Degree2Destiny
Northeastern University, D’Amore McKim School of Business
Industry: Education Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Founding Student Name: Anjali Laddha
Brief Description of Solution: Degree2Destiny is an AI-powered career readiness platform helping students turn their degrees into real careers. By blending communication, AI literacy, and networking skills, D2D bridges the education-to-employment gap through workshops, bootcamps, and digital tools. The startup has already impacted over 4,000 students and educators across India and the U.S., empowering the next generation to learn, apply, and lead with AI.
Funding Dollars:
$20,000 (Startup Founder Co-op, Northeastern University)
$15,000 (Women Who Empower Innovator Award – Global Impact Category)
What led you to launch this venture? While mentoring peers on resumes and interviews, I saw how even the brightest students struggled to translate classroom learning into employability. That gap became my mission. I built Degree2Destiny to make career transformation accessible — by merging AI, education, and storytelling into one movement for students.
What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with the venture? It would be between Impacting over 4,000 students and educators, securing Northeastern University funding, and delivering a keynote at the Grace Hopper Celebration — one of the world’s largest tech conferences for women — where I represented the voice of Gen Z AI educators.
How has your business-related major helped you further this startup venture?
My Integrated Studies major, which combines Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and International Business, gave me both the strategy and empathy to build D2D as a sustainable impact venture. Courses like Organizational Behavior and International Business Decision Making in Emerging Markets shaped how I scale operations across Boston and India.
Which business class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? Integrated Studies in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship taught me how to build and make a successful impact-first company.
What business professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why?
Professor Jen Guillemin for her guidance in entrepreneurship, Professor Nikki James for sharpening my social impact lens, and Professor Helenka Nolan for helping me navigate international strategy — each shaped how I think about impact, structure, and scale.
What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey?
Malala Yousafzai, Vee Kativhu, and Payal Kadakia — women who turned personal purpose into global platforms. Their courage and creativity proved that social impact and entrepreneurship aren’t opposites; they’re the same mission done boldly.
What is your long-term goal with your startup?
To impact one-million students and become the most trusted Gen Z-driven edtech brand in the AI education space — making “career-ready with AI” a global standard.
How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? Boston’s innovation ecosystem — from Northeastern’s accelerator network to Boston New Technology’s mentorship community — has been pivotal. In India, partnerships with schools and colleges gave D2D grassroots validation, making it a truly cross-continental education movement.
DON’T MISS: MOST DISRUPTIVE BUSINESS SCHOOL STARTUPS OF 2025
© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.
