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Zev Shapiro – The Social Activist Entrepreneur

Posted by warburgle21

· Friday, December 10th, 2021

· 1 Comment

Zev Shapiro is no ordinary college student. His childhood was unlike his peers. Born and raised in Cambridge Massachusetts, he is currently a sophomore at Harvard University. At the age of 10, he helped manage Senator Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. In 2014, he was invited to the State of the Union Address as Elizabeth Warren’s guest. He enjoys reading academic law and public policy journals for fun and discussing politics. He always has had an entrepreneurial spirit, especially with his visionary personality; he often looks ahead as to what can be solved and improved in our society. Before graduating high school at Cambridge Rindge and Latin in 2020, he launched TurnUp (in 2019), a non profit application dedicated for young activists to increase voter turnout. TurnUp targets Generation Z progressives by having the capability to connect with other progressive individuals for specific causes. Zev wants to provide his peers with a network to organize events, marches, and protests for teenage activists. He specifically focuses on increasing voter turnout in all U.S elections but there are some other causes such as social justice, racial inequality and educational rights issues. The use of TurnUp proved to increase 36 million young voters nationally in 2020. Additionally, TurnUp made it possible for 17,000 people to make connections with one another and attend progressive events and it has over $2,000 individual donors. This new progressive activism app has grown in such a short amount of time. Through TurnUp, Zev Shapiro brings together a new generation of young activists for leftist causes.

Despite Zev Shapiro’s political beliefs, as Christian entrepreneurs we should be inspired by his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication so that we can create some kind of innovation which spreads Biblical Truth, the Word of God, and conservative thought to Generation Z. So what are we waiting for?

To Learn more about Zev:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zevshapiro

https://www.turnup.us/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zev_Shapiro

1 Comment

Categories : App, App development, Communication, Creating, Entrepreneurship, Male Entrepreneurs, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Nonprofit, Online Companies, Politics, Social Entrepreneur, Social Impact, Social Justice, Social Media, Startups, young entrepreneurs

Tags : Generation Z, Startups, Youth Activism

Garrett Gee – The Scanning Millionaire

Posted by dawsoncm21

· Monday, November 15th, 2021

· 5 Comments

Garrett Gee is one of the founders of Scan Inc., a company focused on the QR code industry from a new and innovative angle. The company began out of an idea Garrett and his classmates came up with for a project in his entrepreneurship course at BYU. They decided to put their idea into action, which ended up making them millionaires. Scan is a downloadable app that allows people to make their own QR codes that can link to more than just a website. It also allows you to scan a barcode to check a price on an item. With a wider variety of codes you can scan, this company was immediately very popular to multiple large investors. The app blew up as soon as Garrett and his team launched it, and he went on Shark Tank to pitch his idea. Although he did not secure a deal with a shark, the additional publicity for his business only made it that much more popular. Garrett ended up selling Scan Inc. to Snapchat for $54 million.

These young and successful entrepreneurs are perfect examples of true innovators. They saw that the QR code system had more potential than it was being used for, so they decided to do something about it. Although they very well could have moved on from this idea, especially since it was an idea for their class, I am inspired by their follow through with the project. I am especially inspired by Garrett because he demonstrated his determination throughout the building of the company through his passion and drive to “connect the real world with the digital universe”.

I have learned that we have the power to “change the world from our college dorm rooms”, as Garrett said. With technology advancing, it could be any second that a million dollar idea comes to us. When approaching innovation, it is important not to limit yourself by self doubt because the world truly is at our fingertips.

5 Comments

Categories : App, Shark Tank, Snapchat, Young Entrepreneur

Shine: the Self Care App for Millennials.

Posted by kriegeral21

· Sunday, October 17th, 2021

· 3 Comments

Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey are the cofounders and co-CEOs of an app called Shine. Both women worked together and were excited to turn their side hustle into a business with the foundation of their professional relationship and personal friendship with each other. They left their day job to make this vision a reality.

