Levy Inspiration Grant Program Entrepreneurship at Kellogg

When Australia revised its drug classifications in 2023 to make psychedelic substances like MDMA and psilocybin legal for treatment of some medical conditions, a new industry was born. Now moving out of clinical trials and studies phase, psychedelic-assisted therapies have shown to be efficacious for patients who were previously struggling with other less-effective mental health treatments.
When Christina Kappil and Jim Brazeal learned of this news from Australia, they didn't hesitate to jump in and put together an Inspiration Grant itinerary to get on the ground and learn how this industry was building itself in real-time. Along the way, they met with clinicians, researchers, investors, and other experts to see what they were learning as they went, with hopes that this live-saving treatment could soon make its way to places like the U.S. and expand to help as many people as possible.
This is their Inspiration Grant story.
To register for this year's Business of Psychedelic Therapies Conference on Saturday, May 18, 2024 in downtown Chicago, visit our event registration page here. 
 
Learn more about the Levy Inspiration Grant Program on the program's webpage here: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/entrepreneurship/levy-inspiration-grants Learn more about the Entrepreneurship at Kellogg program at kell.gg/entrepreneurship.
Produced, written and edited by Tyler Seybold
Hosted by Tyler Seybold
Special thanks to our featured students, Christina Kappil and Jim Brazeal
Background music by Blue Dot Sessions

Ever since his experience in fintech at one of Africa's largest telecom companies, Yanju Folarin has been on a mission to increase financial inclusion in West Africa. To further investigate mobile money as a tool for increasing financial access, Yanju traveled to Nigeria, Ghana, and Benin to visit the hubs of financial activity in each location: the marketplaces. While there, he spoke with mobile money agents and the people that use their servcies in an attempt uncover any opportunities that could help unbanked people access financial tools that can help better their lives.
This is his Inspiration Grant story.
 
Learn more about the Levy Inspiration Grant Program on the program's webpage here: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/entrepreneurship/levy-inspiration-grants Learn more about the Entrepreneurship at Kellogg program at kell.gg/entrepreneurship.
Produced, written and edited by Tyler Seybold.Hosted by Tyler SeyboldSpecial thanks to our featured student, Yanju FolarinBackground music by Blue Dot Sessions
 

Luna Yamashita and Aman Vijay began their friendship journey as neighbors. Little did they know that some time later, they’d be halfway across the world doing hands-on research together. Both share a deep passion for mental health and wellbeing, but when they also connected over their desire to support underserved populations in developing countries, their entrepreneurship journey began its course. This collective passion led them to travel to Kenya to investigate the country’s mental health needs, centered around an employee wellbeing app idea that they had been dreaming up. Along the way, their initial assumptions were tested and challenged, leading to unexpected learnings on their journey.
This is their Inspiration Grant story.
 
Learn more about the Levy Inspiration Grant Program on the program's webpage here: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/entrepreneurship/levy-inspiration-grants Learn more about the Entrepreneurship at Kellogg program at kell.gg/entrepreneurship Produced, written and edited by Tyler SeyboldHosted by Tyler SeyboldSpecial thanks to our featured students Luna Yamashita and Aman VijayBackground music by Blue Dot Sessions

Entrepreneurship is built into Lucy Grierson's heritage, so when she came to Kellogg, she wanted to use her time away from full-time work to dive into her creative side and further explore her entrepreneurial potential. After some soul-searching on the type of company she saw herself building, the idea to create a denim brand based on the values of the American West came to her, combining her experience with embroidery and her love of U.S. Western ideals and culture. For her Inspiration Grant, she set out on a mission to Colorado and Wyoming to answer the question: what values does the American West stand for, and how might you represent that in an apparel brand?Learn more about the Levy Inspiration Grant Program on the program's webpage here: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/entrepreneurship/levy-inspiration-grants Learn more about the Entrepreneurship at Kellogg program at kell.gg/entrepreneurship Produced, written and edited by Tyler SeyboldHosted by Tyler SeyboldSpecial thanks to our featured student, Lucy GriersonBackground music by Blue Dot Sessions

Scuba diving has been a core part of Walker's life since he was a teenager. Post-high school, he spent some time working in government policy and marine protected areas, and his passion continued as he began his degree at Kellogg. For his Inspiration Grant, he wanted to travel to a developing diving hub, in this case, the Philippines, to see how they're working through the growing pains of managing their marine resources: tapping into the economic benefits of the scuba diving industry, while also trying to mitigate the downsides and support sustainability efforts. While on the ground, he got to witness some of nuances and complications that he never would have known while researching from afar. Show Notes: Philippines Tourism report: https://beta.tourism.gov.ph/news_and_updates/1st-philippine-tourism-dive-dialogue-unites-dive-industry-37b-raked-in-2022 Learn more about the Levy Inspiration Grant Program on the program's webpage here: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/entrepreneurship/levy-inspiration-grants
 
Learn more about the Entrepreneurship at Kellogg program at kell.gg/entrepreneurship
 
 
Produced, written and edited by Tyler Seybold
 
Hosted by Tyler Seybold
 
Special thanks to our featured student, Walker Wiese
 
Background music by Blue Dot Sessions

When Julia Ha and Mohit Patel were introduced to the concept of microgrids in developing countries as a way to address electricity access, they were intrigued to learn more about a market opportunity that also positively impacted a huge, unaddressed population. Later, as they began to explore the topic more deeply, they eventually decided that the best way to go deeper was to speak directly to their potential consumers and current companies trying to address this issue. For their Inspiration Grant, they traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia, and along the way, they learned that things were more complicated than they anticipated and a one-size-fits-all approach was not the way to go.Show Notes: - Productive Use of Electricity: https://energypedia.info/wiki/Productive_Use_of_Electricity- What is a microgrid?: https://www.microgridknowledge.com/about-microgrids/article/11429017/what-is-a-microgrid Learn more about the Levy Inspiration Grant Program on the program's webpage here: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/entrepreneurship/levy-inspiration-grants Learn more about the Entrepreneurship at Kellogg program at kell.gg/entrepreneurship Produced, written and edited by Tyler SeyboldHosted by Tyler SeyboldSpecial thanks to our featured students, Julia Ha and Mohit PatelBackground music by Blue Dot Sessions