Archive for App development

John Collison: The Landscape of Tech

John Collison, Stripe’s co-founder, stands out as one of tech’s most down-to-earth visionaries. Hailing from rural Ireland, John wasn’t raised in the bustling tech hubs of Silicon Valley. He was a curious kid with big ideas, inspired by the endless possibilities of technology and determined to see what he and his older brother, Patrick, could build with it. By their teenage years, they launched their first successful venture, Auctomatic—a tool to help eBay sellers handle inventory. Not only did it work, but it caught fire. A Canadian company snatched it up in 2008 for $5 million, a small fortune for two young guys barely old enough to vote. But this win wasn’t the Collison brothers’ finish line—it was the spark.

Their big “aha!” moment came when they noticed a frustrating issue plaguing every online business: the painfully complicated process of setting up payments. Most companies, especially small startups, struggled to even begin accepting money online. So in 2010, the Collisons took on this problem and launched Stripe. Their approach was simple yet radical: let businesses start accepting payments with just a few lines of code. Stripe became a game-changer, cutting through red tape and technical barriers like a hot knife through butter. Startups, mom-and-pop shops, and eventually giants like Amazon and Google flocked to Stripe because, suddenly, getting paid was no longer a months-long ordeal—it took minutes.

John’s rapid rise to billionaire status is impressive, but it’s not really the point. His story isn’t just about wealth; it’s about reshaping what it means to be an entrepreneur. John and Patrick didn’t start with piles of cash or flashy marketing. They started with a mission to solve a real, persistent problem. Their journey shows that you don’t need to be flashy to be revolutionary—focus, persistence, and timing can be enough. John’s success reminds us that big change often starts with one well-executed idea and a willingness to build it step by step.

Evan Spiegel: Innovating One Snap At a Time

When I think of innovative ideas that have shaped today’s culture, I think of social media. It is said that over 60% of the world is on some form of social media, which is extremely impressive given the newness of major social media platforms. One social media that is particularly innovative is Snapchat. Typically, social media platforms allow users to share pictures to friends with a caption, and comments or reactions can be added to posts. With Snapchat, pictures with captions are exchanged between one person to another for a few seconds, and are then deleted forever.

One of the masterminds behind this innovative platform is Evan Spiegel. Spiegel co-founded Snapchat with a college friend at Stanford in 2011, and quickly gained immense wealth. By the time Spiegel was 25, he was officially a billionaire. He is now worth upwards of $3 billion. Spiegel was able to use his knowledge of app development, as well as his real world knowledge of social media to develop one of the biggest social media platforms to date.

One thing that is very inspiring about this is how Spiegel entered into an already booming marketplace, and was able to come out as one of the social media masterminds. Although Snapchat has had its legal issues and its many problems, it has proven to be a social media that is here to stay, and that is thanks to Evan Spiegel and his genius in the social media realm.

Alinea- Eve Halimi and Anam Lakhani

Have you ever wanted to try out investing but was never taught very well, or do you want to know how to make some money passively? If you’re curious to learn more about investing, then Alinea is the solution for you! Alinea was founded by Anam Lakhani and Eve Halimi when they were only just 24 years old! They came up with the idea in class at Barnard College, Columbia University because they noticed that some of their classmates didn’t want to invest because they didn’t know a lot about it. They also realized that not knowing a lot about investing shouldn’t stop you from trying so they created Alinea, but what is Alinea? Alinea is an investing app that was created with Gen Z’s in mind to help them grow their investments. Alinea is also backed up by Harvard, Goodwater, Kima, Y Combinator and many others. Eve and Anam created this app because it can hard and tricky to understand financial markets, especially today. The internet and technology keep growing, and so do the opportunities to make money. Alinea is a great way for new investors to get more familiar with the stock market and they also offer an “inclusive community for new investors.”

In the app, there’s personalized investing recommendations and caters towards different demographics and generations. Another cool feature of the app is how users can even start investing with as little as $1 for fractional shares of stocks and EFTs. Not every investing app lets you start off with $1, and with the starting price being so low the risks are also pretty low. Alinea also has a feature called “playlists” that are groups of stocks that can be customized based on what your values or lifestyles are. There’s even the option to invest in female-founded companies and many others. Over the years, this app has $2.1 million in funding from a lot of strategic investors and even Hardvard! Alinea is SEC registered investment advisor, FINRA & SIPC Insured as a drivewealth partner, and bank-level security, and SSL & 256-bit encryption. Having all of these features makes investing safer and easier, with lower risks and a whole lot of learning without the stress! With an annual membership only being $96, you can get access to a whole lot of support and learning opportunities on how to invest! Check out their website here!

