We talk a lot about college entrepreneurs here at Tech.Co, but what about the younger generations? That’s right, I’m referring to high school students.
Specifically, two high school seniors in LA, Dillon Rosenblatt and Tyler Makhani, recently built out an app called Tutors, a platform for on demand tutoring. During the first marking period of their senior year this fall, the app officially went live so that students and parents might find a tutor at roughly 70 to 90 percent cheaper and faster than current offerings.
“As a part of the “Uber” generation, we were surprised there was no similar solution for students that need tutoring in real time. With the Tutors App, students and parents can seamlessly choose from hundreds of qualified, background checked tutors nearby and schedule a session at a fraction of the cost of traditional services,” says Rosenblatt, cofounder and CEO. “As a result of the immense growth and popularity of on-demand services in other major industries, it just makes sense that tutoring will follow the craze.”
Sure, there are a lot of outlets to find a quality tutor already. However, the two founders think these platforms are lacking in one crucial field: flexibility. That is, everybody is price sensitive, but they’re more time sensitive than anything, and it’s nearly impossible to find a tutor that can meet on your time and schedule.
The Tutors app was built, then, like Uber. You can grab one to meet either in person or online whenever you need one. After all, most tutors are students themselves which makes for a more comfortable session. And everybody on the platform is background checked and reviewed on every session to that there’s a friendly, two sided peer review community. Just like the popular ride sharing apps, if a tutor falls below a certain star rating threshold they’ll be suspended from the platform.
“It solves a real problem for students of all ages and parents — how to find an affordable and knowledgeable tutor on-demand,” says Makhani, cofounder. “We’re currently focused on high school students and parents in the Los Angeles area, but we plan to expand throughout California in the near future.”
It’s a pretty smart idea, and it’s a great showing of how younger students are diving into the STEM fields earlier these days. I wanted to learn a bit more about the platform and strategy though, so I sat down with Rosenblatt to hear more:
Tech.C0: Could you explain the story behind the idea for Tutors how you proceeded to make it a reality?
Dillon Rosenblatt: My good friend and partner in this operation, Tyler Makhani, and I were on a vacation with my family and after finishing a hard semester, began discussing how difficult it is to get a tutor in Los Angeles. We then began discussing how easy it is to obtain other goods and services, like Uber cars and restaurant deliveries, and then it came to us. Why not bring tutors into this new on-demand economy?
We then spent weeks creating a business plan and pitch, found family and friends willing to invest, recruited a tech and marketing team, and then proceeded to develop multiple versions of the app. After testing and tweaking the product, we began aggressively recruiting tutors about a month ago and are prepared to go after students with hundreds of willing, ready, and qualified tutors on the app.
Tech.Co: How are you managing being in high school and running a startup?
Rosenblatt: It’s challenging. Trying to balance attending rigorous school, an active social life, and learning how to effectively run a business all at once is not for the faint of heart. I’ve learned that time management is everything as I’ve been able to get my homework done, push Tutors forward, and still chill with my friends on a Friday night.
Tech.Co: After you expand throughout California, what are your plans for Tutors?
Rosenblatt: We plan to recruit young entrepreneurs in various major cities with the intention of expanding nation-wide. There has already been some international interest, but one step at a time.
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