Made By Jackets
By: Jennifer Herseim, Photography: Kaylinn Gilstrap | Categories: Featured Stories
Every year, companies can’t wait to scoop up talented Georgia Tech graduates. For many Yellow Jackets, entrepreneurship is the real calling. They see a problem and jump to solve it, launching a business along the way. That’s how Brandi Brown, Bio 13, a military veteran, bioengineer, and mother, ended up founding a wellness company. She’d heard of the benefits of mushrooms, but couldn’t find a brand she trusted, so created her own. “Our goal is to elevate people’s lives with the natural power of mushrooms,” she says. For others, Tech provided a community of like-minded cofounders. North Avenue Cellars, for instance, was founded by four alumni united by a passion for both wine and Georgia Tech. Even more entrepreneurs have grown out of the Institute’s thriving startup ecosystem.
On the next few pages, discover products proudly crafted by Yellow Jackets that you can gift or enjoy yourself.
Launched on the fashion scene in 2012 by Archel Bernard, STC 11, Bombchel is an ethical African fashion brand featuring bold designs celebrating African style and culture. “I started my business to support African women and show the world that everyone deserves something beautiful—something ethically made that directly supports the incredible makers across Africa,” Bernard says. Designs are produced in Liberia by The Bombchel Factory’s all-women staff. Take these African folding fans in Tech colors to game days on The Flats to stay cool and cheer on the Yellow Jackets in style.
The custom macarons and royal icing sugar cookies from Southern Peach Pastries blend European chic with Southern charm. Beth Meyer Gaines, Mgt 04, left a career in event production in L.A. to travel the world, which led her to train in London to become a pastry chef. She later worked under a James Beard Award–winning pastry chef before moving back to Atlanta to start her own business. Her creative desserts include custom GT-themed cookies, macarons, mini tarts, dessert shooters, pavlovas, and drop cookies.
Not everyone is a car person. Thankfully, John Gattuso, ME 15, teamed up with Julian Knight, EE 15, and Frederick Grimm, IE 14, to build a car sensor paired with a smartphone app that gives drivers easy-to-digest information and provides cost estimates for repairs. Launched in 2014 as part of the first batch of Tech’s CREATE-X, FIXD has sold over 3 million sensors.
If chickens are on your holiday recipient list, these nutritious snacks are an irresistible treat packed with supplements and nutrients that will keep your flock happy. Cofounded by Sean Warner, BC 15, and Patrick Pittaluga, BA 14, Grubbly Farms—a CREATE-X startup—uses sustainable insect-based animal feed, rich in protein.
Sana (Rizvi) Clegg, Mgt 03, and cofounder Fiona Simmonds are two moms who teamed up to create these small-sized organic period pads designed for tweens and teens. The non-toxic, disposable pads come in soft, striped drawstring baggies that make them cute enough to pass to a friend without any stigma.
Revelry Games, unlike most party games, isn’t centered around drinking. These games, designed for both drinkers and non-drinkers, are “gameplay first, sipping second,” says founder Danza Huey, MBA 15. Huey created the games during the pandemic and kick-started his journey in entrepreneurship by joining the second cohort of Target Accelerators’ Forward Founders. Revelry Games takes a twist on nostalgic classics like Old Maid and Slapjack.
Mat Quon, BME 19, MBA 24, and Michael Pullen, BME 21, created the LZRD Grip Arm Sleeve, a patented grip-enhancing compression football arm sleeve to provide players with protection from the ground without compromising their grip on a football. The idea originated from a senior design class project, grew through CREATE-X, and now they have an office in Tech Square. They’ve partnered with over 60 universities and high schools as well as angel investors, including Georgia Tech Athletics. As of November, the company, previously named LZRD Tech, has rebranded to Vettex Sports to expand to sports beyond football.
Author of The Black Hair Care Revolution, Yetunde Jude, Text 97, launched Yelani to provide plant-based hair care and eco-friendly accessories to uplift Black women by making it easier to embrace their natural textures. She quit using chemical hair relaxers in college and was frustrated when she couldn’t find products that supported her curls without harming her body. The oil elixir nourishes your scalp and promotes hair growth, while the conditioning shampoo provides a 2-in-1 formula for intense moisture and hydration.
Roxanne Kaiser, BA 15, built Proxy out of her own search for natural, non-CBD, non-THC options while living with panic disorder since 2017. Proxy’s plant-based wellness gummies are designed to support mental health without the drowsiness, side effects, or next-day slump from other products. Four premium supplements address a core need. Take Panic Mode—or Panic Sour, if you prefer a tangy gummy—for anxious moments, Just Chill for daily stress and sleep support, and Grow Lush for hair, skin, and nails.
“The smile of wonderment” is how cofounder and Tech student Stephen Fazio describes the extreme joy that ZipString brings. The handheld toy suspends a string in the air for tricks that seem to defy physics. The idea for ZipString began at Georgia Tech during a RoboJackets winter design hackathon. “We were tasked to design a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) smaller than a credit card that could do anything, and the coolest project would win,” says Fazio, who cofounded ZipString with Austin Hillam. Fazio won the hackathon, and a video of the toy in action went viral on TikTok in 2021. They have since appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, and the toy has sold over 1 million units.
Inspired by a shared passion for wine and Georgia Tech, four alumni came together to launch North Avenue Cellars in 2023, offering the best of California’s wine country with the spirit of Georgia Tech. Winemaker and founder Charlie Fauroat, Cls 08, has spent 15 years producing premier wine across the globe. He and Niraj Shetty, ChE 02, Mgt 05, Charlie Cichetti, Mgt 04, and Mike Ramsey, Mgt 05, created North Avenue Cellars as a celebration of the innovation, integrity, and craftsmanship that they learned at Tech. Every bottle is “a reminder that great things can grow from the connections that stand the test of time,” Fauroat says.
Steven Little, Mgt 06, loves being at the intersection of sports and design. As a Georgia Tech alum and a passionate Yellow Jacket fan, his Section 103 is a combination of creative design and entrepreneurial spirit. Launched in May 2021, the apparel company is an official licensee of Georgia Tech. The exclusive designs are voted on by fans and feature high-quality screen printing.
Brandi Brown, Bio 13, founded Gulf Spore, which offers mushroom supplements made from whole mushrooms, not powders or fillers. Every bottle comes with a publicly available third-party lab report, showing how much of each compound it contains. Four liquid extracts are available: Reishi eases stress, Lion’s Mane sharpens focus, Cordyceps boosts stamina, and Turkey Tail supports immune balance.
When 7-year-old Ethan Sanborn broke his leg twice just over a year apart, his parents, David, TFE 08, and Lauren Sanborn, Mgt 07, started researching tasty beverages to boost his nutritional intake. David brewed up a coffee-like drink for Ethan and his brother that was packed with calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D. The kids loved the taste, and Ethan asked if he could start selling the drink, and Kiid Coffee was born. This nutritional, milk-based “coffee” drink has less caffeine and sugar than most chocolate milk or chocolate protein shakes available.
