Two students in the Design Leadership MA/MBA dual degree program at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) earned significant funding for their innovative startups. Recent graduates Deanna Susser ’25 and Faridat Ilupeju ’25 pitched their startups and were among the four winners who won a total of $100,000 in funding at the 10th annual UP/Start Venture Competition.
MICA hosts an annual venture competition open to students in its programs, including those in the Design Leadership MA/MBA dual degree program offered in partnership with Carey. The students deliver a three-minute pitch about their business venture to a panel of judges.
flowgenius
Susser’s start up, flowgenius, won $20,000 in funding at the competition. Alongside her cofounder Roanne Yehia, a 2024 graduate from Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design, she is building an AI-powered app designed to help women with executive dysfunction, particularly those with ADHD, regain control of their lives.
While flowgenius is framed as a productivity app, Susser emphasized that its real goal is personal transformation and helping users rebuild their sense of self-efficacy.
“The MICA UP/Start Venture Competition was the perfect opportunity for flowgenius to refine and iterate on our offerings. The structure, mentorship, and workshops gave me the tools—and the confidence—to grow into my role as CEO. I’m especially grateful to Aishwariya Chandrasekar at the MICA Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship for her steady guidance, and to our mentor Nick Culbertson for his incredible support and insights throughout the process,” said Susser.
The funding will help the team advance two key initiatives: developing the app and expanding Do the Hard Stuff, a monthly online coworking event that helps women with ADHD show up, lock in, and tackle the tasks they’ve been avoiding; and bringing community events to Baltimore to create more spaces where women can connect, feel seen, and build momentum together.
Reflecting on her experience, Susser says the Design Leadership MA/MBA program has given her the tools she needed to create value-driven change, from learning how to speak confidently in a boardroom to practicing process-driven creative problem solving.
Kunaya
Ilupeju received $10,000 in funding for her startup, Kunaya–a plant-based milk brand that introduces tiger nut milk to the U.S. market.
The idea for Kunaya was born after Ilupeju discovered tiger nut milk during an African language program. She recognized its potential as a nutritious, sustainable, and culturally significant alternative to dairy and other plant-based milks. Through Kunaya, Ilupeju aims to promote health, support African farmers, and contribute to sustainable food systems.
Ilupeju says she chose to participate in the UP/Start Venture Competition to build Kunaya, secure funding, and receive valuable feedback.
“The competition provided a supportive team that helped us strengthen our business by teaching us how to pitch effectively, create a solid business plan, develop financial projections, and build a strong pitch deck. Each week, we completed meaningful deliverables that directly contributed to our venture’s growth. The process was thorough and well-structured. We were also connected with incredible mentors and given access to helpful resources,” said Ilupeju.
The funding will help Ilupeju finalize Kunaya’s recipes, secure sustainable packaging, cover initial production costs, and support marketing and pop-up activations.
“This funding will help us enter the market, build brand awareness, and begin generating revenue while refining the product based on real customer feedback,” said Ilupeju.
“I knew the Design Leadership MA/MBA program was the perfect fit because it uniquely combines creative problem-solving with business strategy. I wanted a program that would equip me to think innovatively while building the operational and leadership skills needed to drive impactful ventures. The dual focus on human-centered design and business aligned perfectly with my goal of creating products, services, and systems that would resonate with the people it's aimed to help while remaining sustainable and scalable,” said Ilupeju.
A platform for creative entrepreneurs
The UP/Start Venture Competition is organized by MICA’s Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship, focusing on incubating and building creative business ventures within the MICA community. Working with industry partners, the UP/Start Venture Competition provides a space for students to transform their creative ideas into viable businesses, offering mentorship and funding to finalists. The UP/Start Venture Competition awards over $105,000 in funding every year.
Students in the Design Leadership MA/MBA program have the unique opportunity to take their blended business and design backgrounds from the program and put theory to work in this pitch competition. Please visit the Design Leadership MA/MBA program webpage to learn more.