Two Northeastern University (MA) students founded Nuly Root’d, a business that will provide vending machines stocked with Black haircare products, hopefully available in the student center this fall. Their venture started after they won the campus Husky Startup Challenge incubator and startup pitch competition. Rather than creating an app, co-founder Ashleigh Chiwaya said, “…we felt that a vending machine and the power of taking up space is really important.”
Northeastern is known for its co-op program, as well as a pre-professional, career-oriented curriculum. And job searching is impacted by how students present themselves, Chiwaya told The Huntington News. “Professionalism for the Black community starts out with how we look,” she said.
Chiwaya and her co-founder Naomi Barrant both believe in narratives woven together with shared visions for full diversity and acceptance. Making these visions a reality is a joint responsibility between students who know the ins and outs of their culture and the institiution’s platform, they explained.
Learn more about their business and purpose here.
