Leslie Jones-Dove and Devshi Mehrotra are two University of Chicago undergrads who turned a final project in a computer science course into a fast-growing startup driving social impact. Even as an undergrad, Mehotra has held a leadership position in compileHer, a group looking to advance computer science education for young girls. She also won a Tarrson Social Venture Fellowship, which helps fund graduating UofC alums’ social ventures so they can work on them full-time. Jones-Dove served as the president of Edge, an intercollegiate organization promoting entrepreneurship, and both he and Mehrotra made the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2021.Â
Why They Made the Worthy 100: Despite starting as a school project, JusticeText has become a fast-growing startup service with support from the National Association of Defense Attorneys. The service is designed to collect and organize the massive quantities of audio and video data defense attorneys need to help their clients win cases against police misconduct. Even though Mehrotra is now a Schwarzman Scholar in Beijing, China, while Dove-Jones is working in New York City, the duo is still piloting JusticeText forward, raising $2.2 million in financing in 2022.
