Cue the Curves, a social shopping app for plus-size fashion, has won VentureCat, Northwestern University’s annual student start-up competition powered by the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice and cosponsored by Lanny and Sharon Martin.

Twenty-five semifinalist teams competed for greater than $325,000 in prize money, with Cue the Curves taking home a complete of $160,000 (including the $10,000 that every one finalists get for making it to the semifinal and final rounds).

“VentureCat was such an incredible experience,” said Charlotte Oxnam, founder and chief executive officer of Cue the Curves and a graduating senior in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. “It’s so great to get to work with other founders, to have the ability to support each other and get that recognition in front of potential investors and users, and be honored for the work we’ve done while being full-time students. It’s definitely a number of work, and it feels really rewarding to undergo this system.”

Cue the Curves won the grand prize within the category of Consumer Products and Services. Oxman, who founded Cue the Curves due to her own struggles with fashion as a plus-size girl, told WWD she began with a private blog in 2020 and launched the app in September 2022. The social media app features greater than 250 brands. Women are capable of discover brands and see what works for them, after which they’re directed to the actual brands for purchase, she said.

The 21-year-old Oxnam graduated this past weekend and plans to work full time on Cue the Curves.

“The prize money will go toward supporting the Cue the Curves team as we grow our platform and launch recent features. We wish to create a good more holistic space for plus-size women to be inspired and encouraged on their personal style journey,” Oxnam said.

VentureCat hosted 30 enterprise capitalists, entrepreneurs and industry experts from across the country as judges to guage startups from five industry tracks: Business Products and Services, Consumer Product and Services, Energy and Sustainability, Life Sciences and Medical Innovations, and Social Impact. The highest team from each track within the semifinals, together with one wildcard team, advanced to take the stage on the Public Showcase, where they pitched yet one more time to an audience of tons of of scholars, alumna and investors.

The showcase was held on the White Auditorium within the Kellogg School of Management Global Hub on Northwestern’s Evanston campus and likewise livestreamed online.