Building a Startup Between Classes as a Student Founder
Hello, future Jumbos! I'm a student founder building Briefly, a social media app for podcasts, with my co-founders. We haven't launched yet, but we're building a waitlist, and I'm learning more than I ever expected outside a classroom.
The hardest part of being a student founder was finding the resources to turn an idea into a working product. Surprisingly, I didn't even know about Tufts' entrepreneurial support until I got to campus, and I'm so grateful I found it. The Derby Center for Entrepreneurship has been a great resource, especially the mentorship I've received. The EIF grant (Entrepreneurial & Innovation Fund) also helped us cover many of the early costs of building our product.
Tufts also shaped a decision I made this summer. I came in as a Cognitive Brain Science major, and while I was building Briefly, I started to see how important computer science is to society and to the future. Because Tufts’ curriculum is very interdisciplinary, I was able to declare a second major in Computer Science, which made my skills a better fit for what I'm building and more future-proof.
One last thing: Tufts has an amazing community of students who are founders, and being in Boston gives you access to entrepreneurs beyond campus. You'll meet really interesting, niche people and have productive conversations, like the ones I've had. The exchange of ideas you'll have with them can help you build something great.