The app is aimed at those who are struggling with mental health problems due to a variety of issues such as a breakup, a toxic boss, financial stress, or anything else. They wanted to help millennials navigate through the stresses of life and become more confident in themselves. They created an app that would remind users that they are never alone and to break the stigma around mental health issues. They started this business because they saw a problem and knew they were well equipped to solve it.

The reason Shine has become so successful is because of its accessibility. In order to reach those who are hurting, they knew they needed to make it a resource available to everyone. This tactic has been working for them- they surpassed over half a million users in its first year.

https://youtu.be/62JG_M3-c1Y

3 Comments

Categories : App, mental health, Millennial Enrepreneuers

The Bridge to Success

Posted by NoahIversen

· Monday, September 27th, 2021

· 2 Comments

Social media has been building bridges to new ways of innovation and entrepreneurship ever since it began. Those who have capitalized on it when it began, however, are the ones making all the money and gaining the most fame. Felix Kjellberg, or better known to some as “Pewdiepie,” created his youtube account only one year after the website was released. It wasn’t until 2011, though, that he began to post on what would become the largest account on the platform ever (owned by one person). He began by posting quite short and relatively boring videos on his account purely for the entertainment of his friends and himself. As time went on, more people began to find his account, subscribing to it, and Felix’s fanbase grew. Less than a year later he had surpassed the 1 million subscriber mark. He began to post more and more and only a year after that was at 10 million. It was safe to say that he was on the right track.

Pewdiepie began to create merch such as shirts, chairs, headsets, and eventually his own game on the app store. He was rapidly gaining fans and in the spring of 2019, the creator finally reached an astonishing 100 million followers, which meant that 1 in 15 people who used youtube was subscribed to his account. This may not seem like much, however, almost half of the country uses this platform. He is still creating to this day and after selling many products and featuring in other videos and ads, he has accumulated roughly a cool $45,000,000 from online interactions alone. Felix will forever be remembered in the industry of videomaking and for revolutionizing the world by his assistance in bridging the gap between the real and digital worlds of entrepreneurship.

2 Comments

SafeTrip

Posted by KaufmanCJ20

· Monday, September 20th, 2021

· 2 Comments

Langston Whitlock at the age of 17 created a business to help veterans, homeless individuals, and elderly. After running across a homeless veteran who said that many people across Atlanta didn’t have transportation to get to doctors appointments, Langston started SafeTrip which was a driving service that could bring these individuals, who had no source of transportation, to their appointments. SafeTrip was made into an app that people can use to book the rides that they need to get to their appointments.

The most innovative part of the whole business in my opinion is that acceptance of insurance as payment for these rides. This could not be any more perfect for those who happen to have that insurance but not much besides that or even if they just don’t have a car and being able to have insurance pay for it is an added bonus!

2 Comments

Categories : App

Hillary Yip: The World’s Youngest CEO

Posted by hutchinsag21

· Sunday, September 19th, 2021

· No Comments

Hilary Yip is the youngest CEO in the world and the owner of MinorMynas, a social learning app designed for language learning.

The idea came to her after her mother sent her and her younger brother to a summer camp in Taiwan hoping they would be more fluent with the Chinese language, which they had been struggling with for years. When she surrounded herself with the language she was trying to learn, it proved to be a very beneficial experience for her and she learned the language almost overnight.

Her idea was to create an app that could connect children from around the world to help them in their journey of learning a new language. The app lets children be in a safe environment where they can chat, connect with others in video calls, learn, and debate, with built-in parental controls for safety.

Yip created this business at the age of ten when she ran into a child entrepreneurship contest and was interested enough to participate. With her structured ideas and the help of her mother, the girl presented her project in 2015 and won the ‘Emerging Entrepreneur Awards’ with her MinorMynas app. I find it inspiring how her age didn’t deter her from pursuing her goals, even when it seemed impossible. Today, Hillary continues as Founder and CEO of MinorMynas, keeping up with her education through homeschooling while becoming a speaker at major events like TED Talks and the Global Women’s Forum.

