Entrepreneur spotlight: Have you met Markus Proctor?

Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:39:13 -0400
abce, ceo, edupal, entr, inds, markus, proctor, spotlight, umbcentrs

Markus Proctor (class of 2016) is a Interdisciplinary Studies major with a focus in Tech Entrepreneurship and Organizational Management. He recently launched a web-based platform that helps students keep organized, or task, and up-to-date with changes in their classes syllabus. It's called EduPal and is free for students to utilize. It's also, currently, only available at UMBC....but that's going to be changing.
I recently sat down with Markus to get to know more about what makes EduPal so special.

1. Tell us a little about your company, and what makes your business

unique?

"EduPal is a FREE ‘by students for students' app designed around your needs as a college student. We have created an adaptive and responsive tool that organizes your life, promotes collaborative learning, and enhances social engagement. Because we are students ourselves, we understand the importance of time management and maintaining a healthy social life so we made an app to do just that. Students can now feel confident that their devices will support them as they journey through college and focus on what is really important: their learning. At this stage of EduPal: students can get all homework, quizzes, exams, and pretty much everything else from the syllabus organized into a color coded calendar.

What makes us beautifully unique is that our tool does NOT require teachers to do anything. Students can grab the steering wheel and make EduPal the most valuable resource on campus all on their own. This nontraditional crowd sourcing model is very disruptive in the EdTech market."

2. Are there classes on campus that have helped you the most?

"ENTR201: Helped me to polish my public speaking skills and understand the type of thinker I am.

INDS330: I was required to write a lot of papers and plugged in EduPal as much as possible. Not only did it help me understand my product better, I also adopted a mentor (the instructor) who helped me solidify my idea for the CBIC."

3. What are some resources that have helped you the most?

(Magazines, Books, Websites…)

Elance: Freelancer contracting website that I use to outsource complex coding work

CoFoundersLab: Website to find other entrepreneurial minded people in your area

Lean StartUp: Must read for all entrepreneurs (Markus isn't the first to recommend this one!)

LinkedIn: Search professionals and students by skill

Craigslist: Might find your next business partner here as well

I also follow Forbes & Inc Magazine on Twitter

4. What is the toughest decision you have had to make in the last 6

months?

"The toughest decision I made recently was the decision to change my major. It doesn't sound like much but when you are a Junior, there are some ramifications. The good news is that I am satisfied with choosing INDS to tailor my own education. My new major allows me to readily apply what I learn in the classroom directly into EduPal."

5. What advice would you give other student entrepreneurs?

"Student entrepreneurs need to realize that they are the worst critic of their own ideas.

My advice is for students to get out of their comfort zone and pitch their concept to as many people as possible...especially their target audience. Why? because validation is critical before you start spending time and money building the best product no one wants."

Reach out to Markus & Visit the EduPal Website to learn more.