CED is thrilled to welcome our Fall 2026 Startup TNT Associate cohort — three sharp, driven students joining us across Startup Programs, Marketing, and Events.
A Familiar Face, Back for More
We are so excited that Anika Suman from our Spring 2026 cohort is sticking around for another semester with CED:
“I thought I’d walk in and truly be on the training wheels during my internship, shadowing the CED Team Members and learning along the way. But it was so much more than just that — I really got to take leadership of my projects and ideas and dive head-first into the amazing network CED has.”
– Anika Suman, Duke University, Startup Programs
After an impressive spring working on CXO peer group research and customer discovery calls, Anika is staying on with Startup Programs — and this fall, she’s formally adding FORGE membership sales to her plate, too.
Her first semester gave her the opportunity to take real ownership of her work, lead projects and ideas, and dive head-first into CED’s network.
Her decision to stay on reflects both the depth of the program and the impact Associates can have across CED’s work.
Say Hello to Our Newest Associates
Joining Anika this fall are two new faces in the Startup TNT Associate Program:
Kennedy Cook joins the team as our Events Associate, supporting all things events. She’ll support events ranging from intimate CEO dinners to our Venture Connect conference while also helping run and facilitate live sessions for the GRO Incubator. She brings two years of hands-on event experience from the University of Florida, where she ran a 17-event speaker series and a recurring workshop series start to finish.
Charles Murphy joins CED this fall as our Marketing Associate, bringing experience in digital marketing, PR, content creation, and brand strategy. He’ll support social media, newsletters, event promotion, and Venture Connect marketing. Beyond CED, Charles was selected by Walmart as a paid campus partner for its “Stay Up Tour” and has led campus marketing and communications efforts reaching more than 350,000 accounts monthly.
Cross-Functional by Design
This fall’s cohort is doing double duty in the best way. Anika’s splitting her time between startup programs and FORGE membership sales, while Kennedy’s covering both events and the GRO Incubator — hands-on ownership across more of CED’s work than most Associates get. With Charles, marketing naturally touches everything at CED, so cross-functional just comes with the territory.
“What I love about this group of students is how much range they’re getting. Nobody’s just doing one job this fall — they’re seeing how programs, events, and marketing all connect to each other, and that’s a different kind of experience than sitting in a single role for a semester.”
– Elaina Bade, Customer Experience Lead at CED
Stay Connected
Interested in getting involved with Startup TNT or supporting CED programs this fall? There are several ways to connect:
- Become a future Startup TNT Associate
👉 Join our interest list to stay in the loop. Our next cohort is slated for Spring 2027, with applications opening up late fall.
- Explore a university partnership
👉 Connect with Elaina Bade to learn about getting involved in Startup TNT. Join our incredible group of university champions: Duke I&E, NC Central University, Meredith College, and UNC Chapel Hill.
- Volunteer at Venture Connect
👉 Sign up to be a student volunteer at Venture Connect. Students will get a free ticket to the conference, in exchange for a 4-hour shift.
We’re excited to kick off Fall 2026 and can’t wait to see what this cohort accomplishes.
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