No matter the subject, young people will always find a way to be concerned about it. From study groups, to politics, to that awful dining hall food, or to the latest party over at x's house, there is a guarantee that young people, and students especially, will be worried about it. Well, today's featured venture has a lot to do with the hee-hawing within social circles be it watching the latest movie to deciding who the dungeon master will be. Openvote Inc., founded by Jason Freedman and Colin Van Ostern, both attending Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, thought that giving people the vote on a topic or issue would lead to a better understand of what people want in that specific community:

"Openvote is a website where people in any real-world community can poll each other, vote, and see what everyone thinks. On Openvote, members of any community (like a college campus) can create new polls, vote, discuss, and check poll results. Each group or campus has its own section, accessed through the Openvote website or through our Facebook application. Openvote is currently completing a private beta and beginning a national launch."

The compelling idea behind Openvote is that it will always appeal to communities at large; from older-aged groups to younger-powered universities communities that thrive on the web will be able to access and take advantage of the power of the Internet and a simple community space. A potential problem behind Openvote is that although there might be a lot of transperency within the process of voting and responding to topics, there might be room for abuse/trolling within the communities as well as power fights to how these communities will be moderated. To amend this potential problem, Openvote might employ a new strategy to create a seemingly democratic system where no one can really abuse the functions available. Hopefully the beta testing will be a success so that they can launch and raise a venture round for this coming Fall.


To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: entrepreneurship, Openvote, Openvote Inc., student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 6:38 PM  

Students understand students well; there has been an abundance of web services created by students that cater to students. This is no surprise considering that many great web services have started out as student ventures. Since web services target college students because of their higher-than-usual knowledge of the Internet, students are useful customers and users of these businesses. However, a student business that caters to students and is useful to them singularly is something else entirely. Koofers.com, started by Virginia Tech students, aims to help students throughout their academic education:

"Koofers.com provides an interactive community that serves the academic needs of college students through information sharing. Students benefit from collaboration with their peers and the experiences of former students. Many helpful services span the entire academic calendar from course selection through final exams, and include collaborative note taking, course & instructor ratings/grade distributions, and an online library for sharing past exams & study materials."

Koofers works for several reasons: Firstly, it is targeted at college students (which is essential to constantly bring in new, younger audiences as they grow older), secondly, it is useful to college students while in college, and thirdly, which is probably redundant, it is immensely useful to college students. Though the second and third points overlap, it is the third point which makes all the difference: college students want to earn good grades and Koofers helps them do that. The service aspires to open up the doors on becoming more knowledgeable by offering experience, papers, exams, essays, and whatever else a student has to contribute to the classroom. Regardless in the type of college you are attending (unless you don't have Internet access at your college), Koofers can help you with your academic experience. If one student does very well and shares their experiences then other students can use their knowledge, tips, or advice and push further than they could have before.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: education, koofers.com, student startup, studentbusinesses.com, web service

Posted at 9:53 PM  

Today's economy especially warrants smart investment and an eye towards financial planning. Student entrepreneurs, students in general, and graduates tend to lack financial experience and knowledge. The ever increasing student debt, which is attributed to taking out loans, paying for apartments, and spending money outside of the home is difficult for the young adult to understand. Coming up with a long-term plan is hard enough for the student let alone the financial way in which they are actually going to afford everything. That is why Steven McDonnough, a student from Virginia Commonwealth University, started Wyndham Financial Group, LLC. The business and student venture may be like many other finance firms except that it targets the young professional desiring a future with financial security:

"Wyndham Financial Group, LLC, is a full-service financial planning and tax accounting firm. The purpose of Wyndham Financial Group is to help meet the increasing demand for integrated financial services by a growing number of underserved young professionals. Our vision is to be the premier firm developing relationships, championing trust, and providing innovative financial solutions to make quality financial services accessible to all individuals, especially young and upcoming professionals who are just beginning their long-term financial journey."

The young professional, depending on their background will be within the spectrum of very knowledge about financial matters to very unknowledgeable. However, fortunately for either on opposite sides of the spectrum WFG will help them both with financial planning. The great thing about this student venture is that it is started by a student who is more likely to understand the plight of the young professionals because the founder is himself young and in touch enough to understand the needs. By perfecting their approach to "young and upcoming professionals", WFG could be a great financial planning firm for any professional, despite financial ignorance or fear.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: student startup, studentbusinesses.com, wyndham financial group

Posted at 4:27 PM  

Social networking is for anyone and today's featured business is no exception. The Internet is one medium which increases the ability to network and find those who you would not have previously known. By using social networking tools you can follow those you know well or to find those who you would like to get to know. Students, as evidenced by Facebook, Myspace, and StudentBusinesses understand the untapped potential of the Internet. No matter the interest or the area, students will un-tap this potential and create a startup that is all about the people.

Created by students that all met in Southern California (team: Trevor Beckes, Patric Fitzsimmons, Wes Hartman, and Tyler Williams), AthRoom.com is a social networking website dedicated to the athlete. For that fan in everyone or the athlete practicing their sport, AthRoom.com wants to help sport-people connect:

"AthRoom.com is a sports social networking website that helps athletes interact with other athletes across the nation while getting the recognition they deserve in a fun, safe, friendly environment. Fans, athletes, coaches, and scouts can interact with a click of a button. AthRoom.com allows members to build a sports resume or a personal profile with includes statistics, videos, pictures, and all other relative criteria. AthRoom.com also intends to revolutionize the recruiting process by taking it "green," with the elimination of paper sports resumes and video tapes."

The uniqueness of this student startup is that it is a social networking for a special niche: the young athlete looking to connect with other passionate athletes. The young athlete, depending on how serious they are about their sport, is looking to get noticed. In addition to this, coaches and scouts can use this website to search for young athletes in high school or college. Since this is a niche which isn't that well developed on the Internet, it is advantageous for the young athletes to connect with as many people as possible to get more information on their sport. AthRoom.com has the potential to satisfy curiosities, to educate, and to provide entertainment. With the current level of money being poured into sports advertising, AthRoom.com has the potential to be the next big student venture.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: AthRoom.com, social networking, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 12:00 PM  

Today, StudentBusinesses.com is featuring a student startup that actually reaches out to those in need of assistance. In the twentieth and twenty-first century technology has boomed and has only become better, more efficient, and more complex. The growing technology industries, although very useful to humankind in regards to its practical side, can also seem like a boon; everyday more and more people have to learn about how to use a complex piece of technology. That is why some students, with an eye toward ease and functionality, have created a system where people do not have to learn everything.

Three students from Babson College came up with the idea of creating a computer company that is all about simplifying computer functions for senior citizens. As a result of this idea, HotCake Computers was born:

"HotCake Computers is a computer company targeting senior citizens. Through the creation of a unique user interface, HC aims to eliminate the fear that elderly people have with computers. HC's product will bring the most essential benefits of using a computer to the elderly population. Currently, we are contracting to build a prototype while at the same time trying to solidify our supply chain."

The great potential of this student startup is that it has all the necessary criteria to do well in the market: it is about a new type of technology and software with a high amount of demand. HCC might even broaden out from their current format to include simplifying functions to help children or other people who have had not had access to a computer, creating the potential for a revolution in computer design. Another upside to this company is that it will lead to innovation of current computer technologies which will help their selected audience greatly. Though they are not yet done with the product, HotCake Computers has the potential of becoming a highly innovative business.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: HotCake Computers, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 7:39 PM  

Communities are the life-blood of the entrepreneur. Without them you have no demand, help, or resources. That is why StudentBusinesses.com is featuring a startup that is about those who live in the community. Any organization setup to help a community is always seen as a benefit to those within it; naturally the community fosters values that need reinforcing to keep the community together. Students understand this concept well since students live and thrive on a community of helpers, learners, and thinkers. That is why several students were able to create an online community for those in need of direction and help.

Treating Eating, Inc. is a startup about helping people overcome and seek help for their eating disorders and also for those who know someone with an eating disorder. It was started by Candice Sombrero, a student that understood that communities, especially online ones, have immense benefits for those in search of help:

"Treating Eating, Inc. is a free, interactive online community committed to providing research, shared personal experiences, and an environment conducive to overcoming eating disorders. Through personal relationships, Treating Eating will strive to transform lives by offering support and guidance to not only those affected, but also their families and friends. Treating Eating will touch millions of lives across the nation and empower individuals with eating disorders to pursue a healthy lifestyle."

Social entrepreneurship aims at affecting society in some way and Treating Eating does just that. Eating disorders have become a real problem, especially in western societies, and any attempt at dispelling myths and providing good health information is key to a healthier lifestyle. Eating problems usually come out of a heavy or influential amount of pressure to look thinner or look different than they do at that time. By creating a community of people who understand and are affected by eating disorders, Treating Eating will be able to do away with that pressure. Also, the web startup has a lot of potential to include doctors and health resources that previously may have been difficult to find. Doctors are a great source of knowledge about this issue and could make an impact in the forums or write articles about how to seek proper help. With a dedicated base and a lot of features offering advice and information, Treating Eating, Inc. has a lot of potential to help many people world-wide with these disorders.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: social entrepreneurship, student startup, studentbusinesses.com, treating eating, Treating Eating inc

Posted at 6:33 PM  

The power of the idea is important, so why not make a business out of it? Featuring a student business that is itself an idea on ideas, StudentBusinesses.com always sides with students who have great ideas. The classroom and the school environment is considered to be the genesis and proliferation of ideas. Ideas are bounced off of students, tutors, and professors in the classroom, dorm, street, and hallway. Realizing the power of the idea, several students decided to base their business on it.

IdeaBahn Inc., founded by Rachit Shukla (team: Daniel Hammond and Adit Shukla) is a student venture that aims to help your ideas become something worth-while:

"IdeaBahn brings crowd-sourcing principles in a tangible format to within the team. You define who is in your community and IdeaBahn's platform gives you and your peers a space to discuss, visualize and validate your ideas. IdeaBahn enables teams and organizations to harness members' ideas in a meaningful way."

In addition to providing a way to communicate with your selected community, IdeaBahn increases team-building in a meaningful way. Since interacting with your selected team is essential to work, ideas, and activities, this is probably the greatest feature of the platform. The only negative or positive part of the platform depends for the most part within the features and it's usability. Usability depends on the simplicity of the features and the ability to communicate within the space. If IdeaBahn can capture all the necessary components of the creative actions involved in brainstorming it has great potential for all organizations across the board.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: IdeaBahn Inc., student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 9:21 PM  

The business that serves other businesses is considered essential and most helpful to success. That is why StudentBusinesses.com is featuring a student startup that takes the time to design a vision. Businesses naturally need help, especially ones regarding technology; people seldom do all the tasks within the business. Especially for complex visions which really need the help of professionals, businesses tend to understand that help and advice is essential for growth. One student knew this fundamental truth and developed a business around this need.


Jeff O'Donohue of UCLA is an engineering student who took practical knowledge and created PEMDAS Design LLC, a design firm dedicated to making your vision happen:

"PEMDAS Design is a mechanical product design firm for research institutions and entrepreneurs. Many new businesses have spectacular ideas but may need a product prototype or mechanical design partner to do a proof of concept or to refine their idea (Just like some web entrepreneurs need help building their site). Similarly, many research projects at universities require unique mechanical devices and, as such, need customized design services. PEMDAS is a design firm that specializes in working with small groups to turn product visions into reality. "

The great idea behind PEMDAS is that it can only get better with more clients. This type of professional design is always in demand and the work quality can only go up. Another great idea behind the business is that while one design might not work, another could and this gives businesses or researchers a chance to think differently about their idea. By being apart of the creation or execution of an idea, PEMDAS could be known as a needed service in an ever increasingly complex world.


To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: PEMDAS Design LLC, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 9:10 PM  

To expand on the awareness of the entrepreneurship space, StudentBusiness.com is featuring a business that takes a creative route to an already creative event. Businesses in general can be seen to be creative, but some seem more artistic or academically inclined than others. From creativity in business to innovation in already established business fields, students understand well from their myriad of experiences the need to be unique. That's why several students found a way to be reintroduce interest in established and respected institutions.

MuseTrek, originally created by students at Harvard (the team: Tarik Umar, Mishy Harman, Ro'ee Gilron, and Aviva Presser) is a creative venture built around making established museums more interesting. To do this they have implemented story-telling and other methods into the museum experience:

"MuseTrek creates narrative experiences in museums. Exhibits become chapters and scenes for compelling plots that entertain and inform the audience. We are at an exciting moment with a demonstration scheduled in Boston on July 11th and with the Louvre from August 16-30. There are a number of exciting follow ups in Singapore, Israel and the United Stated."

By complimenting material within the museum, MuseTrek hopes to make the museum experience informative, educational, and entertaining. One reason why this business is a great idea is because the business will take an already existing exhibit, wing, department or subject and weave it into an interesting story. By writing about a subject within the museum, Musetrek will be able to explore all the interesting avenues that writing and story-telling can explore about a given artistic piece, artifact, or dinosaur bone. In addition to writing, there is the great potential that this business will add to the growing literature on art, life, the Earth, and the universe. By creating more interpretation on the way human beings see the world, this will in turn inspire people to think about the reasons why we have museums. An infectious idea, MuseTrek is set to show their work at upcoming museums this summer and hopefully well afterwards.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: creative business, musetrek, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 10:19 PM  

It is one thing to open up a business that helps people buy whatever they want, but it is another thing to help the Earth. That is why StudentBusinesses.com is featuring an e-commerce business that is all about the environment. For the past several years, there have been many students on campus experimenting with how to make the world greener. To help out the environment in their own way, two students found a way to combine the business world and Earth.

Ryan Tilton and Reed Probus, the founders of CarbonCart.com, created a way to combine preexisting big business and green initiatives:

"CarbonCart.com is an eco-conscious e-commerce site carrying online retail giant Amazon.com's entire product inventory that allows consumers to carbon neutralize their internet shopping. By placing their orders for Amazon products through CarbonCart.com, consumers can purchase carbon credits to pay for renewable energy initiatives, reforestation or energy efficiency projects that offset the carbon dioxide generated in the shipping of their purchases."

By buying items from CarbonCart.com, people can choose to help deter CO2 emissions that are created by shipping. The business has two great things going for it: firstly, it uses a large preexisting business that is known for shipping and secondly the buyer is given the option to choose which green initiative they want to support. Considering that the idea behind the business is simple in theory, the business and organizational implications are large and significant. Coupled with the growing consensus on the importance of the environment and a growing desire to be apart of a solution, CarbonCart.com has a lot of potential.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: carboncart.com, e-commerce, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 8:50 PM  

Team camaraderie is especially important in today's business world. The importance of team work can never be understated or underestimated; by banding together people can create great works of art, science, literature, or philosophy. To increase group mentality and a sense of same-sidedness, it is important to create ways of being together. Not surprisingly, students understand well the importance of growing together and consequently create ways of building team consensus. One student business found a way to not only make team building fun, but addictive.


GoCrossCampus, a business ran by a group at Yale students (Brad Hargreaves, Matthew O. Brimer, Sean Mehra, Jeffrey Reitman, and Isaac Silverman) have created the perfect game. GoCrossCampus takes advantage of location and your organization:

"GoCrossCampus is a team-based social gaming platform that revolves around your connections, locations and interests. Any team of people can play, whether it's rival dorms battling across a college campus, employees competing in an exciting corporate team-building tournament, or even supporters of presidential candidates in an great political bash. GoCrossCampus has been phenomenally successful in its private beta launch, and the company is continuing to expand rapidly, developing its brand and software into a groundbreaking new multi-platform team-based social gaming destination."

By playing a game together two opposing yet similar parties can have fun and build team work while increasing competitiveness. GoCrossCampus focuses on networking with people you already know using a digital platform. When at home or at work (which might certainly be a potential negative or positive), players will be able to play together with their friends, associates as either part of the same team or the opposing team. The implications are far-reaching for building a fun factor into a serious-minded organization or just one between a number of friends at school.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: game platform, gocrosscampus, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 1:48 PM  

Today, StudentBusinesses.com features a student venture that is all about students. The number of student businesses that are exclusively for students are numerous mostly because students are starting their businesses around their schools. Hoping to reach a demand for the student area, these students hope to also capture the imagination and drive of the college students they are targeting. The Internet has generally helped students with their ideas and execution, therefore it is no surprise that a couple of students found a way to access both the student space and a popular web medium.

The College Blog Network, founded by Spencer March and Dan Wasyluk, recent graduates from the Rochester Institute of Technology, aims to pull in writers, journalists, and bloggers from college campuses across the country:

"TheCollegeBlogNetwork.com is an aggregator of blogs written by college students. The site makes it easier to connect with college bloggers at schools across the country. Anyone can browse, but only those with a .edu email address are able to participate in the community and register their own blog."

TCBN is a great idea for many reasons, but one in particular stands out amongst the rest: it taps into the writing/blogging talent of students across the country. The ability to share this talent undoubtedly generates discussion within colleges campuses and about college campuses. This ultimately increases cultural awareness of the college community while bolstering the talent of the writers within the college network. TCBN also gives people the ability to browse which may help prospective students understand the college culture according to that one college student. While increasing intellectual diversity, the transparency that a blogger can give about their college, life, or environment increases the amount of literature regarding the life of a college student.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: networking, student startup, studentbusinesses.com, the college blog network

Posted at 2:20 PM  

Combining research, common sense, and creativity, a student business has come up with an innovative way to help people save money and time. Services that help people by giving advice and information for future success are seen as beneficial and at times altruistic. That is why a student business which proposes to help those working people save money is especially welcome in today's economy.

RemesaTel, a student business, is exactly the type of service that combines technology, service, and financial relief:

"The services that will be offered by RemesaTel will significantly impact the lives of 12 million Mexican immigrants in the US and their families in Mexico, by providing them an alternative to paying fees of up to 20% for sending money through money transfer. We will also enable people in Mexico without a bank account (80% of the population!) to receive financial services with the sole use of text messages technology."

