In early December, entrepreneurs in the TIA Incubator came together to celebrate their achievements and reflect on progress made this semester. Among the entrepreneurs recognized for their progress was Nathan Walsh ’28, founder of Students Helping Students: a college prep program for disadvantaged students in Jamaica. A freshman from Kingston, Jamaica, Nathan Walsh joined the TIA Incubator this fall to focus on building his venture, leveraging the mentorship and funding provided through the program.
College Application Experience Inspires Venture
In explaining his inspiration behind Students Helping Students, Walsh underscored that as an international student, the college application process is painstakingly difficult. “My co-founder and I both went through the pain of the international college admission cycle twice. One of the first things you learn is that the process is hopelessly unintuitive. You see a lot of phrases thrown around like “early action,” “CSS,” and “Common App,” but those won’t mean anything to you,” began Walsh. “So if you are like us you do a bunch of research. You spend hours a day just researching schools and watching videos about the admission process independent of actually writing your essays. You finally send in your application and for some it does work out. If you are like us, however, you do not get the offer you want. Sadly that is what happens for a number of international applicants. You follow all the help and are left absolutely confused where you went wrong.”
Feeling discouraged about his former application cycle, Walsh and his co-founder made another attempt, this time, with a college consulting organization called College Quo. Walsh highlighted that during their initial consultations, the assigned counselors pointed out that their applications lacked depth. As a result, they completely overhauled their submissions, focusing on showcasing their strengths and incorporating valuable tips that had been overlooked in their earlier research.
“We both got better acceptances and are thankful to them, but this was only possible because we could afford their expensive services, something the majority of people cannot,” explained Walsh. This realization fueled Walsh's drive, ultimately inspiring the creation of Students Helping Students– an initiative aimed at providing underprivileged international students with an equal opportunity in the college admissions process, all at an affordable price.
The idea of entrepreneurship wasn’t always at the forefront for Walsh and his team; he explained that they stumbled into it. “We were originally just looking for a way to give back. We had the idea to cover the fees for sitting the international SAT and then we realized we could create a sustainable business model that could help so many more people than one single donation could. So I guess we wanted to help people who were in a position like we were before. We wanted to make applying internationally more accessible,” said Walsh.
Launching such an important project came with its fair share of challenges, most of which stemmed from taking that crucial first step. Walsh and his team knew it would be an expensive undertaking, from getting the website up and running to advertising their venture, all while simultaneously covering SAT fees under the venture’s name. “I do not think either of us were wholly convinced it would pay off. We invested and advertised the launch for almost a month and thought we would have orders lined up but it took a couple days to get the first one. Deciding to keep investing and not pulling the plug and cutting our losses was difficult,” explained Walsh. Their decision to persist with their investment and advertising ultimately paid off.
Building the Venture in the TIA Incubator
Walsh’s decision to continue his work with Students Helping Students at vlog led him to connect with Reece and join the TIA Incubator, building connections with mentors who have shown a genuine interest in his idea and help him bring it to life. He noted that TIA has been a stalwart support system in his entrepreneurial journey at vlog. Whether that be assisting with customer discovery and market analysis or collaborating with mentors, Walsh expressed how accommodating the program has been.
This fall, Nathan applied for seed grant funding, which is available to student entrepreneurs in the TIA Incubator to fuel their venture’s growth. This funding is divided into three phases: $500 for the validation phase, $1,500 for the build phase, and $3,000 for the growth phase. Students can apply for these grants at any point throughout the year, depending on their stage of development. Nathan chose to take advantage of the “fast track” option, which lets ventures progress from Ideation Stage through Validation Stage to Build Stage simultaneously, receiving the combined $2,000 in one step.
When students apply for grant funding, their application is reviewed by a board consisting of the entrepreneur in residence, a peer advisor, the applicant’s lead mentor, and a TIA mentor who is not involved with the applicant’s venture. The review board is responsible for evaluating the application, providing constructive feedback, and determining whether the applicant’s request for funding is approved.
“Nathan’s application was a great example of how to do things well. His customer discovery summary included quantified data which highlighted the severity of his problem statement and showcased a clear gap in the market which he is addressing through the service Students Helping Students offers its customers,” said Reece Wilson, entrepreneur in residence. “More importantly, his application materials [customer discovery summary, competitive analysis, and business model canvas] complement one another. His competitive analysis highlighted the same gaps in the market that his customer discovery interviews addressed.”
What's Ahead
To effectively expand Students Helping Students' customer base, Walsh plans to launch a comprehensive marketing campaign aimed at significantly increasing brand awareness. With the infrastructure in place to support rapid growth, Walsh recognizes the need to reach a broader audience and get the word out about the services offered. This campaign will leverage multiple high-impact channels—such as TV, radio, and billboards in high-traffic areas—to ensure maximum visibility. Additionally, a strategic focus on ramping up social media engagement through targeted posts, competitions, and promotions to cover college expenses will help to build community support and generate excitement. By using these methods in tandem, the goal is to create a buzz around the brand and establish Students Helping Students as a go-to resource for college-related assistance.
In a world grappling with issues of equity, Students Helping Students stands as a beacon of hope, offering support and opportunity to generations of students to come.