We’re excited to announce the new cohort members of our seventh Immerse residency program — Immerse Impact — our fully funded pre-accelerator that gives historically underrepresented founders the tools they need to create fully-functioning MVPs on Bubble. This year’s members are all social-impact-focused and determined to use Bubble to change the world.
Why Impact?
Bubble was originally founded to make software development — and its power to create positive change — accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial resources or educational backgrounds. That’s where Immerse comes in.
In six cohorts since 2020, Immerse has supported dozens of underrepresented founders bringing their ideas to life on Bubble, from creating revolutionary reading apps for children to designing integrated health and wellness platforms for pets. Obianozo Chukwuma, a Demo Day finalist from Immerse’s fifth cohort, credits Immerse with her app’s success. Mmara, a personal hair concierge that simplifies textured hair care, is in beta on iOS and Google Play.
This year, we’re excited to specifically focus on nonprofits and social impact-minded startups. Here’s why: We wanted to help mission-driven founders, often stuck in the nonprofit starvation cycle, use Bubble to finally bring their ideas to life — without having to worry about expenses or tech expertise.
And our new cohort members intend to do just that.
The new members of Immerse Impact
Our most geographically diverse cohort to date — with participants from the UK and Ireland to US cities like New Orleans, Houston, and our hometown, NYC — Immerse Impact’s members are focused on solving a myriad of worldwide social issues, many of which have been outlined by the UN.
From helping to solve social and economic challenges to addressing poverty, education, and sustainability, we’re excited to watch these founders make an impact using the power of no-code.
Immerse Demo Day finalists
Immerse Demo Day is a chance for Immerse finalists to showcase their work. Out of this incredible group of eleven cohort members, Kai Alexander Patricio, Patrick Mulvihill, Renee Jackson, and Shawn Cohen will be presenting live at Demo Day on BubbleCon Day 2. They’ll be competing for Community Favorite and Best Pitch prizes.
Kai Alexander Patricio, Remend
Apparel and fashion
Operations: 1.5 years
New York City, NY
Kai Alexander Patricio is the co-founder of Remend, a service platform that connects community-based tailors with people with disabilities to make clothing functional, fashionable, and accessible for all. The author of “Design Led No Code,” Patricio's professional career spans from exhibitions to product development. Dedicated to building solutions with social impact, he has been mentored by accessibility experts, disability advocates, and community builders throughout his academic and professional journey. Remend hopes to create a more sustainable, accessible, and inclusive world, one tailored garment at a time.
Patrick Mulvihill, Spéire Nua
Recidivism
Operations: 4 years
Galway, Ireland
Patrick Mulvihill is the co-founder of Amicitia, a social enterprise dedicated to nurturing communities toward a just transition through innovative economic, social, and cultural strategies. Central to this work is support for new social innovations, including the Spéire Nua Companion App, an app that assists individuals with criminal convictions in transitioning away from a life of crime, resettling into society, and entering the labor market. He is passionate about social innovation and technologies that help elevate diverse voices and reduce inequalities in society.
Renee Jackson, Dyspute.ai
Legal services / Dispute resolution
Operations: 4 months
Dover, NH
Renee Jackson is the founder and CEO of Dyspute.ai, a groundbreaking platform that harnesses the power of AI to make dispute resolution more accessible and affordable for small businesses and individuals who don’t have the resources to hire a lawyer. In addition to her work at Dyspute.ai, Renee is the founder and CEO of Blue Oak Legal, an innovative law firm providing fractional general counsel and other legal services to startups across the United States. Renee was also a founding board member at Empower Work, a non-profit text hotline that matches users who are facing challenging situations at work with trained peer counselors who can help them navigate a path forward.
Shawn Cohen, LawLive
Legal services
Operations: 3 years
Houston, TX
Shawn is one of the founders of LawLive, a platform that aims to remove barriers to legal access by providing 24/7 real-time connections between the general public and skilled attorneys. Shawn, like his other two cofounders, is a first-generation attorney and intimately familiar with the harmful effects of not having access to legal advice. Over the past 12 years, his work has included litigating various civil rights matters in federal and state courts and investigating workplace discrimination and other concerns on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, and federal government agencies. Shawn, who also holds a computer science degree, is passionate about using technology to empower people. He currently resides in Houston, Texas.
