Building A Startup In University
One of my favourite movies of all time is The Social Network. I first watched it in 2021 during my gap year, daydreaming about how cool it would be to build a startup in university, something that could instantly gain traction just by being around students and solving a real problem. I may have procrastinated a little too long, but here I am, four weeks away from graduating, finally making it happen. And the best part? The overwhelming support.
The idea came from my job at the Student Success Centre, where we ran outreach events, promoting our services while handing out free snacks and drinks. At almost every event, two things kept happening: there was always way too much food left over, and my friends never knew about it because they didn’t catch the Instagram stories in time. Then, one night, a friend texted our group chat about free food in the science building. At 10:35 p.m., another friend and I strolled over from our dorms to find tables full of untouched appetizers that the event staff were practically begging people to take. We grabbed containers and loaded up with pigs in a blanket, bruschettas, and mini cakes. On the way back, I joked that it would be cool if someone started an Instagram page posting about free food on campus. It felt like a great idea at the time, but like most ideas, it got buried under the million other things I had going on.
Until January.
I found out about the Launchpoint Pitch Competition and decided I wanted to participate. The only problem? I didn’t have an idea to pitch. Then, while scrolling through my Notes app, I saw it, the free food alert idea. An Instagram page alone couldn’t be a startup, but I also didn’t want to overcomplicate things. That’s when my experience from the 2024 Startup Bootcamp, where Dhillon School of Business had nominated me to attend, came in clutch. I dug up the startup validation resources from the bootcamp, refined the idea, and built a small prototype with the help of my trusty friend ChatGPT.
With something tangible in hand, I filmed a three-minute video for the pitch competition submission. A week later, I found out I was a finalist. That’s when I knew I had to lock in. To take my idea public, I pitched it to my entire Social Marketing class, using the opportunity to validate the concept, gather feedback, and hear firsthand what students wanted to see on the platform.
Now, I had a product, validation, feedback, and support. All I needed was funding.
The night before the pitch event, I built the best slide deck of my life, then shut my laptop and sipped on chamomile tea. The next day, I was nervous, but seeing my friends in the audience made me feel calm and confident. I gave it my all. Then, the waiting began. An hour and a half later, during dinner, I was on edge as they announced the winners. My heart raced with excitement as my name wasn’t called for 5th or 4th place. And then, boom. I was called up to the stage to collect a massive $1,000 check.
Standing there, I thought back to that random Thursday night when my friend and I joked about making an Instagram page. That tiny thought had turned into a real startup, with funding.
I kept my 2021 promise to build a startup in university. Bucket list item, complete.
What’s next?
