Anushka Nijhawan

Spotlight on the one and only Anushka Nijhawan – this kid is the real deal. She’s a Yale grad, just finished her CS degree in May 2024, and already jumped into the startup world like a boss. No fluff, just straight-up hustle.

So, here’s the story: she started Spur basically as a class project at Yale. Yeah, like a school thing that turned into a legit company. She was in this course with her co-founder Sneha Sivakumar, taught by Professor Arman Cohan, and bam – they built an AI-powered QA tool that automates website testing. Think about it: testing web apps without the boring manual coding, just plain language commands. It’s like having an AI assistant that spots bugs and fixes them faster than you can say “bullshit, that took forever.”

What’s crazy is, Spur wasn’t just some side hustle. It caught the attention of Y Combinator, got into their S24 batch, and scored $500K right outta the gate. That’s some serious validation. Then, in April 2025, they crushed it again with a $4.5 million seed round led by First Round Capital, with some big names like Pear VC and Neo jumping in too. This isn’t just hype – these guys are the real deal, transforming web testing with AI.

But what does this say about Anushka? She’s not just some student with a cool idea. She’s someone who sees a bullshit problem, then jumps all in to fix it. Started out as a class project, turned into a YC startup, now backed by top investors. That’s not luck – that’s pure grit and smarts. She’s deeply into AI, supported by Yale’s resources, mentorship, and the Tsai CITY fund. Clearly, she’s driven by a mix of curiosity and a desire to actually build something that matters.

Bottom line? Anushka Nijhawan is a next-gen founder who’s crushing it early. Her story? It’s all about turning ideas into reality, no matter how small they start. She’s proof that if you see a problem, jump into it with everything you got – no cap. And honestly, she’s just getting started.