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Julia Haber’s first startup at Syracuse University was WAYV, a company that brings pop-up retail experiences to college students. But after graduating, Haber focused her next startup on providing students with tools to succeed in a virtual classroom setting.

Haber created Home From College in March after universities across the country moved courses online amid the coronavirus pandemic. The online platform consists of career content and online internships for college students and focuses on connecting students to real world experience.

She got the idea for Home from College from videos SU alumna and YouTuber Margot Lee posted in March about college students returning home. Lee later collaborated with Home From College.

“I’ve always had a background in college students, college campus businesses,” Haber said. “I’ve had an emphasis on what the pain points are from my college experience.”

The content section on Home From College’s website aims to supplement remote and hybrid learning by featuring interviews with industry leaders. The company looks for the “unsung heroes” of industries, such as Kay Hsu, head of the Instagram Creative Shop, Haber said.

“The goal for us is to cater for what students are looking for, and allow students to explore,” said Kaj Zandvliet, COO of Home From College. “We’re certainly not limiting ourselves to any specific industry. We want to be a platform where students can have access to fashion internships, or PR, or wellness, or finance.”

The variety of interviews also carries over to their “GIG” section, which focuses on virtual micro-internships that Home From College co-created along with technological companies such as Making it in Manhattan and Modwell. The micro-internships involve multiple different companies with distinct and separate vocations, Zandvliet said.

Home From College also includes an “Office Hours” section on its website. The section puts students in contact with innovators in different industries, Haber said. Office Hours allows students to not only learn about their desired fields but to also make connections with industry leaders for future reference.

“It’s sort of a pre-LinkedIn for college students,” Haber said.

Although the business was created during a pandemic, the company’s goals extend beyond the current health crisis, said Andrea Anaya, the company’s head of community at large.

“We’re trying to focus on the future not being seen as the ‘COVID company’ and focusing on students going back to school,” Anaya said. “Our fall objective is expanding our student community and making sure we reach students everywhere.”

Published on September 1, 2020 at 10:25 pm