2. The problem
• A senior year software engineering student, in his early 20th
with a 3.2 GPA working on his capstone project, expecting to
graduate at the end of this year while working at a software
company and as a freelance developer
• NEEDS a WAY TO to
– excel as a student,
– gain working experience,
– grow a professional network, and
– save money before graduating
• BECAUSE in the future he wants to become an
entrepreneur, be proud of what he has accomplished, and
learn beyond what a University environment teaches, to be
financially independent and be seen as reliable person
3. The idea
• Idea:
– The University can have its own crowdfunding like
program and provide a platform that allows
students, industry, researchers to post projects.
Students might get credit for implementing
projects, or get money from companies that want
to angel seed the projects.
• More information on Crowdfunding
– Crowfunding is a way of popular way of getting funds for
startup projects. Examples:
– http://www.ipledg.com/
– http://www.kickstarter.com/
5. Prototype 1
• I wanted to test my user's reaction to a web
site in which projects will be posted by
students, faculty and companies:
• Offering internships for academic credit
• Seeking student funding
• The website will also include a Job list that matches
students skills
• Needs I wanted to explore:
– gain working experience,
– save money before graduating
– grow a professional network
6. Home Page – General view
Project categories
and Job offering
List of projects on each category
8. Projects looking
for Interns Page
Project description
(text and video)
Student benefits
Expected results
Prerequisites
Students hired
as interns
9. Projects looking
for Funds page
Project description
and reward
for funders
Project description
and reward
for funders
10. - The general idea is good, I might use it
- I like the idea of having projects in which
I can work for credit as an intern.
They should be of both kinds paid and unpaid
- I like the job listing filtered by my skills
- The best part and the one more realistic is
the one Projects looking for interns
- Can anyone fund projects?
- Can students fund projects with little
money? Is there any limit?
- How internships will be graded?
- Students usually don’t have money I don’t
think they will fund projects.
-Maybe if students see that other people are
funding projects they start funding,
but I am not sure if they will.
- Projects looking for funds should
be open to
anyone, teachers, family or
investors
- In the Project looking for interns category
projects should state what academic level they
are expecting. There should at least beginners
internships and advance ones.
- Maybe you should add another project category:
Student´s projects looking for implementers.
The students that join this type of projects can
become part of the startup
11. Prototype 2
• I wanted to test my user's reaction to a new
type of academic transcript that will show
their academic and professional records (like
an online resume). It will be maintained by the
university.
• Needs I wanted to explore
– excel as a student,
– grow a professional network
13. - I like that it shows everything I have done
both academically and professionally
- It would help me to find jobs
- Can your past instructors recommend you?
- If I have a bas record can I decide
not to show my records?
- I will like to export part of it to professional
network profiles like LinkedIn
- It should highlight the projects and
technologies I had worked and applied
- I will like to have comments of people I have
worked for or people that knows you
