You might remember one of our previous Campus Celebrities, Joshua Johnson, real life student/professor entrepreneur with a thrill-seeking edge. As I get to know the men of CourseMob, I’m starting to learn that these young entrepreneurs really know how to play their cards right, and it all started with “The Prez” himself, Ace Glenn.
Ace Glenn is a senior at the University of Central Florida expecting to earn his Business Finance degree in the Summer of 2012. He specializes in marketing, sales, and has always had an inclination towards creative software development. While in school, he has pursued a wide range of activities that have helped develop his entrepreneurial skills, including Internet marketing consulting, door-to-door sales, and he has been involved in several start-ups.
During the 2011 Spring semester, Ace won 1st place in the annual quick pitch and business plan competitions at UCF, pitching the concept of a mobile study tool. He then went on to use the prize money to create the study software that allows students to study for exams straight from their cell phones. Today, Ace is the CEO of CourseMob, which just launched at UCF.
We’re all students with lives. We not only go to college, but many of us work, do extra-curricular activities, and have friends! Therefore, sometimes it seems impossible to “do it all.” The pioneers at CourseMob want to help you!
Now you never have to worry about waiting until the last second to study for exams again! Oh, and those study guides for your classes, are all right in your back pocket – literally! Continue reading my Q&A with Ace Glenn, then take your phone out of your back pocket and go to CourseMob.com!
Q: At what point in time did the birth of CourseMob float into your head?
A: The genesis of CourseMob came from a genuine need that I had myself. I was studying one night for a test, it was a typical energy drink filled “all nighter” cram session, and I couldn’t help but think that there had to be a better way to learn material for classes than what we currently have access to.
Q: What is the primary purpose of CourseMob?
A: CourseMob was created as a study tool, but it accomplishes much more than that. It has become a product that allows students to enjoy their college experience in a less stressful way. It’s no secret that school isn’t always the first thing on our minds, and CourseMob allows the freedom to enjoy all the wonderful things that college has to offer without having to sacrifice your grades.
Q: How did the dream team of four come about? (Ace, Joe, Joshua, and Ryan)
A: My encounter with Joe was serendipitous. At the UCF Joust Business Plan Competition he was walking around interviewing entrepreneurs to complete an assignment for one of his classes. He eventually walked up and asked me a few questions for his survey. As he was walking away, I asked him what major he was in and he casually replied, “Oh, I’m a programmer.” We had just reached the point where we were looking for programming talent, so I chased after him. He’s been with us since that day and has done incredible things running the software development for CourseMob.
I have a previous relationship with Joshua from being co-workers at the National Entrepreneur Center (formerly known as the Disney Entrepreneur Center). From the moment I explained to him my plan for CourseMob, I saw that he had the “light bulb” moment and he told me he was on board.
Ryan is a serial entrepreneur that I’ve been best friends with since my first day in college. We’ve worked on a few other start-ups in the past and had a lot of fun working together in all of them.
Q: Has your life changed any since the start of CourseMob?
A: Absolutely. I’m obviously much busier than if I were to just be taking classes, but I have honestly never thought about it as a negative thing. We’re all having the time of our lives finding ways to innovate and grow this product into something really groundbreaking. Even through all the sleep deprivation, I’ve never been more excited in my life.
Q: At what universities is CourseMob offered?
A: Right now we’re only at the University of Central Florida, but we’re already branching out to surrounding universities. We’re really focused on identifying the different channels in which we can offer CourseMob, in and out of the college setting.
Q: What study guides are offered today?
A: For the Fall 2011 semester, we are offering:
o Financial Accounting (ACG 2021)
o Marketing (MAR 3023)
o Management of Organizations (MAN 3025)
o Cornerstone (GEB 3031)
For the Spring 2012 semester we’re expecting to add an additional 10 – 15 courses, including many of the science classes.
Q: Have your expectations been met the first year of CourseMob being introduced?
A: Very much so. The receptiveness from the students and faculty has been very positive. We’ve ran into obstacles and events that slowed us down since we started, but overall we’ve pushed CourseMob forward much faster than I initially expected. We’ve been extremely happy with the results so far.
Q: Where do you see CourseMob in 5 years from now?
A: That’s a tough question. It’s hard to see past an hour from now because we’re constantly changing to meet whatever opportunities or challenges arise. But we would like to see CourseMob being used at most major universities and learning institutions around the nation.
Q: Have you experienced rejection of your product? If so, how did you handle it? Move on and try somewhere else? Or do you continue you pursue that potential client?
A: The response to CourseMob has definitely been mostly positive, but any time you’re selling a product you’re going to meet some level of rejection. We’ve only had one professor deny us from allowing CourseMob to their class so far, which is a huge success by my vote. When we have students that are unhappy with the product due to any reason, we always try to discover what the student’s issue is so that we can attempt to fix it.
Q: Do you have a “dream college” CourseMob must be in?
A: The University of Central Florida was our dream college to be in ;).
Q: How does CourseMob stay up-to-date?
A: Regarding the software, we never stop developing. We always have the next additions to CourseMob in the works (currently a major one!). For the study guides, we either have tutors create and edit the material, or if it’s a course that one of our members has already taken, we create the study guides in-house.