CollegeEye · Education technology · 2019–2021 · Interim Chief Operating Officer
I organized an informal behavior into a venture architecture
College selection is consequential and expensive, yet the official campus visit is standardized.
The most revealing questions are often asked afterward, when families find a current student and seek candid insight into dorms, academics, social life and fit. Families were already solving this problem through personal networks. The behavior existed. No trusted system organized it.
The missing layer in the decision journey was access to vetted, relevant student perspective.
A marketplace could match prospective students and parents with currently enrolled guides based on intended major, interests, activities, background or campus-life priorities.
I helped turn the insight into a complete venture concept: brand, customer journey, service menu, pricing, revenue model, guide standards, application functionality and national pilot strategy.
The operating architecture addressed matching, scheduling, payments, reviews, compensation, identity verification, safety and virtual access. We also built the research plan required to test demand rather than relying on enthusiasm alone.
National research with 1,033 parents and guardians.
- 90% considered the concept appealing
- 27% would definitely sign up at $150
- 44% more would consider it
- ~half of parents who had taken official tours would use the service at every school their child visited
We did not secure the capital required to launch at scale. That distinction is important: the outcome was a validated venture architecture, not a commercialized business.