When Helen Russell, DMSB’88, studied in Snell Library on Northeastern’s Boston campus nearly four decades ago, she never imagined she’d one day return as the co-founder of a $35 million coffee empire, or that she’d be fueling the entrepreneurial dreams of future students sitting in those same seats. But that’s the full-circle story unfolding through her company’s Legacy Blend partnership and the launch of Brewing Connections, a global initiative connecting entrepreneurs across the university’s network.
Since co-founding Equator Coffee with her partner Brooke MacDonald in 1995, Russell has a successful business with 12 California cafés and products in more than 500 Whole Foods and Kroger locations nationwide. She’s also created a blueprint for how entrepreneurial success can flow into giving back. Through Equator’s Legacy Blend partnership with Northeastern, every bag sold directly supports student entrepreneurs through a $1 donation to the Women’s Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship (WISE), transforming each cup of coffee into an investment in the next generation.
Brewing Connections: A Global Network of Support
Russell is amplifying her impact through her sponsorship of Brewing Connections, a Northeastern networking series launching during the university’s Global Entrepreneurship Week in November 2025. The initiative brings together students, alumni, and entrepreneurs over university-sponsored coffee chats—fueled by Equator’s Legacy Blend—to foster meaningful conversations. Each event is designed to forge meaningful connections among entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders, creating a supportive ecosystem that transcends geography and graduation years.
Russell will personally host an inaugural Brewing Connections gathering on November 18 in San Francisco, with additional events planned across the country. Each event will create a space for aspiring founders to learn from those who’ve walked the path before them—continuing the cycle of mentorship that helped shape her own journey from blue-collar student to business leader.
The Power of Paying It Forward
Russell’s investment in Northeastern’s entrepreneurial community spans back to her early involvement with Women Who Empower, a Northeastern initiative focused on building a global, dynamic community through events, scholarships, mentorship programs, and entrepreneurial initiatives like the Women Who Empower Innovator Awards.
As a keynote speaker at the inaugural Women Who Empower Summit in 2016, Russell challenged a room full of aspiring entrepreneurs to think beyond business models and revenue projections. “It’s not what you do, it’s why you do it,” she told the students, alumni, and faculty in attendance. “When you think about why some businesses are more successful than other businesses, it’s about the why—it’s the story behind the business. People want the story.”
Russell went on to deepen her advocacy as a champion of WISE, serving as a mentor and hosting leaders from the student-led organization at the Equator headquarters during a university-sponsored trek to San Franscisco in 2023. At a celebratory luncheon marking Women Who Empower’s tenth anniversary in 2024, she shared the philosophy that has guided her journey from student to successful entrepreneur.
“This is a blue-collar kid that made sure I surrounded myself with people that were going to help me, inspire me,” she remarked. “I wanted to build a life where I was economically viable so I could give back to anyone that came across.”
“That’s why you’re in this room,” Russell continued. “And that’s why this 10th year anniversary is so important. Everybody’s here to help you get to the next level, and that’s what life is all about.”
As Brewing Connections launches this November, it embodies what Russell has always believed: entrepreneurship isn’t a solo journey. It’s about creating connections that inspire, support systems that endure, and a legacy that extends far beyond any single success story.
Learn more about the Equator Coffee Legacy Blend partnership with Northeastern.