Dana Le, Wander Health
Healthcare
Operations: 1.5 years
Los Angeles, CA
Dana Le is the founder and CEO of Wander Health, a medical concierge startup that connects people traveling abroad to a vetted global network of English-speaking doctors. A Forbes 30 Under 30 lister, TEDx speaker, and previous member of the Founding Team and Head of Operations at KidsX, Dana has built, designed, and managed accelerators for KidsX, AWS, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Press Ganey, Elevance Health, and more. Prior to this role, she was building payment models at ECG Management Consultants and co-founded a community ventures program at Dell Medical School.
Diana Davis, Brown Ribbon Exchange
IT services
Operations: 2 years
New Orleans, LA
Diana Davis, MBA, is a visionary entrepreneur and founder behind the innovative online marketplace Brown Ribbon Exchange, a platform that gives women a unique opportunity to trade and barter essential business services, helping sustain their ventures and overcome resources' affordability issues. Hailing from the bustling state of Louisiana, Diana continues to spearhead the advancement of women entrepreneurship and chart new paths of economic opportunity for a vibrant community of enterprising women.
Justin Ballou, Socrademy
Education
Operations: 4 years
Manchester, NH
Raised in New Hampshire, Justin Ballou has spent the greater part of his professional life at the intersection of innovation and education. Over a number of years, Justin — with the help of other crucial stakeholders — has designed, developed, and validated the 5 C’s competency-based assessment model, a more authentic way to validate students’ abilities through personalized learning experiences. With this data and mission in mind, Justin hopes to develop Socrademy, a platform designed to facilitate learning opportunities focused on students' personalized sense of autonomy, mastery, and purpose — with the intent of empowering students to become positive contributors to an ever-changing world.
Malvina De Salvo, Plateful
Child nutrition
Operations: 2 years
Deer Park, IL
A first-generation American, Malvina De Salvo has 15+ years of corporate healthcare experience and extensive experience in value-based care and working with patient populations. Malvina De Salvo is also the CEO and founder of Plateful, a platform that helps create good food and eating habits, reduce pickiness, and prevent lifestyle diseases by gamifying nutrition education. Leveraging AI and ML capabilities, Plateful includes an app, animated learning modules, and a SMART food plate to help both parents and children improve their food experiences. The startup has participated in several programs, including mHUB Chicago, Founders Boost, Polsky Chicago, and Matter.
Olena Voloshyna, EqualReach
Civic/social outreach
Operations
Birmingham, England
Olena Voloshyna is the product lead at EqualReach, a female-founded social enterprise dedicated to creating equitable opportunities for untapped tech talent from displaced communities. Born in Ukraine and now based in Birmingham, UK for the past two years, Olena brings a wealth of experience in branding, UX/UI design, and social impact initiatives to her role. Deeply rooted in her personal experience as a displaced individual, Olena is fueled by her empathetic approach and dedication to meaningful projects and her dedication to leveraging technology to foster empowerment and inclusion, advocating for diverse voices and perspectives in the tech industry.
Rashmi Varma, AlkeLink
Medical care
Operations: 1 year
Fremont, CA
Rashmi’s rich professional history includes roles as a clinician, researcher, project manager, and product strategy consultant. Rashmi's interest in entrepreneurship was sparked by her global health work, where she witnessed firsthand the stark disparities in healthcare access within underserved rural communities. Recognizing the potential of technology to create sustainable solutions, she began developing innovative projects to bridge these gaps, marking the start of her entrepreneurial journey. Rashmi is committed to leaving a legacy of creating changes that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
Raven Campbell, Ape Recycling
Environmental services / Waste management
Operations: 1 year
Atlanta, GA
With a solid foundation in IT, and current experience as a senior business systems analyst, Raven’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish Ape, an innovative waste management platform dedicated to reducing waste, offering sustainable materials for affordable housing, and boosting profit margins for construction companies through smart recycling practices. Fueled by a deep commitment to addressing climate change, Raven strives to mitigate its risks to societies and ecosystems both in Atlanta and worldwide. Her journey is a testament to the power of innovation, education, and global awareness in creating a sustainable future.
