The participants in last year’s CRUNCH Digital Design & Incubation course at the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab recently shared their success with student writer Alex Gold.

Savannah Luthi and Niree Noel started working on Connu, an app that allows users to read fictional short stories by undiscovered and well-known authors, while Luthi was pursing her Master of Arts in Professional Writing at USC Dornsife. The 10-week course in the lab allowed them to develop a prototype of the app and hone their pitching skills.

“It was nice to be in a supportive environment,” Luthi said.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Luthi, Noel and Connu joined Matter, a startup accelerator and early-stage venture capital firm in San Francisco. They are currently working on launching Connu Beta.

Luthi’s advice to women looking to go into technology: “Be tough. Do not let any of the condescension creep in or burly culture distract you or depress you. Find a strong female mentor who has been through it before.”