Student Stories from the E&I Hub
Hear from the students who have been a part of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Hub and their journey. Undergraduate, graduate, and alumni have used the Hub to explore, test, and make their ideas come to life.
Christina Roby | Period Equity Program
Christina Roby, M.P.H student, used the E&I Hub to launch her Period Equity Program, providing menstrual health education to reduce stigma, empower menstruators and allies, and enhance overall well-being. "It seemed like the perfect way to showcase menstrual health advocacy, education, and service efforts to students, faculty, and staff at USF." Roby received $900 in microgrants to purchase sustainable period products, including period underwear and disposable pads, which are distributed to USF students for free during the workshops. She gained valuable feedback from Professor Cromwell on ways to strengthen the program's impact and move toward greater systemic change at both USF and within the broader San Francisco community. "It's still a work in progress!"
Roby's biggest obstacles were building a program from the ground up, amplifying students' voices, and advocating for increased access to menstrual products on campus. "I learned the importance of collaboration, persistence, and creating safe spaces for dialogue around stigmatized topics like menstruation. Seeing the impact firsthand has been incredibly rewarding. Students often share how supported and seen they feel when they receive menstrual products and are invited to open conversations about menstruation." Since launching the program in Fall 2024, she has hosted nine workshops and distributed hundreds of period products to students.
More Student Stories 
Roshan Paul used the E&I Hub to create Ausa Health, a platform that enables people to check their vital signs— blood pressure, blood glucose, heart rate, oxygen levels — from their homes and share the results with their doctors during or after teleconsultations.
This spring, USF hosted the Innovation Summit 2025. Six teams were chosen from over 50 initial submissions to pitch their project ideas to a live panel of judges made up of industry experts and USF community members. $25,000 in total funding was awarded to contestants
Founded Silvaye, a startup that uses NASA technology, satellite data, and ground-based sensors to assess wildfire risk. The project earned a $100,000 grant from a NASA challenge, and the two have been working since then to build Silvaye into a company.
Galina Lang found her entrepreneurial inspiration in a trash can. “During my years at USF, I was a boba barista at a shop in Glen Park,” she says. Each day she found plastic cups, straws, and lids overflowing the trash bins in the shop. Then she had an idea: a reusable boba bottle called BobaMate.
He brings solar power to homeless people. When Zac Clark ’23 launched his flagship product in 2022, he didn’t sell it. He gave it away, for free, to every person living on the street who wanted one. “It’s a backpack that includes a sleeping bag, a radio, a flashlight, and a built-in solar panel with a battery that can charge mobile devices,” he says.
Bashir launched Lylac Health in January to “empower women of all ages and all life stages to take charge of their well-being,” she says. Lylac Health’s first product is a digital meter that measures vaginal pH and transmits it to an online dashboard where a woman can track her health.
She Builds Bridges from Africa to America. Maureen Nyanudde MS ’25 runs Afri-Scholar Base, a one-on-one consulting service for African students seeking to study in the United States. “If you’re thinking about college or graduate school in America, talk to me,” Nyanudde says. “I’ll help you figure out where to apply, how to apply, how to secure financial aid, how to secure a visa, how to find mentors, how to get settled and find your way in a new place, everything you need to succeed overseas.”
Ian Duke MS ’24 wrangles data in pursuit of justice. Civil rights lawyers hire him to gather evidence in litigation claims. He uses machine learning to analyze police body-camera footage to identify and document racial profiling and uses large language models to connect and compile police reports from traffic stops. “At Equalysis, we bring them the tools and expertise to analyze in three days what might otherwise take three months.”
Contact E&I Hub Director
Johnathan Cromwell
Office
Malloy Hall 324
Hours:
9-5, M-F