Izabella Pivo: Sparking Change at IDEA
The Inter-Disciplinary Entrepreneurship Accelerator (IDEA) is Northeastern’s Official Venture Accelerator. We are thrilled to have a new management team and introduce the 14th Altschuler-Meyer CEO! Continue reading about her journey and mission for the upcoming year below:
Izabella (Bella) Pivo is a 3rd-year Business Administration and Communications major concentrating in Entrepreneurial Startups and a minor in Mindfulness Studies. Her goal for IDEA this year is to provide transparency of resources, support incoming and current ventures in different stages, and reengage the community of Northeastern entrepreneurs worldwide.
Bella’s Journey to CEO:
Entrepreneurship runs as far back as middle school for Bella. Although at the time she didn’t coin herself a founder, she started the American Sign Language Club and was president from seventh to twelfth grade.
“I didn’t think of myself as a founder because my club wasn’t a business, I just wanted to help people learn something they weren’t exposed to. I taught myself ASL because my sister is Hard of Hearing, and I wanted to make it accessible for everyone.”
She entered the Explore Program (Undecided Majors), leaning towards ASL and Psychology, but became involved with the Entrepreneurs Club when they hosted a collaboration with Dunkin’ called Pitch A Drink. Her ‘Dusty Rose Chai’ and ‘Stop and Sip the Roses’ campaign made her a finalist and got encouragement to join the E-Board on the Marketing Team. As Content Coordinator, she had no previous interest or knowledge about the startup world but contributed projects to recognize student founders. Still, she liked helping people feel more confident in their skill sets and attended The Husky Startup Challenge (an 8-week boot camp accelerator series in E-Club), where she went to support her friends directing the program.
“I remember our All-Hands meeting and being told we should go to the first boot camp as board members, so I woke up on a Saturday, and my first startup, Piece of Mind, came to me. A task and time management software that helps students adjust to life transitions to make time for self-care. Everything changed from that point on.”
This “shower thought” led Bella to become one of twelve finalists in the culminating event, Demo Day, and pitch to a panel of judges for over $6,000 in non-equity funding. Throughout this process, she learned all about the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Northeastern called Mosaic. Although not placing as a finalist, her desire to remain involved with startups grew when she became a Co-Director for The Husky Startup Challenge in Fall 2022. Her overarching goal for the cohort was to establish more community amongst ventures and connect them to the proper resources.
“One of my favorite parts of directing HSC was staying 3–4 hours after the boot camps in the IDEA Lab with ventures. Drawing on whiteboards, playing music, and throwing thoughts around with each other helped create long-lasting connections, some I still talk to today! It was the best low-stakes yet collaborative environment we could make.”
Her love for the IDEA Lab remained this past Spring semester as she hosted Ideation Stations for The Hult Prize at Northeastern: a global social-entrepreneurship pitch competition in association with The Hult International Business School with a grand prize of $1 million. Exploring social impact was thrilling for the startup community at NEU and quickly drew attention from non-business students.
“I am really proud to say that The Hult Prize was the first of its kind at Northeastern, but also that we appealed to the not typical business background. We severely overlook the potential of diverse backgrounds in the startup realm, and I wanted to do something to encourage more participation and bridge that gap. So, I founded The Sustainable Innovation Network”
Her vision for IDEA:
With her experience as a founder and working at Glasswing Ventures, an early-stage tech and AI venture capital firm, as a platform co-op, Bella has seen many angles on the entrepreneurial journey. One of her main focuses is establishing a venture home base. A place where new and seasoned ventures can upload real-time data, send updates, and connect with coaches or mentors more fluidly. Additionally, the IDEA Lab will be open for weekly office hours and brainstorming sessions. This is meant to facilitate collaboration, networking, and search for co-founders as students go through the problem validation process. Bella hopes the main takeaway people have when they leave the lab is to be “problem obsessed” and continue to share their ideas, not hide them.
“The CEO role is unique because I represent a larger organization and work to help the overall community of founders we have. I have to consider what is helpful for the founders of IDEA and ensure our processes and new structure grow sustainably. I’m used to building from the ground up, but IDEA is established, so it’s an exciting position to be in, and I can’t wait for the vision to manifest”
Who is Bella:
When not in the IDEA Lab, Pivo constantly explores ways to bring ideas to life. Whether through writing, working on multiple passion projects, or exploring a new coffee shop (particularly The Bittersweet Shoppe on Newbury St.), she is always ready to discuss your thoughts and ideas. When not bustling around the city, her favorite past times are doing jigsaw puzzles, watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, and playing board or card games. If not working on a project or helping out a venture, you can catch her with a deck of cards in the IDEA Lab!
Next Steps:
What does she plan to do after her tenure? There could be another co-op under Bella’s belt. She is still deciding if venture capital is the path for her or working full time on The Sustainable Innovation Network. Either way, she plans to remain rooted within the entrepreneurship ecosystem at Northeastern, whether on the IDEA and/or SIN E-Board. She loves connecting with people on the fence about entrepreneurship and hopes she can encourage more people to follow their passions from diverse backgrounds.
“The most rewarding feeling to me is seeing a venture have a breakthrough when talking with them. I love seeing people light up when I tell them there is a community of people building their goals, and they can join. Getting people excited is the best part, and I want to bring that to the Mosaic and Northeastern community this year”
A message to everyone:
The best way to wrap up the article is in words from the CEO herself:
“I never had ‘entrepreneur’ in my vocabulary before college, and now my title is CEO. Trust me when I say to take a chance on yourself. Startups are for solving problems people, including you, care about. If not you, then who will? My goal is to be a cheerleader, a mentor, a facilitator, and, most importantly, a friend. Business or non-business, you belong with us. If you don’t believe me, ask for one of my pep talks! My LinkedIn and email are always open for a chat or to grab a coffee. Your success is our success, and I hope you find your way to the IDEA Lab very soon (below the Hayden Hall Dunkin’ in the basement!)”
IDEA is excited to come back and ready for action in Fall 2023. Please contact us during the summer for questions or comments!
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Questions? Email: ideaneu@gmail.com
