![\"Two](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/4K5A9476-200x300.jpg\")
And she\u2019s passionate about building something of her own.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family is full of interesting entrepreneurs,\u201d she says, \u201cso everywhere I always went, they said I had a business mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the past, her \u201cside hustles\u201d have been things like a jewelry-making business, where she made beaded anklets and bracelets \u2013 she still has a stock of beads stashed away. During COVID, she started making lip gloss.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat didn\u2019t work out,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n
At one point, she says she thought she wanted to braid hair, but found it took too much time away from school.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy education comes first,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s one thing my parents instilled in me. I don\u2019t play about school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now a sophomore at UConn, Mensah has her sights set a bit higher than bracelets and lip gloss. She\u2019s been working for the past year to build a new venture, with expecting mothers in Ghana in mind.<\/p>\n
And she\u2019s done so with the help of the Werth Innovators Program at the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which has been helping first-year women, in particular, find their entrepreneurial footing for the past six years.<\/p>\n
Impacting Women<\/strong><\/p>\n First launched in 2020 by UConn\u2019s Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the First-Year Women Werth Innovators program<\/a> was designed to engage diverse and multidisciplinary cohorts of first-year undergraduate women to provide them with mentorship, networking, and resources to develop their entrepreneurial skills.<\/p>\n In the U.S. alone, women own more than 40% of all small businesses<\/a>, generating $2.8 billion in revenue and employing 12.6 million workers. Yet women still struggle in securing access to capital to support business ventures.<\/p>\n The program was designed to help push back against those struggles by supporting young women at the outset of their entrepreneurial journeys.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Werth Innovators Program helps students see themselves as leaders whose ideas deserve to be heard,\u201d says Katie Britt, the Werth Institute\u2019s director of leadership development who coordinates the program.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough a community centered on women\u2019s leadership, students explore the challenges women face in entrepreneurship and technology, learn from one another, and build the confidence to turn ideas into action,\u201d says Britt. \u201cThey develop an entrepreneurial mindset, gain skills to pursue their ambitions, and build connections that support them at UConn and beyond graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n Once accepted into a cohort, participants in the program begin meeting in January to work on things like ideation and mindset as they prepare for a summer internship project, where many launch their own ventures.<\/p>\n In May, cohort members spend an extra week on campus at UConn Storrs together after spring move-out, giving them time to better get to know each other.<\/p>\n During their paid remote summer internship as a part of the program, the Werth Innovators meet virtually to develop their ideas through structured programming and alumni mentorship. Although they embark upon their entrepreneurial journeys individually, they collaborate, share ideas, and support each other relentlessly while developing r\u00e9sum\u00e9-building skills.<\/p>\n When Mensah \u2013 who has not yet decided on a major and plans to attend law school to pursue corporate law in the future \u2013 decided to apply and was later accepted into the program, she wasn\u2019t sure what she was going to do, but she initially considered starting a nonprofit to help women in Ghana, either through direct fundraising and advocacy, or by selling a product.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the beginning, it was a lot of ideas,\u201d she says. \u201cAt some point, I wanted to have a wine company, with the wine being made by women farmers in Ghana. Because my whole thing was that it has to be something that would impact women.\u201d<\/p>\n Mensah also considered baby clothing or items, or a makeup line, or a stationery brand.<\/p>\n Clothing wasn\u2019t even in the picture, she says. Until March 6.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Ghana Independence Day, which is March 6, I was wearing my palazzo pants, which have an African print. And Katie was like, \u2018I really love your pants. Those are so cool, and look so comfortable.\u2019 They really are. And I was like, okay, you like my pants? Let me see what I can do about that.\u201d<\/p>\n Pants turned into skirts. Which turned into tops. Which turned into a brand.<\/p>\n Rise to the Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n With support from the Werth Innovators program, Mensah is launching NeeVera this fall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Her first capsule collection features size-inclusive designs crafted from colorful fabrics she found in Ghana, with each fabric selection only being used to make a small number of items.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m going to have skirts, pants, dresses, and then the brand signature logo with tank tops that are embroidered, all made in Ghana,\u201d Mensah explains.<\/p>\n \u201cI want something that embraces Africa, embraces our culture, embraces our color, and so I picked a whole bunch of fabrics, different fabrics,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I told her, maximum you can make me of the same thing is three or four. I don’t want the same fabric into more than that. And everything is size inclusive. The skirts fit an extra small, then stretch enough to fit an extra large, because of how flared and flowy the outfits are.\u201d<\/p>\n Each piece is made by a craftswoman in Ghana. Her promotional photos were taken in Minnesota when she returned from the summer \u2013 one of her sisters modeled for her.<\/p>\n She hopes to launch her collection in October. She plans to use the proceeds from any sales to help support expectant mothers in Ghana.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t believe that my brand is a solution,\u201d she says. \u201cI’m more like an aide where I cannot solve the problem. What I can do is try to support different maternity wards so that when a woman comes to give birth, she’s okay and not stressed out about where she’s giving birth and how she’s going to give birth. So that she can have a sound, peaceful birth to be able to birth a healthy baby.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the summer \u2013 while connecting with her mentors and cohort remotely from Ghana, managing connectivity challenges, sourcing materials and learning about supply chains, and building her business plan \u2013 she kept that goal in mind.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Jenevera first told me about the \u2018no bed syndrome’ in her home country of Ghana, her empathy for the women affected was clear,\u201d says Britt. \u201cAs her idea evolved, her commitment to improving their lives never wavered. She embodies the spirit of a UConn student who listens to others, puts people first, and builds a venture with purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n And Mensah also used inspiration from her peers in the Werth Innovators program, whom she bonded with during their extra week on campus together in May, to keep going, even when it was difficult at times.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you see people who are motivated to wake up every day and do something, you look at yourself and you check yourself,\u201d she says. \u201cI’m going to rise to the challenge, and be like my friends, and be like the people that I’m working with, so that we can all lean on each other, which is a big thing for me.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the summer, when you feel like you don’t want to wake up or you don’t feel like opening your laptop because it’s the summer, honey, do it \u2013 you should definitely do it, because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I\u2019m so proud to tell people I have a business. It feels good, it feels amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To follow Mensah\u2019s progress on her venture, visit <\/em>houseofneevera.com<\/em><\/a> or follow her on Instagram <\/em>@houseofneevera<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/4K5A9076-1-192x300.jpg\")