The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) at the Seattle University Albers School of Business and Economics featured Madeline Haydon (MBA ‘05), the founder of nutpods – the nondairy creamer with a cult online following, second Founder Friday on January 24, 2020, at ATLAS Workspace (Co-Founded by Alum Bill Sechter!). Founder Friday is a new speaker series open to the public hosted by the IEC to highlight the stories and lessons of entrepreneurial alumni. Madeline sat down with IEC Interim Director Amelia Marckworth and an audience of 75 students, alumni, and community members to discuss the journey and lessons of raising capital at all stages of a new company – from kickstart campaign to private equity.
As a strategy to help launch nutpods, Madeline returned to campus to compete in the Seattle University Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition as an alumni-led team, placing as one of the 2015 competition Finalists. Later that year, Nutpods debuted on Amazon where it quickly became the #1 bestselling alternative creamer. After growing by 250% in 2018, nutpods raised $33 million in private capital funding in July 2019 to expand its online brand presence.
Joe Phillips, Dean of the Albers School of Business and Economics attended the event reporting that “Madeline told the story of how this much-loved product has become a success! Seattle University is very proud of Madeline!” Stay tuned for details of our next Founder Friday event – be sure to follow us on LinkedIn to get the latest news and updates!