Success Stories: 9 Businesses That Started in College

College can be a perfect time to start a business. If you have a great idea and passion for entrepreneurship, why not put it to work?

Of course, starting a venture can be stressful, scary, and time-consuming. But if it all goes well, the rewards can be huge. A lot of successful businesses were established in colleges by talented and ambitious students.

And there are also many resources to help with such a venture. For instance, a professional research paper writing services can assist with preparing for important meetings. Oftentimes, the presentation can make or break the deal. And with an outstanding one, students can attract investors, like-minded individuals, or potential partners to their startup.

Expert specialists know exactly how to make the presentation impactful and highlight the key points. And they can handle any topic or subject. Students can also use professional assistance when working on college presentations to make sure they get the best grades. In any case, it is a great way to get an expert perspective on your work and learn from the best.

With such resources available, starting a small business is not as difficult as before. And one day, it can grow into a large enterprise. This is exactly what happened here. Read on for inspiration!

Successful Businesses Started in College

1. Google

Nowadays, it is hard to find a person that has never heard of Google. It is a huge corporation and industry leader. But in 1996, it was just an idea born at Stanford University. Larry Page and Sergey Brin were Ph.D. students at the time.

Back then, the search engine was created in a dorm room. And it had another name – BackRub. The first Google office was just a garage. But now it is a search engine number one in the world.

2. Facebook

This is another well-known story that might inspire young entrepreneurs. There is even a movie about it. Facebook was launched at Harvard University dorm. In the beginning, it was called Facemash and had a different purpose. According to Mark Zukerberg’s idea, people could rate peers as hot or not.

But to create it, the developer had to steal pictures from the university’s database. That’s why Facemash was quickly shut down. But soon after, Facebook appeared. And since 2004, it has become an incredibly successful company.

3. Time Magazine

This is a rather old story, as it happened in 1923. A lot of people might not know it, but Time Magazine was also created in college. From the business plan to publishing, it happened at Yale. The students behind it were Henry Luce and Briton Hadden.

Since then, Time Magazine has only been growing in popularity. Now it is a world-known and well-respected news source.

4. Zoom

Eris S Yuan started Zoom in 2012, and now it is one of the most used communication programs. The story behind the product is incredibly motivational. Yuan applied for a US visa 9 times, and 8 of them were denied. Only on his 9th time he received a visa and could pursue his dreams.

Zoom was just an idea of how to communicate easily with people that are so far away. A solution for keeping long-distance relationships turned into an international hit.

5. WordPress

WordPress is another successful venture that had a pretty humble beginning. During their freshman year, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little started it in their dorm room. It was a two-people project that has turned into one of the most-used platforms in the world. Today about 40% of all websites online are built with WordPress.

6. Reddit

Reddit has a similar story to other businesses from this list. It started in college, and was never expected to go so far. Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian were two freshmen in 2005 when they had this idea.

At first, the project was just for fun. Here people could share ideas and collaborate on projects. This was a platform for friends to communicate. But with years, it grew into one of the most visited sites of today.

7. Dropbox

This is the creation of two MIT students – Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi. The popular file-hosting platform was launched in 2007.

Houston was always forgetting to bring a USB with him to classes. That’s where the idea appeared of how to make file sharing easier. Surely, using Dropbox is much more convenient. And you do not have to remember to have a physical drive with you. Today the platform is used by millions of people all over the world.

8. Snapchat

Snapchat started at Stanford University. Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown are the people behind the service. Brown had this idea because he wanted to send pictures that would disappear later. He shared the vision with friends, and they created Pictaboo in 2011.

The same year founders had a conflict, which resulted in a split and a new name for the platform – Snapchat.

9. FedEx

FedEx was created by Frederick Smith, a Yale student. It started as an Economy class assignment. But while working on the project, Smith realized that it had a lot of potential. The FedEx success is a great inspiration to take college assignments seriously.

And in 1971, the company was launched. It wasn’t all peachy at first, and Smith lost a lot of money at the beginning. But he didn’t give up, and in 6 years, the company gained well-deserved success. It has been growing ever since.

Some Other Companies Started in College

Here are some other businesses that have a humble beginning:

• Microsoft;
• Dell;
• Yahoo!;
• Insomnia Cookies;
• Modcloth;
• Kinko’s;
• The Onion;
• Def Jam Records;
• A Small Orange;
• iCracked;
• Napster;
• Tripod;
• Chegg;
• Kona.

In Summary

Starting a company in college can be a great idea. Colleges provide students with multiple helpful resources. And learners are surrounded by like-minded individuals. Surely, not every startup achieves international success. But it shouldn’t stop one from trying. These stories of companies that were once an idea shared in a dorm room may inspire you to get started.