Startup Spotlight #13: Zoom University

The LA startup creates virtual parties for you and your best friend to meet other people.

Jul 29, 2020

I got the chance to speak with Daniel Newman, co-founder and CEO of Zoom University, about what he’s working on at his startup, and any advice he has for emerging entrepreneurs.

After raising a seed round from execs of Snapchat, Airbnb, Tinder, Netflix, Uber, and Facebook, Newman & Leor Massachi dropped out of USC at the age of 21 to focus solely on Dandy/Zoom University. As a result of the changing needs of students during COVID-19, Dandy pivoted into Zoom University. Zoom University is a virtual party where high school and college students can meet new people through two-on-two video chats.

Startup Spotlight: Zoom University

Zoom University cofounders (from left to right): Daniel Newman and Leor Massachi.

Problem: Given COVID-19, students have been stripped from quality in-person connection during the most transformative and developmental years of their lives.

Market: Our core markets are high school and college students in the US. That's around 40,000,000 people.

Solution: A virtual party that connects you and your best friend with other students who go to the same school or are nearby via 2 on 2 video chats.

Team: There are five of us working on Zoom University full-time: Daniel (product), Leor (marketing), Zay (iOS & backend engineer), Hunter (product design), Joao (marketing)

Recent Success:

Newman: Developing a deep understanding of Gen Z and their needs. This has led us to pivot our product as new pain points in this demographic arose. It also has allowed us to engineer viral gen z growth at unbelievable CPIs. Most importantly, it allows us to prioritize our product iteration cycle for maximum impact.

Recent Struggle:

Newman: Breaking things. We're moving so fast and building so much every day that inevitable breakages happen. It's a constant balance between speed and quality. Thankfully we've been overly transparent and engaged with our community, so they are forgiving when this happens.

Founder Advice:

Newman: Have a fanatic focus on your users and their core problems. It's very easy to fall into the trap of building a product in an echo chamber — we've done it. One in a million products succeed that way. Having users engaged throughout the entire product ideation and iteration process is the constant alignment any product builder needs to ensure they reach product-market fit.

Three Cool Founders You Should Know About:

Newman: Here are three founders you should check out next!

Raphael Danilo, Founder of Yobs: Yobs lets employers remotely assess talent efficiently and accurately.
Ben Taft, Founder of Mira: Mira deploys the industry’s most accessible and scalable AR solutions to enhance safety and oversight in industrial environments.
Jason Alvarez-Cohen, Founder of Popl: Popl is the fastest way to share your social media and contact info.

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