Student Site Links Business Community

Sitting on a bus in China last spring break, two Harvard students discovered that they were united by more than an interest in Asia—both shared a passion for entrepreneurship.

By the end of the bus ride a partnership had been formed, and now the two have launched a Web site for other aspiring student businessmen.

Co-Founders S. Travis May ’09 and Vivek G. Ramaswamy ’07 launched the site last week to connect students who are interested in starting their own businesses.

The site, StudentBusinesses.com, sells subscriptions to professionals, such as private investors, venture capitalists, and accountants, with an interest in reaching student entrepreneurs. It is free for students, but they must apply for membership.

Users create profiles describing their interests and skills. They then place themselves into one or more of three categories: “In the Game,” for those seeking investors and services for their existing businesses; “On the Roster,” for students looking for business partners; and “In the Bullpen,” for users looking to share business ideas.

May said that one of the goals of the site is to help students secure funding to turn their ideas into reality.

“There is not an easy way to raise the small amount of money to start a business,” May said, “but at the same time there’s a lot of interest.”

StudentBusinesses.com user Jon T. Staff V ’10 considers networking the most valuable aspect of the site. Staff, who is also an Undergraduate Council representative, said that when he comes up with business ideas with his roommates, they “informally bounce ideas off friends”—a process formalized by StudentBusiness.

May and Ramaswamy hope the site will become a national project. It will be used at the University of North Carolina “to try out the model in a different location,” May said.

The Web site “seems like a great way to connect student entrepreneurs with each other,” said site user Aneesh Kulkarni ’09. “I’m looking forward to seeing it grow.”