Two Vanderbilt alumni are among the young innovators who are “shaking up the world’s stodgiest industries” in the 2019 Forbes “30 Under 30.”
Brandon Burke, BA’13, is co-founder of LegWorks, a for-profit social enterprise prosthetics company that helps amputees across the globe walk with confidence by providing affordable and high-functioning mechanical knee joints. As part of the LegWorks Mobility Project, 30 percent of the company’s total volume has been sent to the developing world, where prosthetic devices are scarce. An above-the-knee amputee, Burke wears the same knee joint that is provided to amputees in the developing world. The 2019 Forbes list includes him in the Social Entrepreneurs category. Burke is also a member of the Oak Leaf Society, which recognizes donor loyalty to Vanderbilt University.
Former Vanderbilt football team member Eric Frieman, BA’12, co-founded Veteran & First Responder Healthcare, which provides intensive outpatient addiction and mental health treatment programs for service members, veterans, first responders and their families. The company has 60 employees, including fellow alumnus Andres Reyes-Capo, BA’16, and has established a first-of-its-kind partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Frieman is included in the Health Care category of the 2019 Forbes list. Previously, he shared career advice with students as a Career Center volunteer.