A free resource designed specifically for college students, the site centralizes a student’s internet life with a campus-specific homepage. It has up-to-the-minute links to weather and news — world, national and local. It provides access to e-mail, Facebook and MySpace, as well as college Web pages such as Blackboard, Campus Intranet and Directory Search. Most notably, though, CampusLIVE has been able to connect students with local businesses in an unprecedented way.
The Finder feature allows students to quickly scan a complete list of local businesses by category. With the click of a button, students can instantly learn which are open at the time, as well as everything else they might need to know: businesses’ specific rates, address, phone number, hours of operation, coupons, other students’ reviews and much more.
For local businesses that are not restaurants, directly connecting with or advertising to students was nearly impossible, a problem CampusLIVE helps remedy. “Linking with students was nearly impossible,” said Director of Business Development Ryan Durkin. “They couldn’t just post a menu on students’ doors.” Even hosting a special event to get students’ attention, he said, was expensive and could usually not be done more than once a semester.
However, CampusLIVE is an effective and convenient solution to this problem, as it is a tool that many students use daily. “It gets the word out there without interrupting students’ lives,” Durkin explained. “It’s not spam — if you want certain information, you can get it quickly.”
Most local businesses have gotten in contact with CampusLIVE, registered on the Web site and provided information. The company has also been in contact with the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, with favorable results. “We’ve been getting phone calls [from local business owners] telling us that they had a few more new customers in today, and thanking us so much for the help.”
Approximately two weeks ago, CampusLIVE launched a completely new version of the site. Students who use the Web site now, or who plan to use it in the future, can expect many additional improvements in the coming months. An updated food finder, customizable quick links and complete athletics updates are among the soon-to-be-launched amenities.
Of particular interest to students may be the opening internship positions for this summer and next fall’s semester. Currently, approximately 30 interns from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst are working there, and the company is looking for about five Amherst College students to join the internship program this summer. The company employs a rotational program: in turn, interns get to work in business development, marketing and on the sales team. The interns are “given responsibility from day one,” said Durkin. “The purpose [of this internship] is to give interns an idea of how entrepreneurship works in the real world. Ultimately, you’ll get to work directly with the CEO of the company.”
CampusLIVE has been receiving feedback from professors, students and administrators and has also spoken at colleges to get students interested in entrepreneurship.
According to Durkin, there is no better time to learn about the subject. Given the state of the economy, many qualified college graduates are having trouble finding jobs or are settling for jobs that they are not completely happy with. “This is a perfect time to learn about and become involved with entrepreneurship because at this time, starting your own business is less of a risk.” This is an especially opportune environment for a business involving the internet, such as CampusLIVE. Durkin’s overall advice is simple: “If you have a good idea, you should try it.”
CampusLIVE itself had very modest beginnings — as a student at UMass approximately two years ago, current CEO Jared Stenquist and two friends, Boris Revsin and Jeff Cassidy, first considered the idea in their Southwest dormitory. They felt that students couldn’t easily find everything they wanted to online and wanted to fulfill the increasing need for a central Web site. Having had experience in Web development, they created a simple version of the site with a few quick links and restaurants. Within a few months, a majority of students at UMass were using it.
After enjoying continued success at his home school, Stenquist decided to open the Web site to the Five Colleges. At this point, they invited a few friends to help with the business, Durkin being one of them. “This was when they realized that it had the potential to become a very successful business,” he said. From there, the business has set up Web sites for colleges and universities across the country.
Currently, the company employs seven full-time employees as well as campus representatives, part-time workers and interns. The business is student-run; as Durkin said, “Most of the employees are in their early 20s.”
The company is constantly expanding, and currently has Web pages for 58 schools across the country, from the University of California at Los Angeles to Fordham University in New York City. Furthermore, those who would like the company to spread to their school can request to become a campus representative.
CampusLIVE constantly seeks feedback from campus representatives and through direct interaction with students. Feedback and new ideas can be quickly translated into improvements to the Web site. As the Web site states, “‘The world at your fingertips?’ How about ‘YOUR world at your fingertips?’”