Sources:

ALINEA INVEST : FOUNDING STORY | Alinea Invest: Social Investing App for GenZ

ALINEA, NEW FEMALE-FOUNDED FINTECH AND Y COMBINATOR BACKED APP, REINVENTS CREATIVE INVESTING FOR GEN Z

Sam Park – Creating content to connect better

Jung Hoon Park,  known as Sam, proudly serves as the co-founder of JoyBox Media, a thriving enterprise with a heartfelt mission. JoyBoxMedia is dedicated to empowering brands to bridge the gap with the vibrant Gen Z demographic. Sam and his brilliant team specialize in crafting one-of-a-kind content tailored for TikTok, ensuring that businesses can authentically engage with younger audiences. Notably, their creative prowess has left an indelible mark on renowned brands like Torn and Tory & Massari.

Hailing from the vibrant city of Toronto, Canada, Sam Park’s journey to success is marked by resilience and unconventional paths. He faced the challenging decision of dropping out of college not once, but twice, a choice that eventually led him to the esteemed position of CEO at JoyBox. Remarkably, his business’s triumph is not solely attributed to its uniqueness or strategy but rather to Sam’s unwavering integrity and unwavering commitment to delivering top-notch work.

“Doing good work may spread rapidly, but a subpar job travels even faster. Integrity in dealings with customers, friends, and colleagues is the bedrock upon which a robust brand reputation is built. While skills open doors, integrity is the key to staying in the room.”

The tale of JoyBox Media took an unexpected twist when it transitioned from being a shorty-nominated entertainment network, to providing a platform for celebrities, athletes, and creators to share their insights on internet trends. Following its acquisition by GameLancer, the focus shifted towards crafting binge-worthy, short-form content tailored for brands, creators, and networks, all while achieving wide-scale distribution within our parent company, GameLancer.

Sam Park’s entrepreneurial spirit ignited in 2017 when he, alongside Kamar Burke, founded a social media film and photography venture, which served as a haven for creatives to freely express themselves through the lens. However, this venture was not Sam’s maiden foray into entrepreneurship, as he had previously ventured into landscaping, app development, and a multitude of other business endeavors.

As he navigates each day, Sam remains dedicated to the art of gratitude. His core values of integrity and respect extend seamlessly from his personal life into the realm of business. He aspires not only to fortify his own brand but also to inspire fledgling entrepreneurs to persistently show up, maintain consistency, and deliver high-caliber work. His true passion lies in connecting with others and offering assistance, harnessing his gift of communication as a powerful tool. Sam’s most profound and inspiring belief centers around tethering one’s self-worth to purpose rather than the specific work undertaken. This philosophy fosters a liberating environment for creative exploration across diverse business ventures, unburdened by one’s self-identity solely tied to a career.

Hillary Yip – Young Entrepreneur/Youngest CEO in the World

Hillary Yip, who is now 15 years old, is the youngest CEO in the world. She was born in Hongkong. Hillary’s mother sent her and her brother to a summer camp to improve their Chinese speaking skills. At the camp, she learned so much and her experience led her to come to the idea of MinorMynas.

Hillary began a startup at the age of 10! She is the proud founder of MinorMynas, which is a language learning app that she created. MinorMynas allows children all of the world to learn different languages and communicate/make friends from all different countries. The app uses live video as a platform for children to have conversations and learn different languages from each other.

MinorMynas is available in over 60 countries, allowing children all over the world to expand their knowledge on topics they love and get a better perception on other cultures. Hillary having the ability to not only form this idea but create something from it at her age is truly remarkable. She has been featured in a number of TV broadcasts and TV shows such as BBC, CCTV, TEDx, and more. Hillary has said that she plans on creating another version of her app to target parents. She wants to create an app that will allow parents to communicate internationally with other parents.

Hillary Yip speaking at age 15

SAFETRIP

SAFETRIP is a wonderful app designed to book non-emergency and emergency medical transport for the elderly, veterans, homeless, and anyone else in need. Surprisingly, this revolutionary idea was co-founded by young engineer Langston Whitlock. 

At 12 years-old,  Langston was learning to code and fell in love with it. Eventually, Langston used his newfound knowledge to make an app to contact his absent father. With these skills, Langston was later brought on to the SAFETRIP team by Ja’Nese Jean. 

Ja’Nese Jean, a co-founder of SAFETRIP, birthed the idea when witnessing a homeless veteran not having access to healthcare or transportation. Knowing Langston’s skillset, she invited him to the developing team to collaborate together and make the revolutionary app come to life. 

This app allows its users to book emergency or non-emergency transportation. Vehicles include premium cars, vans, wheelchair accessible vehicles, and ambulances as needed. 

