CCNY Student-Led Start-up Organovis Wins USD25,000 Top Prize at Standard Chartered 2023 Women in Tech Incubator Competition

Organovis hopes to transform drug testing by making it more precise, ethical, and affordable

New York, May 8, 2023 – The City College of New York (“CCNY”) student-led start-up, Organovis has won the 2023 Women in Tech (“WiT”) Incubator Competition. Sponsored by Standard Chartered Americas (“Bank”), the WiT competition is part of the Bank’s longstanding partnership with the Zahn Innovation Center (“Zahn Center”) at CCNY to promote greater gender diversity in the technology sector.

As winners of the competition, Organovis received the top prize of $25,000 to support the development of its business plans. The team’s innovative approach to drug testing aims to revolutionize the future of drug testing by making it more accurate, ethical, and affordable.

The judges also awarded the runner-up, SpotLight, $5,000 in funding to advance its proposal to deliver care management services to low-vision communities in New York City. 

“We are thrilled to be named the winner of this year’s Women in Tech Incubator competition. Special thanks go to the Zahn team and Standard Chartered mentors who have journeyed with us,” said Małgorzata Dwulat, CEO of Organovis. “We hope to continue developing and expanding our product with the funding and make a positive impact on people’s lives through accessible drug testing.”

“Congratulations to Organovis, SpotLight, and all the participants in this year’s program. Students today possess immense potential to create change in society, and this year’s cohort has impressed us with their innovative approach and passion for making a difference in our communities,” said Elaine Chin, Managing Director, Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered Americas. “Empowering underrepresented communities through education, employability, and entrepreneurship promotes greater economic inclusion. Over the past nine years, our partnership with the Zahn Center has supported over 2,000 students in today’s ever-changing economy through mentorship, and we look forward to engaging more for many years to come.”

“I am extremely proud at how the 2023 cohort of competitors made impressive strides and have brought their ideas one step closer to launch,” said Kesia Hudson, Managing Director of Zahn Innovation Center at The City College of New York. “We are excited to see how their business plans will evolve and are committed to continue expanding the reach of the Women in Tech program with Standard Chartered.”

The WiT Incubator program is one of many Standard Chartered Futuremakers programs in the Americas, all of which focus on empowering the next generation by promoting greater economic inclusion. These include partnerships with Upwardly Global, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America, Liverpool FC Foundation, and Enactus.

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About the City College of New York

Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. This year, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.

About the Women in Tech Incubator at the Zahn Innovation Center

Formed in October 2014, the Standard Chartered Women in Tech Incubator program is an initiative that aims to support greater diversity in gender representation within the technology sector. The incubator program is a partnership with the Zahn Innovation Center at the City College of New York that provides support, guidance, and resources that early-stage women-led startups need to grow into successful businesses. This partnership has various levels of engagement and supports entrepreneurship among women across campus through:

• A mentorship network, including both Bank employees and local leaders in tech and government
• A Women in Entrepreneurship themed speaker series
• A newly renovated space housing the ‘Standard Chartered Technology Incubator for Women Entrepreneurs’ Resource Center
• Entrepreneurship courses and material to address entrepreneurship challenges

About Standard Chartered

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 59 of the world’s most dynamic markets, and serving clients in a further 64. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.

Our history in the US dates back to 1902, and we are currently present in eight locations throughout the Americas. Our Americas franchise focuses on financial institutions and select corporations and plays a key role in facilitating trade and investment flows between the Americas and Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges

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