The High Risers: WashU women at the top of their field
These WashU alumnae innovators and entrepreneurs have reached dizzying heights of success in the fields of fashion, tech, media and design. With high-profile clients, an unending stream of accolades and jawdropping funding rounds, they’ve risen fast and far — most before the age of thirty.
Meet the High Risers:
Morgan DeBaun
Co-Founder and CEO, Blavity
Blavity is a tech company for Black millennials pushing the boundaries of culture and the status quo.
Hometown: St. Louis
Blavity sprang from: her experiences as a student at WashU
Unique visitors to Blavity per month: 1.8M
Amount raised in Series A funding round: $6.5M
Makes her home in: Los Angeles
Side hustle: M.Roze Essentials, a skincare and lifestyle brand for the modern Black woman
Jordana Warmflash
Founder, Novis
Novis is a women’s ready-to-wear fashion collection that is cultured, artful and optimistic.
Named: one of the Top 15 Labels to Watch at New York Fashion Week
At WashU she: honed her passion for the design and architecture of clothing
Has been featured in: Vogue, Elle, WWD
Worn by: Meghan Markle, Taylor Swift, Emily Mortimer, Camilla Belle
Cut her teeth at: Zac Posen, Peter Som, Alice + Olivia
Megan Berry
Founder, by REVEAL
by REVEAL is a mobile retail discovery experience that connects brands and products with consumers.
Berry was named: Fashion Group International’s 2018 Rising Star
At WashU she: earned master’s degrees in architecture and business
by REVEAL is headquartered: in Brooklyn
Clients include: Accenture, New York Fashion Week, Rachel Zoe, Jones New York
Most people don’t know she: was a Division I athlete as an undergrad
Alessandra Perez-Rubio & Louisa Rechter
Founders, Mestiza New York
Mestiza-New York is a women’s ready-to-wear line offering stylish opulence at a non-opulent price point
Mestiza means: a woman of mixed ancestry
Based in: NYC
Inspired by: vintage photographs of their mothers and grandmothers in the Philippines in the 1960s
Worn by: Chrissy Teigen, Ashley Graham, America Ferrera, Maria Menounos, Lilly Reinhart, Molly Sims
Style and substance: Partner with the Habi Philippine Textile Council to support female weavers in the Philippines
Cheree Berry
Founder and Owner, Cheree Berry Paper
Cheree Berry Paper is a renowned graphic design and social stationery company with clients nationwide
Years in business: 11
Previous gig: art director at Kate Spade
Number of employees: 22
Annual revenue: $3M
Clients include: Tina Fey, Ellie Kemper, Chelsea Clinton
Fun fact: Got married on WashU’s campus
Stephanie Beamer, Crystal Ellis, & Hillary Petrie
Founders, Egg Collective
Egg Collective is an acclaimed furniture studio based in New York City.
How they met: as architecture students at WashU
Headquartered in: New York City
Featured in: Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Wallpaper, Metropolis, Vogue Living, Martha Stewart Living, Luxe, House Beautiful … and on and on
Relationship status: Designs have been picked up by Design Within Reach
Atima Lui
Founder, Nudest
Nudest is a machine-learning skin-tone matching software for beauty and fashion brands.
Grew up in: Topeka, Kansas
Proud of: her South Sudanese heritage
At WashU she: started a full-service salon targeted at multicultural customers
Named: one of CIO.com’s Top 20 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch
Lofty goal: Redefine beauty standards for all skin tones
Amanda Signorelli
CEO, Techweek
Techweek is an international tech festival and media platform.
2013: graduated from WashU’s Olin Business School
2014: worked at McKinsey & Company
2015: joined Techweek
2016: became CEO of Techweek
2017: named to Top 20 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch by Paste and CIO
Her passion is: bringing more women into tech
