Marketing student Jaee Blue, UMSL’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year for 2025, talks about her business, Venture Beyond Aspirations, on Thursday during the Anchor Accelerator Demo Day expo held in conjunction with the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. Blue was one of 12 members of the 2026 cohort who were recognized for completing the program. (Photos by Dave Benson)
Jaee Blue has long understood the value of the opportunities available at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and she’s made the most of them.
As a high school student in the St. Louis area, Blue participated in UMSL’s Bridge Program, which helps prepare local students for academic success at the collegiate level. She then enrolled at UMSL, where she is now pursuing a marketing degree through the Ed G. Smith College of Business.
“I’m always amazed about how UMSL comes to you with so many different options, so many things that you can do, like, ‘Hey, we also have this, why don’t you try looking into it,’” said Blue, who is on target to graduate in May 2027. “They’re not only helping you in your educational career, but they’re also helping you in your personal life.”
That support has also extended beyond the classroom with the university helping to nurture Blue’s entrepreneurial ambitions. Blue, the CEO of Venture Beyond Aspirations – a business-development platform that provides guidance for entrepreneurs – has also taken part in UMSL’s Anchor Accelerator program as a member of the 2026 cohort.
Over the spring semester, she and her fellow founders have benefited from a $10,000 capital investment and received business coaching and mentorship as well as technical training as they’ve worked to refine their business plans. They’ve also had the help of UMSL student interns as they’ve positioned their businesses for future growth.
On Thursday afternoon, Blue and the other founders had a chance to show off their work at Demo Day expo held in conjunction with the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. The event also served as a celebration of their successful completion of the program.
Anthony and Afoma Ezeokoye, owners of Raknida, were named the first ever honorary valedictorians as part of the 2026 cohort for UMSL’s Anchor Accelerator.
“The Anchor Accelerator program really helped me by providing a lot of resources, connections and mentors,” said Blue, who was named UMSL’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year for 2025. “They asked us what we wanted to accomplish and then connected us with the right folks who could help us get there quicker and expand on what we already had.”
Members of the latest cohort are pursuing a wide array of innovative ventures. Mona Jawad leads ASL Aspire, which expands access to STEM education for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners through interactive, game-based experiences. Sam Vanderpool of Blue Reason, LLC, repurposes industrial byproducts into high-value, sustainable materials. Tiffany Jones of Cheryl’s Herbs produces botanical liquid extracts and operates through a blend of manufacturing and e-commerce. Anthony Ezeokoye and Afoma Ezeokoye of Raknida create more accessible, immersive ways for audiences to experience and support diverse artists. Jackie Huebbe of SugarBot crafts baked goods and confections while creating job opportunities for individuals facing systemic barriers. Doug Wulff of Timebolt develops software that streamlines video editing by automatically removing silences and filler. Luke Lieb of Unique Visions, LLC delivers customized window film solutions for residential and commercial spaces. And Kenneth Eversole of OpsCompanionAI builds intelligent systems to enhance software performance and operations.
Three other business owners – Adam Collins of Bearded Board Games, Keaton Christensen of The Cherry Garage and Becky Velie of Blueshift – also chose to go through the 12-week, five-module training program without receiving a grant or mentor/intern benefits.
“We’re really trying to build a community that helps local businesses, and we’re proud to provide these founders with the tools they need to spur their continued growth,” said Scott Morris, director of the UMSL’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center.
Tiffany Jones (seated), owner of Cheryl’s Herbs, discusses her company that produces botanical liquid extracts during the Anchor Accelerator Demo Day expo.
While Cheryl’s Herbs was founded in 1991, Jones purchased the company in 2019, and she said she was hopeful that participating in UMSL’s Anchor Accelerator would help take her company to the next level, particularly in the e-commerce arena. Jones said the entire experience in the program far surpassed her expectations, providing “so many aha moments,” and Jones said she is especially grateful to know that she will be able to continue connecting with Morris and her mentors even after completing the program.
“The relationship doesn’t end, the resources don’t end, and I love that part,” she said. “The amount of support that Scott and his team pour into everyone in the cohort has just blown me away.”
A key component in the Anchor Accelerator program is the use of business planning software that helped the founders write a five-year financial forecast.
Wulff said with the intensive strategy planning and expert feedback that he received over the past several months – not to mention the access he’s had to mentors from some of the area’s largest companies – he is confident of where his company is headed.
He’d like to mentor other Anchor Accelerator founders in the future.
“I hope to be able to give back to the program,” Wulff said.
That aligns with Morris’ goals for the Anchor Accelerator.
“I call it ‘gravitational pull,’ where we’re just kind of creating this atmosphere where people learn about the impact of the program, and then they want to come back and invest in it,” Morris said.
It’s yet another example, Blue said, of UMSL going above and beyond in support of its students, and Blue said she hopes others take advantage of the many available opportunities just as she has.
“It’s amazing,” said Blue, who plans to continue her education through UMSL’s Online MBA program. “I encourage anyone else to kind of just tap into everything that UMSL has to offer.”
