Duke’s Entrepreneurial Alumni

Aaron Patzer

B.S.E., Electrical Engineering, 2002

San Francisco

After growing frustrated trying to manage finances with available software, Patzer wrote his own, a personal-finance tool he dubbed Mint. Launched in 2006, Mint earned 1.5 million users by 2009, when it was sold to Intuit. Patzer now leads Leonardo Software, which sells sound effects to audio professionals.

Jennifer Beall

B.S., Mathematics, 2005

Los Angeles

After starting her career as a management consultant, Beall never imagined she’d find her calling cleaning baby poop. But her Los Angeles-based startup, CleanBeeBaby, does just that, offering eco-friendly cleaning services for car seats and strollers. MSNBC recently profiled Beall, whose partnerships with organizations such as Whole Foods, Nordstrom and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles have helped put CleanBeeBaby on L.A. moms’ radars.

Chad Dickerson

A.B., English, 1993

New York

Dickerson led Yahoo’s Brickhouse, a group of engineers and product developers charged with incubating the company’s newest ideas, before joining the marketplace website Etsy in 2008 as chief technology officer. In 2011, he became CEO of the company, which markets handmade art, crafts, clothing and jewelry.

Chuck Ghoorah

A.B., Political Science, 1991; M.A., Political Science, 1994; J.D., 1994

McLean, Virginia

Ghoorah was an attorney specializing in venture capital financing when he helped set up Cvent, an event-management software company, in 1999. He signed on to direct sales and marketing and today is executive vice president for the 1,500-employee company, which offered its first public stock in 2013. Fellow Dukie Bharet Malhotra B.S.E.’97 joined Cvent in 2000 and serves as senior vice president for sales.

Brooks Bell

A.B., Psychology, 2001

Raleigh

Bell is both an entrepreneur — having launched her own integrated marketing firm in 2003 — and an advocate for the start-up community. She co-founded HQ Raleigh and ThinkHouse Raleigh, two incubators for high-impact startups. Bell also organizes the annual Click Summit, a conference that brings together professionals who work on testing and optimizing digital technology.

Carmichael Roberts

B.S., Chemistry, 1990; Ph.D., Chemistry, 1995

Brookline, Massachusetts

A scientist by training, Roberts began developing businesses as a way to apply innovations stemming from his research. He has co-founded several Boston-area biotech firms, including Arsenal Medical and the nonprofit Diagnostics for All. In 2007, he joined North Bridge Venture Partners, where he focuses on finding capital for promising scientific startups.

Juan Pablo Cappello

A.B., Economics, 1989

Miami

A venture-capital expert and co-founder of the Private Advising Group law firm in Miami, Cappello has been instrumental in launching several Latin American ventures, including Idea.me, the region’s first crowd-funding site, and the Chilean company Sauber Energy. He has been named one of the most influential Hispanics in science and technology by Poder magazine and among Business Leader magazine’s top 50 entrepreneurs.

Jed Carlson

M.B.A., 2005

Durham

Carlson got a firsthand look at how digital music was beginning to reshape the recording industry while consulting for a CD manufacturer in the early 2000s. At Fuqua, he mapped out a plan for a company that would help independent artists and labels share and market their music online. In 2006, he co-founded ReverbNation, which now promotes more than 3.5 million musicians and industry professionals.

Ge Wang

B.S., Computer Science, 2000

Palo Alto, California

Wang, a computer scientist at Stanford University, directs “orchestras” of mobile-phone and laptop users who tap into his apps to create and share original music. He’s also launched a startup company called Smule to share his music-making apps and develop social networks around mobile music-making.

Larry Mimms

Ph.D., Biochemistry, 1981

San Diego

In 1994, Mimms left research giant Abbott Laboratories to join a small biotech firm, Gen-Probe. There he developed a test that enabled HIV detection within a week of exposure, work that earned him the National Medal of Technology in 2004. He went on to launch another biotech startup, which was acquired in 2009 by Quidel Corp. Mimms now serves as Quidel’s vice president of research and development.

Dylan Lauren

A.B., Art and Art History, 1996

New York

In 2001, Lauren opened Dylan’s Candy Bar, a midtown Manhattan confectionery that claims to be the world’s largest candy store. With branches in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, along with a flourishing wholesale business, the chain’s stylish creations have earned Lauren, the daughter of fashion designer Ralph Lauren, a reputation as a modern-day Willy Wonka.

Mangesh Hattikudur

A.B., Cultural Anthropology, 2001

Will Pearson

A.B., History, 2001

New York

Hattikudur and Pearson were Duke students when they hatched the idea for mental floss, a magazine that blends trivia, useful information and wry humor. Their business has grown to encompass books, T-shirts, games and office toys, all offering an offbeat take on a world of illumination.

Kathryn Minshew

A.B., Political Science, 2008

New York

With $3,000 and a team of volunteer writers, Minshew launched The Muse, an online career-development tool for professional women, in 2011. Just a year later, Forbes called it one of the best sites for women and named Minshew on its “Top 30 Under 30” list of media innovators.

Sean Wilson

M.B.A., M.P.P, 2000

Durham

By opening Fullsteam Brewery in 2010, Wilson did more than add to downtown Durham’s growing list of attractions. He established himself as an evangelist for a new, authentic Southern beer culture. If the packed tables at Fullsteam on most weekend nights are any indication, he’s winning over plenty of converts.

Andrew Busey

A.B., Computer Science, 1993

Austin, Texas

Busey has pioneered some of the web’s most ubiquitous technologies, including work on the first Internet browser, Mosaic, and the first web-based instant messaging system, iChat. He’s now developing mobile apps and games as a partner at the Austin-based development company Chaotic Moon.

Danielle James

A.B., Psychology, 2006

New York

James, a former buyer for Macy’s and a model for clients such as Bloomingdales, Ashley Stewart and Essence, launched Model Citizen, a peer-to-peer platform that seeks to link fashion-minded people through shopping. The platform — which allows women to buy and rent clothes from other users’ closets — won the Duke Start-Up Challenge’s alumni division this year.

Harrison Dillon

J.D., 2003

San Francisco

Dillon, who also holds a Ph.D. in genetics, co-founded Solazyme in 2004 to explore emerging markets for bioenergy. The company, which uses algae to produce renewable energy sources, produces biodiesel fuel for cars and jets, as well as algae-derived oils that can be made into plastics and consumer products.

Rachael Chong

M.P.P., 2009

New York

A former investment banker, Chong is founder and CEO of Catchafire, an online platform that connects nonprofits with professionals willing to contribute pro bono work. The service, which Chong likens to “eHarmony for volunteers,” launched in 2009 and has earned the praise of Fast Company, which named Chong to its list of the most creative people in business.

Dylan Smith

B.S., Economics, 2008

San Francisco

In 2005, Smith designed a cloud-based file storage system in his dorm room and named it Box. Today Box has 25 million users around the world, making it one of the biggest players in the cloud-storage market. After leading the company’s growth from two employees to more than 800, Smith continues to serve as Box’s CFO.