Luna Founders

MBA alumni startup luna achieves top five finish at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024

Published

Jas and Jo are MBA alumni who founded their company luna, an AI-driven health app for teenagers, during the Entrepreneurship Project module of the Oxford MBA.

Competing among 20 finalists selected from over 2000 startups, luna made the top five of the Startup Battlefield competition at TechCrunch Disrupt, which took place in San Francisco. TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield is the world’s preeminent startup competition, showcasing the top 200 startups from around the globe, across multiple industries. Jas and Jo pitched their business to an incredible panel of judges: Sofia Dolfe, Victor Lazarte, Ana Leyva, Shravan N, and Sangeen Zeb.

luna was born through the Entrepreneurship Project, an integral part of the Oxford MBA programme, which gives students the opportunity to work on new business models in a safe environment. The app, designed to help young girl navigate teenhood, uses AI to quickly field answers to frequently asked questions, with responses provided by healthcare experts.

As a finalist, we had the chance to showcase how luna fills a major gap by providing age-appropriate, expert-backed content on topics that impact girls every day: from mental health and body positivity to nutrition and navigating puberty. Seeing our pitch resonate with the audience was a powerful reminder that our vision isn’t just ours; it’s one shared by many who see the need for change in how we approach young girls’ health and well-being.

Jo Goodall

luna co-founder

Pitching Competition

Jas Schembri-Stothart and Jo Goodall won the pitching competition at Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre’s annual conference, OSEF, in 2022.

More recently, they received investment from Oxford Seed Fund, a student-and-alumni-led fund that provides capital to the most promising startups from the University of Oxford, establishing a lasting relationship with the Centre.

At Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre, we are proud to have been part of luna’s journey and are excited to see where their innovation and passion will take them next. Supporting entrepreneurs like the team behind luna is at the heart of our mission, and we look forward to watching them continue to inspire and drive change in their field.

María Zubeldía

Director of Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre

In a busy month for the team, luna also reached third place in the Santander X UK Awards in November, securing a place in the global finals of Santander's international entrepreneurship competition.

Learn more about the Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre