3 Day Startup explores the journey of student entrepreneurs from all over the world in the ongoing blog series Born in Dorms. Universities are ripe for more innovation: the combination of bright students, open information, and more accessible tech creates an environment where student companies can flourish better than ever before. These highly motivated and driven students share their successes, failures, and everything in between as they navigate the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship in their local communities. Read more about each student’s unique perspective on building a viable company in and around campus.
Cofounders Gregg Anderson and Jessica Wooding from San Diego State University
Gregg Anderson, a graduate student at San Diego State University, cofounded Jobioz, Inc. along with fellow students Jessica Wooding and Rob Schmieder in 2012.
Jobioz aims to revolutionize the hiring process for graduating students, increasing efficiency, reducing costs and providing an all in one job hunting and online recruiting platform. Through the online platform students can create a digital portfolio, look for and find jobs, and manage the application process. On the other side of the table, employers can create a company profile, search for and find candidates, and manage the recruiting process.
The startup’s entire business model was born at San Diego State University and is completely owned and operated by students and recent SDSU Alumni. “We’ve been in The Zahn Center for Technological Innovation on the SDSU campus for the last year,” says Anderson. “We’ve also had very strong mentors and we’ve been self-funding the venture by using the revenue from our previous company that we are still operating, a company that helps brands compete online through digital marketing tactics and strategic marketing planning.”
The team reached a huge milestone when they built the Jobioz platform for less than $5,000 when it could have cost them $500,000. They are planning to launch their beta product before the May graduation season, and their goal this year is to become the recruitment leader in San Diego. Anderson says he hopes to bring 10,000 student users and 1,000 employers onto the platform by the end of the year.
While working on Jobioz, Anderson learned, “If you don’t know what your customers want, you don’t have a business.” He also stresses that students have access to a lot of mentors and advisors, so aspiring student entrepreneurs should not be afraid to reach out for help. “Successful entrepreneurs, VC’s, Angel investors or industry experts love giving back to students by providing advice,” says Anderson.
The last piece of advice he offers to fellow student entrepreneurs is the simple message of not giving up. “You will have a lot of people telling you what you’re doing is not possible, or that it won’t work or that you won’t succeed. But the more impossible your idea, the more it should motivate you to show the world that if you can dream it, you can do it.”
About 3 Day Startup
3 Day Startup (3DS) teaches entrepreneurial skills to university students in an extreme hands-on environment. In addition to supporting budding entrepreneurs, 3DS programs cultivate entrepreneurial communities that contribute to the growth of entrepreneurship ecosystems in the regions surrounding these university programs. This proven program provides students the tools they need to start successful companies. To date, more than 41 companies have come out of 3DS to collectively raise $10.5 million in investor capital and more than a dozen have been accepted to prestigious incubators and accelerators such as Y Combinator and TechStars.
Brought to you by:
AngelHack organizes hackathon competitions for web developers and entrepreneurs, called AngelHacks, where they can learn developer tools, meet new friends, and receive funding and mentorship for their startup ideas. In 2013, AngelHack will organize 100 hackathons, bringing together 15,000+ developers in 50+ cities. Winners from every city are put through the AngelHack Accelerator Program, where we mentor them for 12 weeks before bringing them out to Silicon Valley to raise investment and introduce them to incubators. Previous winners have gone on to attend Y-Combinator, AngelPad, TechStars, 500 Startups, and incubators around the world. Learn more
The 3 Day Startup Blog 