Skoller

Skoller aims to become “Waze for the classroom.”

Just as Waze gathers and shares real-time traffic updates from drivers, Skoller does the same by collecting information from college students about classes and assignments.

This concept is called “crowdsourcing.” And Waze used it to become one of the most popular apps for motorists. In June 2013, Google acquired Waze for $966 million.

Skoller could be the next big acquisition by targeting the estimated 20 million college students in the U.S.

Every year, parents and students invest more than $550 billion into college education. But six years after enrolling, more than 40% of U.S. college students haven’t graduated.

A key factor delaying graduation is the burden students face managing all of their assignments and coursework. Platforms provided by schools like Blackboard, Canvas, and Moodle, as well as student planner apps like iCal and WeDo can be helpful.

But many of these apps cater more toward the university rather than the individual student. And others are limited in the features offered.

More importantly, these platforms become unreliable for students when professors manage their classes in different ways — for example, one communicates by e-mail, another using a message board, and a third by making in-class announcements.

Skoller provides a complete solution. Its platform uses crowdsourcing and machine learning to help students organize and keep track of their work.

Students simply download the free Skoller app and create an account. From there, they find their specific classes and build their weekly schedule.

Once up and running, students first upload a syllabus for each class. If they don’t have a syllabus, Skoller will use crowdsourcing to find one that’s been uploaded by another student.

Skoller then uses machine learning to “read” every syllabus and give each student specific information at the right time.

For example, through personalized alerts, Skoller lets students know about upcoming exams or assignments that are due. At the same time, students can view all of their assignments in calendar form, and check their grades.

Skoller offers a personal forecast that updates each day, as well as the ability to connect with other classmates who may have questions.

Skoller is free for students to download and use. However, the company generates revenue by helping students who are close to graduating transition from the classroom to the job market.

Specifically, Skoller licenses access to its platform to employers searching for job candidates. This is its main source of revenue.

Additional and future revenue streams include:

Skoller Marketplace: This enables students in similar classes to sell course materials to each other. For example, a student who took a business course in the fall could sell his used textbook to a student getting ready to take the class in the spring. Skoller receives a portion of each sale.

In-App Ads: Users receive targeted advertisements through the app and their e-mail.

Subscription model: By 2021, Skoller will move to a “freemium” business model and offer paid features.

Skoller spent two years testing its platform in trials at schools across the U.S. During this time, the company began hearing from students who weren’t part of the trials and were interested in signing up.

In August 2018, Skoller became available nationwide.

Since then, the platform has 20,000 users from 2,000 schools. The company also has signed agreements with two sororities to promote Skoller in their chapters throughout the U.S.

Skoller has data licensing agreements with CSI Web, a financial technology company focusing on fraud prevention, and SHR Talent, a job recruiting firm.

Team Background

Jonathan Rankin - Co-Founder & Developer

Jonathan previously co-founded Neighbors Candles, a small business making candles for the home.

Before that, he was an intern for Lighthouse Counsel, a company partnering with non-profits to encourage philanthropic support.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Economics from Belmont University.

Carson Ward - Co-Founder & CEO

Before starting Skoller, Carson was an intern with UBS (NYSE: UBS), a multinational investment bank. While there, he focused on consulting clients on wealth management tactics.

Prior to that, he was a sales coordinator with RCM Alternative, a financial management company.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from Belmont University.

Bruce Brookshire - Co-Founder & CTO

Bruce has served as Skoller’s Chief Technical Officer since its inception.

Before that, he worked for Brown, Bauman, and Smith, a Texas-based law firm.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Vanderbilt University.

Co-Investors