriving ecosystem for the emergence and growth of new and existing talent, stories, and perspectives.”

Ndounou plans to use the $2,000 Founder Grant to pay a tech team for maintaining the platform. Some of the funding will also be used for developing marketing and publication strategies, and to reach potential customers through target advertisements. 

“We are continuing to grow membership on the platform and fundraise for resources to sustain the platform and support the community,” Ndounou said. “We are also seeking partnerships and collaborations to further support the community offerings provided through the platform.”

Magnuson Center support has been instrumental in accessing mentorship and connecting with individuals and groups that will support the next stages of Create Ensemble. 

“We’re very excited to be a part of the Magnuson Center community and to make Create Ensemble available to all who will benefit from this global network providing much-needed career services and support for creatives," Ndounou said.

Anthias

Founder: Charlie Ambrose ’25

Award: $2,000

Charlie Ambrose ’25, wants to make blockchain easier to understand. That’s the idea behind his company, Anthias, a boutique blockchain research and development firm focused on providing actionable research.

“One of the things we do is source and interpret blockchain data, so all blockchain users can easily manage risk and monitor market trends,” said Ambrose, noting that the idea was incubated at the Dartmouth Blockchain Club.

Ambrose plans to use the Founder Grant to expand the company’s data storage capabilities. He also plans to use advertising on X (formerly Twitter) in order to reach new users. 

"This coming year, we hope to onboard more clients and continue to build deeper relationships with our current clients, hopefully providing them more value through more great tools and research,” he said. 

Fledge

Founders: Yizhen Zhen ’24 & Jason Luo ‘25 

Award: $2,000

College students applying and networking to dozens of jobs usually track their recruiting process on a tangled web of spreadsheets, document notes, emails, calendar invites and more. Yizhen Zhen ’24 and Jason Luo ’25 would like to change that with Fledge, a platform to streamline the job application process. The platform allows users to network with bulk emails, add contacts, and track recruiting deadlines.

“With Fledge, you're equipped to stay ahead in your career, with all your networking and application timelines and materials perfectly organized and accessible,” said Zhen. 

Zhen and Luo will use the Founder Grant to hire a designer to improve the user experience with a more modern look. They’ll also test different advertising markets as they move toward a product launch.  

Torana Search Partners 

Founders: Alex Craig ’25 and David Moore Sr. ‘24

Award: $2,000

Torana Search Partners aims to disrupt the private equity hiring pipeline by connecting junior talent with the world's preeminent firms. 

Negus Negast 

Founders: Nuhamin Demeku ‘25, Queen Eche ‘24, Adrian Chimboza ‘25, and Elmer Sosa ‘25 

Award: $1,500

Negus Negast is a platform to increase opportunities for Ethiopian youth through entrepreneurial education. 

Additional Grants To Be Awarded In The Spring

The next round of Founder Grant applications will open in the Spring ’24 term. Application updates will be announced in the Magnuson Center newsletter.

Any founders working on a new venture are invited to schedule office hours with Roy Schmidt and see how The Magnuson Center can help you make progress with your idea.