Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Website Will Connect Entrepreneurs to Alums

AlumniFunder, a website that aims to connect Georgetown students with alumni who are working on startup ventures, will launch Sept. 29, according to site founder S. Ryan Meyer (SFS ’99).

AlumniFunder, a website that aims to connect Georgetown students with alumni who are working on startup ventures, will launch Sept. 29, according to site founder S. Ryan Meyer (SFS ’99).

The website is an electronic platform that facilitates the exchange of capital among “doers” — entrepreneurs who are looking to fund startup companies. According to Meyer, the site will rely on alumni’s relationships with their alma maters, tapping into the common bond of shared college experience to foster trust among site users.

“AlumniFunder wants to use that trust and expand that into an online environment,” Meyer said.

Although anyone can explore the site, only users with confirmed georgetown.edu email addresses can upload ideas and enter into discussions, Meyer said.

AlumniFunder will utilize crowd funding — a collective effort to network and pool resources — to fund startup companies.

“Crowd funding offers a certain democratization to the process,” Meyer said.

The idea for AlumniFunder arose after Meyer’s first attempt at a startup failed due to lack of funding. He began planning the site at the end of April.

According to Meyer, both students and alumni will benefit from the site because it will provide a common platform to pitch and discuss ideas and plans.

“Since you are driving the conversation, you can make that change,” Meyer said.

Though Georgetown is unaffiliated with AlumniFunder, Meyer said that it offers an opportunity for the university to use the site to raise money and potentially attain more notoriety as alumni create successful startups.

After its launch party at F. Scott’s next week, AlumniFunder plans to create fundraising networks for Princeton, Stanford and Harvard before the end of the year.

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