Big news for Cocoa Potash, the social enterprise co-founded by Weatherhead alum Ithabeleng Makhetha (BS ’24). They have been named one of the top 24 teams for the Hult Prize 2025 Global Accelerator.
Out of 54 incredible startups in this year’s Incubator, they have been selected to join the in-person Accelerator at the historic Ashridge House in Berkhamsted, UK, putting them one step closer to the possibility of winning $1 million to scale their startup.
Just months after earning her bachelor’s degree in accounting and business information technology from the Weatherhead School of Management, Itha is already making a global mark. As co-founder and CFO of Cocoa Potash with Ibrahim Quagraine, a PhD student in biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, she is helping change the way the world thinks about waste, one cocoa pod at a time.
Cocoa Potash transforms agricultural byproducts such as cocoa pods, coconut shells, and palm nuts into commercially valuable potash and other potash derived products. Potash, which includes potassium carbonate, is used in everything from fertilizers and cosmetics to pharmaceuticals and water treatment, plus organic fertilizers that feed back into farming communities. The result is a zero waste, closed loop solution that protects the environment, boosts rural economies, and empowers local farmers.
Itha met Quagraine through the ThinkImpact Academy of Social Enterprises, part of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, during their time at Weatherhead. ThinkImpact connects students from across the globe to explore how entrepreneurship can solve social and environmental challenges — exactly the kind of platform that could help Cocoa Potash take root and grow.
“I joined the program because I was curious about social enterprise,” Itha said. “What I discovered was that you can build a business that supports communities, protects the environment, and still be financially successful. That is what really clicked for me.”
Fowler Center Executive Director Megan Buchter said Itha’s work is a powerful example of how Weatherhead graduates are advancing sustainability in tangible ways. “Itha has shown that people and profit can, and should, coexist,” Buchter shared. “Her commitment to turning waste into economic opportunity is exactly the kind of innovative, values driven leadership the world needs.”
Partnering with Quagraine, Itha focuses on financial modeling, operations, and investor strategy, skills that helped propel Cocoa Potash into the top 24 teams worldwide in the 2024 Hult Prize, an annual global competition challenging university students to create scalable social ventures addressing the world’s most pressing issues. That recognition strengthened their approach to scaling, storytelling, and reaching customers, and now their 2025 Global Accelerator selection pushes them even closer to their vision.
Today, Cocoa Potash is raising funds to expand production and meet rising international demand, with early buyers already in Turkey and Pakistan. For Itha, the venture is not just a career move — it is a mission.
“Weatherhead gave me the foundation and the global perspective to be part of something bigger,” she said. “This experience reinforced that business can, and should, help people flourish and nature thrive.”