​Overview

​This isn't your typical demo day.

​Built by Wildcats is a thesis-driven showcase designed around a single belief: founder quality predicts outcomes. And Northwestern founders build differently — with intelligence, integrity, and intention.

​Unlike traditional demo days that rush through pitches, this event unfolds as a three-act experience that reveals the Founder Factor — how exceptional founders think (Mindset), execute (Motion), and scale to lasting impact (Momentum).

​For early-stage investors, this is an opportunity to meet founders who combine technical depth with market pragmatism — the kind you back early and stay with long after the term sheet. From AI infrastructure to healthcare automation, these founders are building companies rooted in trust, execution, and endurance.

​Built by Wildcats marks the culmination of IGNITE, Northwestern's flagship Bay Area accelerator for alumni founders scaling early-stage startups. Join us to see what happens when Midwest pragmatism meets Silicon Valley ambition.

​🎯 Who Should Attend

​This event is for early-stage investors and angels who believe that founder caliber predicts returns — and that integrity, execution, and long-term thinking separate lasting businesses from fleeting ones.

​If you invest in people before metrics, and trust before traction, this is your room.

​📅 Schedule

​[3:00 - 5:00 PM] Hear What Wildcats Built 👂🏻

​ACT 1: Mindset — The Founder Factor Panel 🚀

​Before you back a business, you have to back the person behind it.

​Join Mert Iseri (SwipeSense, 248.AI) and Buğra Güngdüz (HockeyStack) for a candid conversation on what separates fundable founders from the rest. They'll explore how conviction becomes momentum, how challenges become catalysts, and reveal the psychology behind founders who turn early bets into lasting returns.

​This session defines the Founder Factor — the mindset that makes Northwestern founders investable.

​ACT 2: Motion — IGNITE Founder Pitches 🎤

​See the Founder Factor in action. Meet seven founders building across AI, healthcare, and consumer innovation — proof that intelligence and intention scale into meaningful execution.

• ​Campground – Data infrastructure helping programs measure and scale real-world impact

• ​Song Lab – Ultra-hypoallergenic skincare for sensitive pediatric skin, rooted in Korean science

• ​Empwr.ai – AI integration layer transforming how organizations collaborate and align

• ​WingRep – Real-time AI coaching helping sales reps close deals faster

• ​Narrable – AI-native home health platform saving providers 60% in annual inefficiencies

• ​Latitude Health – AI-powered automation for healthcare utilization management

• ​Crreo – AI-powered platform turning ideas into professional videos in minutes

​Each founder brings technical depth, market clarity, and a clear path to product-market fit.

​ACT 3: Momentum — Building What Lasts Keynote 🌐

​Avery Ching (Aptos Labs) closes the showcase by illustrating how the Founder Factor scales from startup conviction to building global infrastructure.

​From leading engineering at Meta to creating blockchain systems that expand trust and access at scale, Avery embodies what happens when Northwestern's ethos evolves into industry-shaping impact.

​[5:00 - 6:00 PM] Taste What Wildcats Built 🍷

​Connect directly with founders over drinks, wine, and bites from Wildwonder, Oak Glen Winery, and Heartwood Restaurant — all Bay Area alumni-founded brands that embody the same creativity, care, and purpose you've just witnessed on stage.

​This is your time for deeper conversations, strategic intros, and discovering your next investment.

​Why Built by Wildcats?

​Because the best returns come from backing founders who build with integrity, execute with intention, and lead with intelligence. Northwestern founders don't just move fast and break things — they move forward and build what endures.

​RSVP to secure your spot and join Northwestern University San Francisco in experiencing what it means to invest #TheNorthwesternWay.