Since its creation, SAFETRIP has raised over 2 million dollars in funding because of Langston’s technology. Although it’s currently based in Georgia, the company hopes to soon expand into other parts of the country and make an even bigger impact. 

SAFETRIP

  • Langston Whitlock is another young entrepreneur who started his own business at the age of sixteen. He is taking the tech world by storm as he is the co-founder and CIO of SAFETRIP, which is the world’s first healthcare transportation mobile app and digital platform. With this app, Whitlock’s patented technology can allow users to book non-emergency and emergency medical transport. It also gives the user an option to pay for services using their insurance. Although he is one of the youngest entrepreneurs in this industry, he says he does not let his age deter him from his goals. The one thing he talks about is how he had a good support system because the people around him trusted his skills. The way SAFETRIP was created was that another person named Ja’Nese Jean saw a homeless veteran who didn’t have access to healthcare. Ja’Nese Jean brought on Langston Whitlock because she knew about his skills and talent. This goes to show how good Langston is at coding because SAFETRIP has raised two million dollars in funding. What was inspiring about Langston’s story was how he started to learn coding at the age of 12. He did it by building an anonymous messaging app to contact his absent father. He says that project is what helped guide him toward his greater purpose which is what he is currently doing with SAFETRIP. His message to other people was to always have faith no matter your circumstance because God has a plan for everyone. Although Langston did not come up this idea, I thought it was very impressive to see how talented he was in the tech industry to lead him where he is at today.
  • Langston Whitlock's SafeTrip: Unique, Thriving, & Safe ::  millennialentrepreneurs.com

Creating the Future of Publishing

Often Entrepreneurship students are asked to think outside the box. To find pain, find the problem and brainstorm a solution. This is the exact formula the creator of Canva, and Aussie native, Melanie Perkins followed. After struggling to create her high school’s yearbook she knew there had to be a better way. She believed that in the future, publishing would be streamlined, and connected through the internet for collaborative work. Adobe and Microsoft were not accessible to high school students. “People would have to spend an entire semester learning where the buttons were, and that seemed completely ridiculous,” she said in one interview.

She told her boyfriend about her idea, and it took off from there. Transforming her living room into an office she began to research and develop her idea. The pair created Fusion Books to start. Students could collaborate online and submit them to a printer. From there they would be delivered to schools all across Australia.

 

Next, Melanie and her boyfriend-turned-business-partner set their sights on a new goal, Silicon Valley. During a conference in Perth, she was invited by Bill Tai to San Francisco to give a second pitch. There, Melanie had more time to go into detail about Canva, although it didn’t appear to go over well. “I thought that he didn’t really like what I had to say. He was on his phone, and I thought that meant he wasn’t really engaged in what I had to say about the future of publishing,” she said. In reality, he was busy forwarding her information to his contacts. She had great success after building relationships within Silicon Valley.

In 2012, her idea finally came to fruition. Lars Rasmussen, a co-founder of google maps, took an advisory role to help find a developer. The trio welcomed new team member, Dave Hearnden. After their first funding round, they had 1.5 million in investments- they had completely oversubscribed. The Australian government matched that total in a bit to keep the growing company along the native Aussie shores.

The site went live the following year, and revolutionized content marketing possibilities. As of today, Canva has assisted in the creation of over 2 billion designs. They are accessible in over 190 countries and continue their quest to help individuals publish anything, anywhere.

 

Have you used Canva before? I love using it for everything between Instagram posts and stories to staying organized with school. You can check them out on their socials or visit their website to get started!

Langston Whitlock: co-founder of Safetrip

19-year-old engineer Langston Whitlock is the co-founder of Safetrip, the world’s first healthcare transportation app geared towards helping the homeless & elderly. The app allows patients, caretakers, and health care providers to book non-emergency and emergency medical transportation. Users are offered premium vans, cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles and ambulances and have the option of paying with insurance. Safetrip, based in Georgia, is changing the game for healthcare.

The idea for the app came when co-founder Ja’Nese Jean met a homeless veteran without access to healthcare. Jean began brainstorming ideas and brought together a team which included Whitlock because of his skills, talent, and passion for technology. From there, the idea for Safetrip developed. Since it began, the company has rasied over $2 million, a large part of this is thanks to Whitlock’s technology. He began coding when he was only 12 years old when he built an anonymous messaging app to contact his absent father. Since then, his passion has grown ever stronger for it. Whitlock says “Whatever you’re good at is likely what you’re called to do, and never give up. Even if your dad walks out of your life, pray to God and try to move forward with your life. God will provide resources.”

Additionally, Langston Whitlock was one of the youngest founders named to Forbes 30 under 30 in 2019. He can be seen as an inspiration to all, especially teenagers, of achieving your dreams doing something you love.

Zev Shapiro – The Social Activist Entrepreneur

      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