What happens when students are given space to pursue their most ambitious ideas — and a community shows up to support them?
That question animated Demo Day 2025, hosted by Stanford Venture Studio and the Center for Social Innovation. Held at the Knight Management Center at Stanford Graduate School of Business, the annual event celebrated a diverse group of graduate students with entrepreneurial goals who are exploring how technology, design, and human insight can change the world.
Fourteen teams took the stage to share the challenges they’ve been investigating throughout the academic year. Each team brought a unique lens, united by a shared drive to build something meaningful — whether the goal was to reduce burnout in public schools, improve access to nutritious meals on construction sites, or reimagine how oral histories are preserved for future generations.
Saul Bromberger
AI with a Human Purpose
Artificial intelligence was a common theme for this cohort, applied as an impact-driven tool. “It was refreshing to see AI treated not as a buzzword, but as a means to solve real problems — from healthcare to housing. The thoughtfulness behind each venture stood out,” said Monisha Perkash, MBA ’03, a Stanford GSB lecturer and serial entrepreneur.
Several student-led ventures are using AI to enhance professional performance across industries. Munim Moiz, MBA ’25, along with co-founders Elizabeth Hong, BS ’27, and Eric Markarian, BS ’26, are building ClariChart, a clinical copilot that surfaces insights from fragmented health records. Alice Obas, MBA ’26, is developing Analease, which streamlines early-stage real estate workflows. Lauren Bilbo, MBA ’25, leads Logical Health, helping care teams navigate health insurance coverage with real-time, AI-powered insights. Mark Ma, MBA ’25, is behind Regelife, a regenerative medicine startup using machine learning and biomaterials to create next-gen cell therapies for ALS and other healthcare conditions.
Expanding access to care, creativity, and better decision-making were the focus areas for other students. Bruno Koba, MBA ’25, is building Gaus, a platform that empowers everyday investors with smarter tools. Andrew Carlins, MBA/MA ’26, created Songscription, which transcribes music instantly to support creative expression. Joel Johnson, MBA/MSCS ’25, is developing QUILLT, a storytelling platform that preserves underrepresented voices while training AI to reflect greater human diversity. Ayako Kawano, PhD ’26, is leading SoranoAI, a natural language-based weather platform that helps industries like energy and agriculture make smarter long-term decisions.
AI Behind the Scenes
Other ventures are using AI under the hood to improve essential services. Joshua Davis, MBA ’25, is building OnSite, which delivers healthy, affordable meals to blue-collar workers using an AI system that forecasts demand and reduces waste. Pablo Golac Gutierrez, MBA ’25, and Praneet Bhoj, MSCS ’25, co-founded Acrew, which connects aspiring homeowners with down payment assistance through an AI-enabled matching tool. Andrew Ansell, MBA ’25, and Mark Ansell, MBA ’25, are behind Sidekick Robotics, bringing intelligent automation to senior care, starting with autonomous laundry services.
Saul Bromberger
A Community of Support
The evening wasn’t a competition, but rather a way to connect student teams with alumni and others in the entrepreneurial ecosystem who could potentially help them progress. Each team shared a brief story of their journey — what inspired the idea, what they had learned, and where they hoped to go next. Some teams are preparing to work on their ideas full-time after graduation. Others will continue refining their approach as part of their academic experience. All were invited to articulate a concrete next step — be it mentorship, feedback, potential collaborators, or simply continued dialogue.
“Each student team had an ‘ask’ of those in the audience, allowing the attendees to help them with networking and making the connections they need to continue moving forward with their venture ideas. The Stanford entrepreneurial community — both alumni and others in the startup ecosystem — are generous in sharing insights and guidance with students evaluating new venture ideas,” said Deb Whitman, MBA ’86, director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, which manages the Stanford Venture Studio.
In the networking session that followed, advisors, alumni, faculty, and fellow students gathered around tables to ask questions, offer guidance, and share ideas. Lively conversations filled the room as presenters delved deeper into topics ranging from weather intelligence to regenerative medicine.
Exploration with Impact
The ideas on display spanned well beyond AI, reflecting a wide range of industries and impact areas. Andreas Fatschel, MBA ’25, is developing Blume, a line of toxin-free disinfecting wipes. Stanford graduate student Peter Mills, MA ’25, and GSB alumnus Zachary Levine, MBA/MA ’10, co-founded Recess Reset, which uses bite-sized animated lessons to integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into classroom routines, helping address student anxiety and teacher burnout with easy-to-implement tools. Erin Barrett, MBA ’25, is creating Goldilocks, a line of prebiotic cocktails designed to support gut health and reimagine the social beverage experience. While some ventures may evolve, pause, or pivot, Demo Day made clear that student entrepreneurship at Stanford is about learning.
“Stanford Venture Studio provides resources to support any graduate student at Stanford who is evaluating a new venture idea as part of their learning journey. Supporting students with co-working space, frameworks from entrepreneurial courses, access to mentors, and tools to develop and test product prototypes allows them to explore new startup ideas in a supportive community,” says Whitman.
To view the full list of presenting teams and learn more about the founders behind each idea, explore the 2025 Demo Day cohort.
Saul Bromberger
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