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Watson Institute Alumni

Watson alumni have been recognized at a global scale for their work and commitment to impact.

6,000+
Alumni
81
Countries
$190M
Funds Raised
2,300+
Jobs Created
11M+
People Impacted

A global and impactful community of alumni

Watson Institute alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship, and 9 have been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists. Alumni continue their education at Harvard University, Princeton University, and Oxford Saïd’s Business School.

90%

of alumni are continuing their venture, employed at leading Fortune 500 companies, or continuing their education.

99%

of alumni use a skill they learned while in a Watson Institute powered program up to ten years after graduation.

59%

of alumni remain in touch with their Mentor or an Impact Series Teacher up to ten years after graduation.

Venture Accelerator

78%

of alumni feel they are now living a life that maximizes their impact as a result of their Watson Institute experience.

Watson alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship, and Forbes’ 30 under 30 list.

Watson alumni have continued their education at Harvard University, New York University, Princeton University, among others.

Meet a few of our alumni

Tessa Zimmerman

Founder and Executive Director of Upstream Education. Upstream Education is a nonprofit organization that trains and equips educators in bite-sized tools to help students reduce their stress and anxiety. Since 2016, ASSET has grown to impact 40,000+ students weekly.

Ricardo Rocha

Founder & President of Bondadosa. Bondadosa delivers healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate groceries to primarily Hispanic families across Denver. Bondadosa has fulfilled over 180,000 orders in 2020 alone, created over 70 jobs, and raised over $720,000.

Aditya Dave

On a mission to empower 1 million street food vendors in India by enabling them with technology, better infrastructure, and working towards their financial inclusion in the formal economy. He wants to create a 360-degree support ecosystem for street food vendors in India.

Raghad Alafifi

On a mission to create innovative solutions for today’s most challenging problems through investment in human development. She is the founder of Fill the Gap, a program inspired by the high potential Palestinian students to aim high and achieve higher in the face of difficult living circumstances.

Claudine Migisha

Claudine is the Founder of Nguvu Ya Africa (Power of Africa) an organization committed to peace and sustainability by creatively breaking the cycle of trauma and economic crisis facing the marginalized girls and women living in Congo through arts and social enterprise.

Amani Simbayobewe

Formerly a street kid during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, Amani Founded  Rukundo Foundation, which launched in 2017. Rukundo Foundation provides education to street children in Rwanda. Today, the foundation has 8 team members and works with 22 children.

Meet The Fellows & Alumni

Our Alumni In the News

Alumni

Ford Philanthropy Mobility Fellow Jamie Thurston Wyngaard Appointed Invest Cape Town Ambassador

’24–’25 Ford Philanthropy Mobility Fellowship alum Jamie Thurston Wyngaard has been appointed as one of…
Alumni

Retail Readiness Training Progam Alum Launches Baltimore’s First Vertical Farm at Langston Hughes Community Business Center

A Watson Institute Retail Readiness Training Program alum is making headlines with the launch of…
Alumni

Wells Fargo Small Business Fellowship Featured on the Front Page of The Baltimore Times

Watson Institute’s Wells Fargo Small Business Fellowship is receiving major media attention, landing on the…

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