S
tephanie Golik once wondered if she could succeed, but now she urges her mentees to chase what truly excites them and to give themselves permission to experiment. A 2015 Northeastern University graduate, she shifted from architecture to product design and serial entrepreneurship. She led Cruise’s product design team, raised $3.5 million for her startup Huddle, and sold it in 2024.

    In 2025 she captured the “AI and Technology” prize at the Women Who Empower Innovator Awards for Frontflip, an AI‑powered companion that helps real‑estate investors spot opportunities. “We’ve spent the last six months building something we’re proud of,” she explains. “Getting a grant lets us focus on the business and product without the distraction of fundraising.”

    Frontflip targets individual investors. By entering any U.S. address, users receive an instant snapshot of potential value‑creation. The AI aggregates unstructured data from multiple sources, distilling it into concise investment scenarios and tailored advice based on property details and neighborhood trends. Unlike other real‑estate apps that merely list properties, Frontflip delivers actionable return projections. It’s available on a website and iOS app, with a free tier for a limited number of searches and a low‑fee subscription that unlocks unlimited reports—ideal for investors holding up to about 50 properties.

    Golik’s entrepreneurial roots trace back to Miami, where her father founded businesses and her siblings launched ventures from home. “I loved the creative energy of starting things, but I never felt like a business person,” she recalls. Architecture, a discipline that blends creativity with business constraints, helped her reconcile those identities. Co‑ops in architectural firms revealed she wasn’t passionate about the work, prompting her to reassess her path while still in school.

    After graduation, she moved to New York City and gave herself six months to decide between opening an architecture firm or pursuing entrepreneurship—a choice that ultimately leaned toward the latter. “Confidence came from understanding who I am and what I enjoy,” she says. “I realized I excel at solving problems within creative constraints, not at building design.”

    During that period, she interned at startups, entered the NYC BigApps contest, and met a developer who helped launch her first app on the App Store. She built a portfolio from scratch, then secured a product designer role at a startup studio. Over the next few years, she advanced to leadership positions at Mapfit, a mapping technology firm, and relocated to San Francisco in 2018.

    In 2021, Golik left her role as product design manager for fleet at Cruise to launch Huddle, a fractional talent marketplace connecting companies with part‑time or project‑based creative and product leaders. She grew Huddle from the ground up, raising more than $3.5 million before selling it in 2024.

    A decade after graduating, she continues to build design‑driven businesses and mentors others. She created an online course, “Go from Designer to Founder,” to help designers transition into entrepreneurship. “When you find something that truly energizes you, you should just figure out how to do it,” she advises.

    Reflecting on her journey, Golik credits Northeastern as a pivotal turning point. “I was unsure of my success back then, and now Northeastern is telling me I’ve succeeded,” she smiles.