Maggie Dunne ’13 is the founder of Lakota Children’s Enrichment, Inc., a nonprofit corporation concerned with issues facing the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Dunne has raised more than $90,000 and has collected about $150,000 in new and salvaged goods for her enterprise, while pursuing a dual degree in Native American studies and religion at Colgate. In 2012 she received the grand prize in Glamour’s Top 10 College Women Competition.

After giving an impassioned presentation on the need to invest in human capital, two alumni in the audience — David Fialkow ‘81 and Mike Ellenbogen ‘86 of General Catalyst Partners — emerged and on the spot committed $22,000 to Dunne’s nonprofit. They proceeded to solicit an additional $3,000 from others in the audience.

For more about the Little Talks, Big Ideas event, see the full story on the Colgate news site, as well as the Little Talks, Big Ideas website.

SHARE

Sarah Stewart ’04 is co-founder of The Pop Nation, a San Francisco-based company that manufactures and sells gourmet, vegan, and gluten-free popsicles. With a fleet of paletas pushcarts, The Pop Nation joined the mobile food movement in 2011 and continues to grow its operation through direct and wholesale accounts. The Pop Nation just completed a $50,000 Kickstarter campaign to move into their own kitchen space.

For more about the Little Talks, Big Ideas event, see the full story on the Colgate news site, as well as the Little Talks, Big Ideas website.

SHARE

Brian Haghighi ’09 is co-founder and chief marketing officer of California Fruit Wine Co., an innovative winery in San Diego that handcrafts wines from a variety of fruits other than grapes. Jobless after his graduation in 2009, Haghighi was introduced to fruit wine by some friends and decided to take this unconventional wine to market. With no real start-up funds, Haghighi and his brother have had to be resourceful. Today, they own a company that is valued at $3 million, with five-year projections exceeding $60 million.

For more about the Little Talks, Big Ideas event, see the full story on the Colgate news site, as well as the Little Talks, Big Ideas website.

SHARE

Amy Jurkowitz ’85 is co-founder of Milkshake, a media company devoted to discovering all that’s good around the globe — featuring companies, causes, products, people, and places making a positive impact. She recently launched a boutique agency, Bread + Buzz (ad)ventures, which specializes in helping young companies position themselves for market success and refreshing established brands to re-engage their consumers. She is also a co-founder of MATERIAL, a fashion-forward line of women’s athletic wear.

For more about the Little Talks, Big Ideas event, see the full story on the Colgate news site, as well as the Little Talks, Big Ideas website.

SHARE

Katie Finnegan ’05 spent her career in the retail sector as a merchandiser and management consultant. Frustrated by the e-commerce landscape, in 2012, she launched Hukkster, a platform that allows online shoppers to tag their preferences anytime, anywhere, and gain real-time access to specific products the moment they go on sale. The same year, Hukkster raised a $1 million round of seed funding led by the Winklevoss twins and including retail executives such as the CEO of Tumi (Jerome Griffith) and the president of Henri Bendel (Chris Fiore).

For more about the Little Talks, Big Ideas event, see the full story on the Colgate news site, as well as the Little Talks, Big Ideas website.

SHARE