We are back with another StartX Founder Feature and we are ecstatic to introduce Rachael Wallach, the founder and CEO of Limber Mobility. 💫 Rachael’s story begins when an unexpected fall resulted in a spinal cord injury at just 18 years old. This life-changing event shaped her future, inspiring her to spend a decade working with the UK’s National Health Service and serving on the board of advisors. Her work eventually led her to become Vice Chair of the UK’s largest disability charity, where she advised on policy and government initiatives. Witnessing the rapid evolution of technology, Wallach became aware of how people with disabilities were being left behind. Determined to drive innovation, she applied to Stanford GSB with a mission to create impactful change. 🌎 Upon entering Stanford’s StartX incubator, Rachael founded Limber Technologies, a company initially focused on creating customized wheelchairs. “With six months of free office space, I was able to officially register my company and begin building a strong network of fellow entrepreneurs”, Wallach said. During her time at StartX, her company pivoted to developing sensors designed to detect when someone is at risk of falling—a crucial innovation given that 1 in 4 older adults experience difficulty walking, leading to 36 million falls annually and $50 billion in healthcare costs. Wallach mentioned that StartX played a critical role in this transition, providing guidance on registering her company, managing her student visa, and connecting with lawyers. Rachael’s advice to others in the StartX program is simple yet powerful: “ It's all about the community. Ask for help, be curious, and lean on the network of founders who are eager to support you." Rachael Wallach, we are so thankful to have you in our community. 💚 🖤
StartX
Non-profit Organizations
Palo Alto, California 12,769 followers
StartX is the community for founders who don't need to give up equity!
About us
StartX is the startup accelerator, fellowship, and community for Stanford students, professors, and alumni. We aim to help Stanford’s highest-potential early-stage founders build a better future. StartX is a community-run nonprofit organization, and we take 0% equity from our startups.This allows us to attract the best entrepreneurs and collaborate with others in the StartX ecosystem. We are supported through grants, donations, and corporate sponsorships, including $8M in grant funding from Stanford University, Stanford Health Care, and Kauffman Foundation. We are Industry and Stage Agnostic StartX founders tackle big problems in every industry, from biotech, medical device, hardware, cleantech, and non-profit to consumer and enterprise IT. The strength of our community speaks for itself: 2× higher chance of reaching $100M+ valuation than the best accelerators 1.7× higher seed valuation than the average Stanford startup +50% more successful at reaching Series A than industry average $8.4M average venture funding raised by StartX companies 85% StartX companies still growing + acquired over 8 years 5× proportion of venture funding raised by female-led StartX companies compared to industry average
- Website
-
http://startx.com
External link for StartX
- Industry
- Non-profit Organizations
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Palo Alto, California
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2009
- Specialties
- Education, Resources, Mentorship, and Incubator
Locations
-
Primary
2627 Hanover St
Palo Alto, California, US
Employees at StartX
-
Jason Devitt
CEO and cofounder of Compound Eye
-
Jim Benton
Fmr CEO of Chorus.ai (acquired by ZoomInfo: ZI)
-
Teddy Zmrhal
Global Design Leader, Serial Entrepreneur/Intrapreneur
-
Abhijit Kakhandiki
Senior Executive Leader | Creative Technologist | Cloud, AI, RPA, Digital Transformation, AdTech, MarTech
Updates
-
Continuing our StartX Founder Series, we’re excited to introduce Senan Khawaja, the Co-Founder & CEO of Kollegio, who is revolutionizing higher education with cutting-edge AI. 💫 A Stanford graduate with a degree in econometrics and international development, Senan’s journey reflects his passion for creating equitable educational opportunities. He is driven by his mission to leverage the power of technology and education to create positive and lasting impact in the world. Recognizing the lack of accessible college counseling, Senan founded Kollegio AI to aid the admissions process. The platform, which has attracted nearly 10,000 users globally, assists students in navigating everything from school selection to admissions essay writing, all while upholding ethical standards—no auto-generated essays. Senan Khawaja isn’t just building a company; he’s leveling the playing field in education, ensuring every student has a fair shot at success. We are so grateful to have Senan in our StartX Community! 💚 To Learn more ➡ : https://www.kollegio.ai/
