2025 Recipients

In 2025, the Dorfman Incubator Grant program awarded a total of $145,000 to four early-stage companies spanning fintech, workforce development, DeathTech, and sustainable consumer products.

The recipients reflect the breadth of innovation supported by the program and include Cal Lutheran alumni, adjunct faculty, employees, and Hub101 community members.

• AltSpot Capital: a next-generation investment platform expanding access to curated private-market deal flow for accredited investors, co-founded by Cal Lutheran alumnus and Hub101 member Tyler Lucas ’17.
• ESTE Leverage: closing the gap between meaningful work and career preparation with an NSF-funded adaptive learning platform that acts like a GPS for lifelong career exploration, helping people understand how they think and where they thrive. Founded by Cal Lutheran community member and Hub101 mentor Terrisa Duenas.
• Guidant: a first-of-its-kind DeathTech platform with a patented process to search, shop, and purchase cemetery property, funerals, and cremations, while streamlining sales for funeral homes and cemeteries. Co-founded by Cal Lutheran adjunct faculty George Owens and Mike Cooperman.
• UpPup (formerly Misfit Munchies): a sustainable pet food startup transforming imperfect local produce into nutritious dog treats, founded by Cal Lutheran alumna and employee, Rosie Baker ’21, ’25, and alumna Princesa Martinez.