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Categories : App

Marlo Vernon’s CarePenguin

Posted by blanktc21

· Saturday, September 18th, 2021

· 3 Comments

CU Boulder Graduate finds an Innovative Way to Care for the Elderly

Marlo Vernon, CEO & Founder

Marlo Vernon, a Colorado University Boulder alumnus, discovered a common thread of concern for senior citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic. She recognized a need for a peace of mind from families who could not necessarily see their elderly family members as often as they would have liked to. Marlo relates an all too real scenario where loved ones would make daily phone calls to the elderly simply to see if they were still alive; this was a terrifying situation that she found a simple solution to, because “that’s not a conversation anyone wants to have.” Driven by her own concern for her grandparents while she was away at college and during the pandemic, Marlo, together with her father Todd Vernon, created CarePenguin (Home – CarePenguin).

CarePenguin is a noninvasive hot water sensor. No one wants a camera on in their house watching their every move; this hot water sensor shows activity in a house without that feeling of invasion of privacy. This mechanism detects every day procedures such as washing hands, brushing teeth, doing the dishes, watering the garden, etc.. By knowing that their loved ones are up and moving, families can go throughout their day with peace of mind. Marlo demonstrates an eye for a need in the community along with a solution to the problem. The CarePenguin app is simple and easy to use. By looking at an app on their phone, family members can see the last time a faucet was turned on. The app also senses lack of movement that alerts the user that it may be time to check in on their elderly.

Marlo’s mission to provide security within the home is inspiring to up and rising entrepreneurs like myself. She exemplifies the idea that you can help others and make money at the same time. At first thought, CarePenguin, didn’t make sense to me; but after further research, I saw how helpful the device really is. This shows me ideas that may seem “silly” or unhelpful at first, may have a different angle. Marlo and her father inspire me to reconsider ideas that I have downplayed in the past, and take a look at them from a different perspective.

Young Colorado entrepreneur dives into senior care with water sensor (thedenverchannel.com)About Us – CarePenguin Home – CarePenguin Read More →

3 Comments

Categories : App, Business, Elderly Care, Great Ideas, Millennial Entrepreneurs

Catherine Cooke: myYearbook

Posted by hasseea20

· Monday, December 14th, 2020

· 3 Comments

Another relevant entrepreneur for students is Catherine Cook, creator of myYearbook, a free interactive online yearbook. At the age of fifteen Catherine and her seventeen-year-old brother Dave came up with the idea to be able to interact with more fellow students online. They quickly got their first investor from their web designer older brother and set to work. Soon after building their website, they combined with a user generated quiz site to garner many more interactions.

As they grew, Catherine’s business encountered some pivots as she tried to figure out what would work and what would not. At some points potential investors would want her to move headquarters or determine ad space. Ultimately, she stayed true to her business and vision and it paid off. MyYearbook.com was ranked one of the most popular sites for middle school and high school students in 2006. As her business grew, it attracted nicer advertisers like Disney and Neutrogena.

While she put time into growing it, as was a struggle for many school age entrepreneurs, school and grades started to suffer. Because being in the heart of her target market and being able to optimize her website with direct input and feedback made myYearbook more user friendly, it also became very overwhelming when trying to balance work and school. Later in her high school career Catherine found herself having to skip classes to work.

Yet through every obstacle and inconvenience, starting when she was just fifteen years old, Catherine Cook’s myYearbook has carved itself a niche for high schoolers and grown to 3 million members.

Cook kept up her business all throughout college, after which she sold myYearbook. She remains a partner however, working full time for the business. Catherine Cooke has become a very well-known entrepreneur, inspiring many young people to not let their age keep them from pursuing their big ideas.