-
-
StartX Summer 2024 VIP Night! 🎉 Last Thursday, we hosted our Summer 2024 VIP night that featured the incredible innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that thrives here within the StartX community. Our Summer 2024 founders showcased projects that unveiled the future of innovation. From pioneering deeptech solutions to next-generation AI applications, our founders are not just innovating—they're setting new standards across industries. The energy was electric, the ideas were transformative, and the potential was limitless with over 200+ attendees. This event was more than just a showcase—it was a celebration of the relentless drive and creativity that fuels startups at StartX. We're immensely proud of what our founders are building and can’t wait to see how they’ll impact the world. Thank you to everyone who made the night unforgettable, and a special shoutout to the entire StartX team and community of alumni, mentors, and partners for making this event possible!#StartX #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Startups
-
-
Introducing the Founder Spotlight Series to highlight our community! Starting with Kathryn Zealand | SKIP | StartX P24 Kathryn's entrepreneurial journey began in an unexpected place: a pet fish business she started at age 12. Balancing early business endeavors with prepping for her Science Olympiads, Kathryn’s passion for tackling challenges was clear and has continued throughout her entire career. This early experience set the stage for a career characterized by innovative problem-solving and drive to make a difference at large scale. Kathryn’s career journey may look scattered, but it’s tied together by a drive to leverage her practical skills and quantitative background to address the world’s most pressing challenges. She produced policy documents and organized conferences for the International Criminal Court and human rights NGOs in Egypt, Senegal, & Uganda. She modeled climate change with quantum mechanics. She set up the Diabetes Care Project, the largest randomized controlled trial for diabetes care worldwide. She developed an economic development strategy for Nigeria while at the McKinsey Global Institute. Kathryn didn’t just want to work on a good cause but was thoughtful maximizing impact. She then went to Google X, Alphabet’s “moonshot factory,” where she eventually became GM for several high-tech robotics projects. In 2019, Kathryn saw her grandmother’s mobility decline and was disappointed by the lack of solutions for 1-in-5 adults who struggle with movement. After years of prototyping and refinement of wearable robotics solutions, Kathryn spun the project out into Skip, co-founded with Anna Roumiantseva. Much like e-bikes sit between pedal bikes and motorbikes, movewear sits between clothing and exoskeletons to provide support. Skip recently unveiled their first product called MO/GO, an "e-bike for walking," developed in partnership with Arc’teryx. MO/GO’s potential to revolutionize mobility has received significant attention: According to a Fast Company article, the exoskeleton is intuitive, beautifully designed, and transformative, showcasing Skip's vision of blending advanced technology with practical, life-enhancing products. Kathryn credits her global upbringing and experiences to her ability to fearlessly challenge the status-quo: “If you see something like healthcare done in several different ways in different places, it becomes easier to imagine alternative futures, and then work to make it a reality.” Kathryn Zealand’s journey is one of relentless pursuit of innovation and impact. From selling pet fish to launching moonshot technologies, her journey has been a testament to curiosity's power and desire to make the world a better place. Her work continues to inspire and push forward the boundaries of what’s possible. She has proven again and again that even the most ambitious goals can be achieved with passion and determination. We are so grateful that Kathryn in our StartX community! https://lnkd.in/gQbz-mT4
-
-
Thank you to Ashraf Hebela, CFA for an insightful and candid discussion on the investing landscape. And Erin Lashbrook for bringing together such an amazing set of people in the JP Morgan world across biotech, sustainability and AI to StartX. The StartX program gets even better with this network and resources. We look forward to this partnership to support the best of Stanford founders and build a better future. Last week, we had the privilege of hosting a JPM-sponsored fireside chat with two incredible leaders in the innovation and startup space: Ashraf Hebela, Co-Head of Technology Banking & Head of Startup Banking at J.P. Morgan, shared his vast experience serving startups across Technology, Disruptive Commerce, Life Sciences, Climate Technology, and Healthcare IT. With a deep understanding of the Innovation Economy and a national team dedicated to helping founders succeed, Ashraf's insights were invaluable. Kyle Wong, CEO of StartX, brought his unique perspective on driving growth and innovation within the startup ecosystem, making the conversation even more enriching. It was a fantastic afternoon of learning, networking, and engaging discussions, followed by a delicious lunch! Thank you to Erin and everyone on the JP Morgan team who joined us, and thanks to Ashraf and Kyle for their time and insights. Let’s continue to drive innovation and support the next generation of startup founders! hashtag #StartX #Startups #Innovation #TechBanking #Entrepreneurship #Networking #SiliconValley