The team background behind RemesaTel understands both the Mexican and U.S. economies well: Erick Ramos Murillo, one of the founders, "worked for several years in Mexico's Central Bank managing capital operations, in the OECD as economist analyzing the telecommunications industry, in Mexico with immigrant families." Rodrigo Navarro Huerta, who himself has worked within the Mexican government in a computer technology department, understands how and where technology is affecting the country. Fausto Gurrea worked in the financial sector of Mexico for Mckinsey where he did analysis and promotion of businesses. Along with their combined work experience and advanced degrees, several from the Kennedy School of Government, they have created a service focused on cell phone technology to solve financial problems.

RemesaTel bases their business plan on statistics which prove that poor and rural working Mexicans are losing money. They are losing money several ways: 1) They lose a significant percentage of remittance money sent from the U.S., 2) Mexico has a considerable amount of corruption because of their cash based economy, 3) poor Mexican farmers need equipment but will tend to go to expensive markets because of a lack of good information. To remedy these problems, RemesaTel proposes using cell phones to cut out a lot of the middle man and help manage money and information. Essentially they are proposing a digital financing/information service through a cell phone. By going through the proper venues an even larger amount of remittance money can be saved and the Mexican farmer can access information relevant to weather, money, or government subsidiaries. With great market research and an innovative and practical solution, RemesaTel is a student business to look out for as they expand across borders.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: cell phones, remesatel, startup, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 4:03 PM  

Today's featured student business proves that simplicity and a great idea go hand in hand. Since most people share the same types of technologies, whether cameras, cell phones, or laptops, there is always someone looking for a way of networking them all together. The market is already littered with these technologies so the idea of sharing everyone's investment in technology might seem like a great idea. The demand for this technology usually follows several rules and one important one is to make the quality of living even better. It is no surprise that one student found a way to meet this demand by making lasting memories and simple technology come together.

Rush Hambleton, a student from Babson College, launched a computer hardware service that saves everyone's digital camera pictures onto one device. The hardware device, which is the same name as their business, is called the Canditto and has one simple function:

"The Canditto offers party and wedding hosts access to the digital photos taken by their guests. When departing guests insert their camera's memory card into the Canditto Kiosk, duplicate copies of all photographs taken in the last 8 hours are saved on its onboard hard drive. Later, the party host can transfer the photos to a PC or send the device back to Canditto for prints, CDs, DVDs or bulk uploading to the web photo hosting site of their choice."

About the size of a lunchbox, the device functions well with digital camera hardware and was designed for practicality. Practicality goes a long way in a tech world: calling 100 people to persuade them to send 10 to 50+ photos of a party past is a timely task. Taking off the stress of having to send many photos of a given event makes it easier on both the guests and the host and this generally increases party morale. As well as generally decreasing difficulties, it increases overall party unity and can start a whole new reason to bring your digital camera to an event. While currently available to those in the New England area, future success of the device will certainly garner attention abroad.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: canditto, student startup, studentbusinesses.com, tech startup

Posted at 8:54 PM  

Today, StudentBusinesses.com is featuring a student business that looks closely at the human body. Students, either traveling long distances or short, tend to enjoy travel. While traveling, many of these students see many people suffer from diseases that can be premeditated with proper diagnosis. To deal with the many humanitarian health problems that they see, read, and learn about, students have many ways that they can somehow become a part of the solution. In particular, a student from the United Kingdom saw an opportunity to not only innovate in technology and software, but to be apart of the solution.

Formed by a group of students at the University of Cambridge at the Institute of Biotechnology, AutoTB is working on a health device that improves diagnostic testing worldwide. CEO and Yale graduate Kelly Karns developed software "for identifying and quantifying bacteria in digital microscope images." With this technology, Ms. Karns hopes to affect health systems world-wide:

"More than one-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis, which kills 1.7 million annually. Improved diagnostics are the most effective method of combating this growing epidemic. AutoTB is creating a device to automate sputum microscopy which decreases analysis time, increases sensitivity and eliminates human error present in current procedures while integrating into the existing infrastructure and remaining inexpensive and accessible to developing countries."

AutoTB is confident in their product for two reasons: there is a market, unfortunately, for this technology, and the technology will increase competition from its example. According to their team, the device is particularly inexpensive which will practically help medical professionals on multiple fronts. AutoTB, while currently focusing on showing the effectives in diagnosing tuberculosis, plans to expand their bacterial identification technology.

To see more details about these businesses you can login at StudentBusinesses.com to view full business plans for these and other top startups around the country.

Labels: autotb, health startup, student startup, studentbusinesses.com

Posted at 9:50 PM