We’re celebrating Indiana University student innovators and entrepreneurs who are clients of the Shoebox, the university’s student-startup incubator. Located in the Shoemaker Innovation Center in Luddy Hall on the Bloomington campus, the Shoebox provides 24/7 office space to help student entrepreneurs build, launch and sustain their businesses.
Meet Hire Degree
Hire Degree was founded by Jacob Lampf of Columbia, Maryland, a senior in the Kelley School of Business; Jon Pogorzelski of Ambler, Pennsylvania, a senior in the Kelley School of Business; and Brett Eisner of Fullerton, California, a senior in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering.
The company’s marketplace platform connects startup and growth companies with university students via remote, part-time job opportunities.
Lampf said many companies have a difficult time connecting to eager, ambitious college talent at universities.
“Most of them don’t have the contacts, the resources or the time — or all three of those — to command an on-campus presence to capture the future of the workforce from the best programs in higher education,” Lampf said.
“Furthermore, methods of qualification have been eroded, replaced with faceless competency tests and résumé readers that hardly convey the true measure of potential in a candidate.”
Lampf said students no longer want to wait until summer to enter the working world through a summer internship.
“Our clients can expect a working engagement unlike no other — a modern approach to the recruitment problem and the holy grail of qualification: actual work opportunities,” he said.
Hire Degree’s present and future
Lampf said the company has launched its website and tightened up its finances.
“We are not generating revenue yet but intend to complete our proof-of-concept phase before moving on to payment processing,” Lampf said.
“We need individuals competent in platform development, both app and website, for marketplace platforms to help bolster our design and smooth out our procurement processes. Our next big task will be to create a system capable of handling and distributing wages.”
Praise for the Shoebox
“The Shoebox has been a one-stop-shop for ideation, capital and human resources, and learning opportunities. We support one another, provide critical feedback and lend a hand when we can,” Lampf said.
“I’ve been on countless calls with other student founders during which I am helping consult on their business plan or, conversely, am being directed to some person or resource who knows exactly the answer to the question I’m asking. It’s an assuring feeling knowing there’s somewhat of a home base — or a safety net, if you will — to return to when the pursuit of your vision becomes cloudy, under scrutiny or just in need of some critical feedback.”
Student startups can apply for 24/7 access to the Shoebox’s office space, which is located in the Shoemaker Innovation Center, Luddy Hall 2150. The Shoebox also collaborates with the Hoosier Hatchery pre-incubator at the Kelley School of Business, as well as Bloomington’s Dimension Mill startup accelerator. To apply for coworking space, write to luddysic@indiana.edu.
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