-
-
Last Thursday, we hosted an incredible panel featuring some of Silicon Valley's most influential venture capitalists! We were honored to have: Sarah Smith, Founder of Sarah Smith Fund and Stanford professor, who shared her invaluable insights from her journey at Meta/Facebook, Quora, and Bain Capital Ventures. With $50M invested in 70+ companies, Sarah provided deep wisdom on building company culture and supporting founder CEOs. Bilal Zuberi, Partner at Lux Capital, who captivated the audience with his wits and nearly two decades of experience in deeptech and healthcare investments. He has led investments in companies like Applied Intuition and Aurora Solar, and holds a PhD from MIT. Richard Boyle, General Partner at Canaan, offered a masterclass on real estate tech, AI, robotics, and marketplaces. As the former CEO of LoopNet, he led the company through a successful IPO and a $900 million sale to CoStar Group. His investments include Apartment List and Diligent Robotics. The event was a fantastic opportunity to gain insights from top investors and connect with industry leaders. Also a huge thank you to our moderator, StartX CEO Kyle Wong, for guiding an insightful and inspiring discussion. Thank you, everyone who attended and made it a memorable evening! #StartX #VentureCapital #Networking #SiliconValley #Entrepreneurship #Startups
-
-
One of our favorite events of the summer session thus far 😎, the Unicorn Panel @ StartX! We had the privilege of hosting the StartX Unicorn Founders Panel, featuring two visionary entrepreneurs: Charlie Gao, founder of Lime and Crafting, and Jonathan Siddharth, founder of Turing. A huge thank you to our moderator, StartX CEO Kyle Wong, for guiding an insightful and inspiring discussion. The quality of insights from these industry leaders and experts was truly transformative, leaving us all motivated and ready to take on new challenges! Afterwards, we hosted a community dinner, where the conversations and connections continued. It was a fantastic evening of collaborating and building relationships! #StartX #UnicornFounders #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Inspiration #Community
-
-
🌟 Another amazing week at StartX and a highlight of the Summer ‘24 session 🚀 Midway Expo: It was wonderful to see everyone in person and on Zoom. Founders pitched their companies to fellow StartX Founders and received valuable feedback, ideas, and direct advice. A fantastic opportunity to connect, support each other, and improve pitches! 💡 Financial Discussion with Fenwick & West: A big thank you to Fenwick partners Mark Leahy and Sam Angus for informing our community about financing structures and market trends. Our founders gained crucial insights in this open discussion format! This week wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing community and partners. Here's to more learning and growing together! #StartX #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Community #PitchPerfect
-
-
Lovely summer day at The Hub! Thanks to Stanford Research Park for hosting the "Emerging Technologies" panel for the Stanford Summer Session students! It was a really engaging panel and we were thrilled to be able to participate. (Great dinner as well 😎 ) Thank you Jamie Jarvis, Mo Fong, Krithika Kumar, and Julie Bert!
-
-
Recapping an an incredible event last week at StartX! We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Ilya Strebulaev, The David S. Lobel Professor of Private Equity and Professor of Finance at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Alex Dang, senior technology executive, for taking the time to present their new book, "The Venture Mindset: How to Make Smarter Bets and Achieve Extraordinary Growth". Your insights and expertise were truly inspiring, and we are grateful for the knowledge you shared with us. It's events like these that fuel our entrepreneurial spirit and guide us towards achieving extraordinary growth. A huge thank you to JP Morgan for sponsoring this event and making it possible. Your support for the startup community is invaluable. #StartX #Entrepreneurship #TheVentureMindset #StanfordGSB #JPMorgan #Innovation #GrowthMindset
-