In collaboration with the Philadelphia chapter of The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE), the School of Global Business debuted its Sprout: Entrepreneur-in-Residence program with an event in Grey Towers Castle, naming Annie Fortenberry ’26DPT and Javon Redmon ’27 as the first Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

“We have a terrific community here at Arcadia,” said Arcadia President Ajay Nair in welcome remarks. “It seems only natural that, for this program, Arcadia would be the host. Arcadia has always been the birthplace of really terrific ideas and innovation, and I hope that as we think about the growth and development of this project, it becomes a model for higher education.”

“My vision is to have a place where a coder, graphic designer, a healthcare student, a finance student, they are all coming together, brainstorming ideas and coming up with the best new thing for the future. That’s the goal of Sprout,” Dr. Raghu Kurthakoti, associate professor of Marketing, director of graduate Business programs, and a lead on the project, added in his opening remarks.

Arcadia’s unique partnership with TiE Philadelphia serves as a catalyst for entrepreneurship by connecting students with community entrepreneurs to develop scalable business ventures with sustainable economic impact. 

Fortenberry, who was unable to attend the launch event due to her clinical internship for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, is mentored by Sushma Rajagopalan, co-founder of 2nd Careers and a partner at Rittenhouse Ventures, as she develops FloraFlow, a pelvic floor wellness app.

“I’m deeply grateful for the support of Sprout and Arcadia University as I continue building FloraFlow, a wellness app designed to create a gentle, non-intimidating starting place for pelvic floor wellness,” she said. “FloraFlow was created to make this area of health feel more approachable, supportive, and empowering for people who may not know where to begin.

“Being part of a program that invests in innovation, mentorship, and mission-driven entrepreneurship makes this experience especially meaningful. I’m very thankful to be learning and growing alongside such thoughtful founders and supporters.”

Redmon, a Computer Science major, is mentored by Shaunak Roy, the CEO of Yellowdig, as he works on NorthPlan, a student productivity app designed to help students manage assignments, deadlines, and schedules in a simple and organized way.

“I got the idea from my own experience and seeing how overwhelming it can be to keep track of everything across different platforms,” Redmon explained. “I wanted to create something clean and easy to use, where students can quickly add and manage their work without feeling stressed.”

Redmon hopes to gain the insight from Roy that he will need to scale his venture.

“The mentorship program has been a great experience so far,” he said. “Going forward, I hope to continue improving the app, expand its features, and grow it into something widely used by students.”

The launch event also featured a fireside chat with Abbey Ryan, an associate professor of Visual and Performing Arts at Arcadia and expert on arts entrepreneurship, as well as a panel discussion focused on taking an idea from the college campus to a full-fledged enterprise with venture capitalists from the Philadelphia region.

In addition to their mentors and Kurthakoti, Jennifer Fritch, an assistant professor of Marketing, and Dr. Meg Nolan, an assistant professor of Global Business, are helping the students in the areas of coaching, real access to potential investors and capital sources, and preparation and launch of a scalable venture.

Kurthakoti teased the crowd about the fall semester cohort, noting that applications will be open soon.

“Tonight shows the potential of this program, so, students, who here is inspired?” Kurthakoti asked. “Your time is coming because I am excited to announce that the fall round of applications for Sprout will be open soon. Start putting your ideas together and keep an eye on your email!”