Collage of 3 cofounders

Student Business Spotlight: StudentSide

Collage of 3 cofounders

As students across the country try to plan their futures at colleges they can’t physically visit at the moment, the new business venture StudentSide from 3 university students could not have come at a better time. StudentSide–a creation of Duke students Dan Hepworth and Nick Dahlborg and Cornell student Simar Kohli–is an online platform for connecting current university students to prospective students who want to learn more about if they are a good fit for their top choices. 

Dan recently spoke with us about his motivation for the business. He says that he didn't really have a lot of information when picking a university and wanted to help other students make sure they were picking universities that fit their needs and interests best and not picking them based on public persona or other metrics. 

Dan is a Computer Science major and Econ minor at Duke. He has taken advantage of various MMS electives that have helped open his eyes to the intricacies of different types of businesses. These courses have helped him learn more about the practical aspects of how businesses and markets function successfully. 

"One fun fact," he shares with us, "is that my co-founders and I actually have never been in the same room. Everything’s been virtual.” The team of three college students have created the business entirely remotely and have held all their meetings virtually. Dan shares that while COVID-19 has lead to some difficulties as with any business, the virtual aspect of the current moment and their business model has allowed them to democratize talent and work with people and students across the world. 

Currently, StudentSide.org is serving approximately 1,000 students from 75 universities across the country. And in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, StudentSide is offering all their services free of charge, stating that they are “fully committed to destressing the college search process during these unprecedented times.”