“Since graduation, I had to make a tough decision of either getting a ‘real, career job’ or committing to Stunited. I had an offer from Merrill Lynch, but turned it down. Honestly, this was a pivotal moment in my life. I knew that if I didn’t accept this offer, I had to devote everything I had into the app,” John says. His advice to rising student entrepreneurs is to keep yourself busy and keep hustling. “I live at home to keep my expenses as low as possible, to make it work. I also coach wrestling on the side, so that keeps me busy.”
Graduating from college and moving on into the “real world” is a crazy yet thrilling, nerve-wracking experience for all seniors. We last left off with John Rondi, a Rowan University Rohrer College of Business alumni, who hosted a promotional fundraiser in junction with Playa Bowls on Rowan Boulevard. John holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and is the creator of Stunited, an app connecting students across campus, which won the Rowan Business Model Competition in 2017. Let’s find out what he’s up to now post-graduation…
So what’s the latest news with his app?
“As far as Stunited goes, we are seeing a substantial amount of growth. From the outside perspective, changes may seem subtle. The second version of the app is in beta and being tested by a selected amount of students. However, internally, the business has made tremendous strides,” he says.
“We’ve pivoted our business model from selling directly to students to formalizing partnerships with universities and larger tech companies. We felt that the purpose and functionality of the app has a greater potential to benefit our end users if a university/college is involved. That being said, we are still devoted to creating the most viable and attractive app in the education/social media space.” John looks forward to seeing how much progress is made this year.
The Rowan Business Model Competition was the first time John ever presented his idea in front of other people. Preparing a business plan, writing financial projections and pitching to a panel were all a part of his extreme learning experience.
“This really tested my perseverance, considering I debated dropping out of the competition several times. That being said, the feeling of winning drove me to follow my passion (as cliche as that sounds). This validated the fact that the idea has the potential to scale and that I’m the right guy for the job. Specifically, I can’t thank Professor Michael Dominik enough for the help and preparation for the real world!”
“P.S- We are looking for beta testers of the app, so if interested reach out at: rondi.john@stunitedapp.com”
Follow along with Stunited & John Rondi’s journey through social media to see where they’ll be next…
@johnrondi
@stunitedapp and on Facebook
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Story by: Vanessa Vause, senior public relations and theatre double major
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