3 Comments

Categories : App, Blog, Business, Challenge, Content Entrepreneurs, Creating, Education, Female Empowerment, Kids, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Reselling, Startups, Women Entrepreneurs, Youngest Entrepreneurs

Andrew Mason – Groupon

Posted by hasseea20

· Sunday, December 13th, 2020

· 2 Comments

The story of Groupon and its main entrepreneur is a dramatic one. Andrew Mason was a web designer paid by tech billionaire Eric Lefkofsky to drop out of grad school and start a business. With his prior experience and classic dropping-out-of-college storyline, Andrew was heading down the road of successful entrepreneurship.

Although he had built enough reputation to warrant a million dollar investment from a former employer, Mason was still in uncharted territory. In an interview with the Gimlet podcast, Mason had said “In the early days we would buy a bunch of academic books on collective action, and me and the other people there would just sit around and read.” The book learning was effective, but there were still some trial and error steps along the way.

While still figuring out what genre of value Groupon would provide its users, Mason and his partners had a few tries and guesses and trips. The original point was to provide an area for people to come up with an idea and go into it together. “I have a plan, but I’m not going to go through with it unless a lot of people do it with me.” Early on, they would seed ideas out to the public and see if they would take. Business was slow, and eventually the users started coming up with their own ideas.

This caused Mason to risk losing his funding; unless he could find an avenue that would provide steady usage and income, Groupon would be shut down. Mason eventually landed on group discount. Groupon sold retail discounts, giving a cut of each sale to the business providing it. Starting off by manually distributing and building relationships Groupon ended up growing faster than Apple, Google, and Facebook. Though he is no longer a part of Groupon, Andrew Mason continues to work as a successful entrepreneur.

2 Comments

Categories : App, Business, College, Content Entrepreneurs, Creating, eCommerce, Investing, Male Entrepreneurs, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Podcast, Shopping, Startups, Websites

Andrew Mason – Founder of Groupon

Posted by ThompsonNS20

· Sunday, November 29th, 2020

· 2 Comments

Background:

Andrew was born on October 22, 1980 in Pittsburgh, PA. From a young age of 15, Mason had an entrepreneurial spirit as he started a weekend bagel-delivery service called Bagel Express.

Phantom Interview with Former Groupon CEO Andrew Mason

Later on in his life in 2003, Mason graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in music. Finding no work in that field, he took a job as a software developer at InnerWorkings, Inc., and met the company’s founder, Eric Lefkofsky.

Then in 2006, Mason earned a scholarship to attend the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy after creating Policy Tree, a visualization tool for policy debates.

The Beginning of Groupon:

Also in 2006, Mason created The Point which was an Internet-based program designed to organize grassroots action for a given cause.

In 2007 Mason searched for a way to make a profit from The Point by exploring the concept of collective buying. In 2008 he founded and opened Groupon with Lefkofsky and Mason became the company’s chief executive officer.

By negotiating deep discounts on vendors’ products and services, Groupon tried to link vendors with new customers through its signature “deal of the day” for a spotlighted product or service. Groupon profited from each sale by receiving up to 50 percent of the retail value of the product or service.

By 2012 Groupon had grown from a few dozen workers to over 12,000, and it was operating in more than 150 U.S. cities and more than 40 countries.

Groupon’s Success and Downfall:

In June 2011 Mason announced his plan to take the company public. In November the initial public offering allowed Groupon to raise $700 million, which raised Mason’s net worth to $1 billion and increased Groupon’s value to $12.7 billion. By August 2012, however, Groupon’s stock had plummeted 75 percent, and in February 2013 Mason was “forced” out of the CEO position. Groupon $25 (Email Delivery) : Target

Even though the company eventually failed, Mason still had a big success in this company and made a lot of money in the process. Before Groupon’s downfall, Google offered to buy the company for $6 billion, but Mason wanted the company to go public and he wanted to hold onto his creation. He wasn’t affraid of failure which is key to entrepreneurship.

2 Comments

Categories : App, Shopping