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Advize
UCLA's Next Big Startup
Curtis Chou & Chong Min-Shin
May 15, 2024
In a world focused on work, what we decide to do with our work heavily determines how our life works out.
However, many students (myself included 😅 ) tend to wander aimlessly throughout college with the thought of work in their back pocket. The idea of deciding on what you’re about to dedicate the next couple years of your life to is frightening. This is why college binge drinking is so popular 🍻
But I ADVIZE you consider other options besides binge drinking. Excited to share a UCLA founded startup focused on helping students figure their career and what they want to do in life.
Also, big thank you to Min-Shin (Girls into VC UCLA) who helped draft this week’s post 🤠
-Curtis
One Liner
Advize is a platform where students can explore different career tracks by watching short-form, pre-recorded interviews by professionals.
Problem
Students don't have the time to explore careers and hop on as many live calls with professionals as ideal to learn about career path options or expand their network.
Students want to explore careers on demand, and gain exposure to more careers in a faster way.
There aren’t enough career advisors at universities in the country — there are about 3000 students to 1 coach to be exact.
Solution
A one-stop website that consolidates on-demand interviews with professionals for students, digitalizing the career exploration process.
Students can take a short eight question quiz, and Advize will recommend career content playlists that feature videos of professionals sharing insights about the student’s industry of interest.
The solution also helps career advisors provide targeted career recommendations to students with data-driven insights, while creating alumni video libraries that connect students with others who have started out at the same point.
Traction
In a few months, Advize has:
secured 5 strategic partners.
developed and launched a proprietary Career Quiz to help students match with content.
created over 6,000 individual short-form content videos, which is one the most extensive career content interview library that exists.
secured verbal commitments to paying universities to test as early partners next school year, including top business schools and undergraduate institutions.
Business Model
Advize aims to be free and accessible for students. With 25k+ universities in the world, they aim to generate revenue by selling to universities and their career centers or departments, to better enhance the career exploration process for students. This also presents itself as an opportunity for universities to market themselves and reach more students through a platform like Advize.
They aim to sell content and brand marketing services to employers to market open internships and jobs to matched students, providing warm recruitment leads.
Advize will also open up a subscription model for people in their careers, similar to MasterClass.
About The Founder
“I grew up in a very small town in Texas. I understand what it's like to be somewhere where you might not have a lot of examples around you or access to successful people.
I've always imagined doing something that's not only going to be a profitable business, but also good for people. I really believe that Advize addresses that piece.
When I was little, I would create businesses for fun, so it's always been a little bit of an itch. And even in the corporate world, I would take on new projects and I would try new ideas. I think my sales and competitive athletic background have allowed me to — as some of my CEO friends would say — break through a brick wall.”
