Published on November 13, 2024

6 student founded startups from UMich and UIUC pitch to Sam Parr and Shaan Puri on My First Million Podcast

Two weeks ago, we launched unistart at University of Michigan.

Today, 3 of those startups pitched to Shaan Puri and Sam Parr on the My First Million Podcast.

They faced off against 3 startups from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Those founders embody an ever growing entrepreneurship spirit among students that unistart has long been advocating for.

If you want to make change, there is nothing stopping you from doing so, even if you are a student.

Those founders are also signaling that Midwest could be the next hub for entrepreneurship. Before it was the Bay Area, and then it was the Northeast like Boston and NYC, and then it was Miami during the crypto boom.

Is it now time for Midwest to shine in this new age of entrepreneurship?

Now, let us see what those 6 startups are all about.

Meet Your Class - http://meetyourclass.com

Founder(s): Jonah Liss - /jonahliss Blake Mischley - /blake-mischley

A platform for college students to connect with each other before arriving on campus. The platform aims to reduce “summer melt” (students dropping out before starting) and increase university enrollment, providing valuable data to universities. They have already scaled to over 400,000 users, generated $600,000 in revenue, and plan to expand to 50 university partnerships.

Metafrazo - http://metafrazo.ai

Founder(s): Shrikar Lekkala - /shrikar-lekkala

An AI-powered dubbing and translation tool that translates video content while keeping original lip-sync and voice tones. Targeted at educational institutions and companies, it aims to make learning more accessible for non-native language speakers. The startup is currently generating $6,000 in monthly recurring revenue and has enterprise clients like Velcro and ongoing discussions with Coursera.

Milieu - http://milieubio.com

Founder(s): Nathan Shatz - /nathan-shatz

A personalized skincare company focusing on the skin microbiome. They use a customer’s microbiome sample to create customized skincare products. With a beta program underway, Milieu differentiates itself by combining microbiome data with an AI-powered algorithm for personalized skincare recommendations and product formulations.

Brother Nuts - http://brothersnuts.com Founder(s): Austin Majors - /austin-majors-6b3275195

A healthy snack company offering sprouted, organic nuts and seeds. Founded by two brothers in memory of their father, they’ve already sold over $1 million in products and are available in 200 stores. Their strategy includes expanding to larger retailers and promoting their “seed-oil-free” and “gut-friendly” products.

Tour - http://usetour.com

Founder(s): Amulya Parmar - /amulya-agape

An AI-powered virtual leasing assistant for property managers. It engages prospective renters on apartment websites through virtual tours and follow-ups, aiming to increase engagement and qualified leads. With over a million virtual tours completed, they’ve generated $1 million in revenue and are actively expanding.

Pathlit - http://pathlit.com

Founder(s): Advay Gupta - /advaygupta

Originally an AI workflow automation tool, it pivoted to focus on managing email overload with a virtual assistant for professionals. The product summarizes important emails, responds to low-priority ones, and organizes inboxes for clients. Pathlit has secured six-figure contracts with enterprises and raised over a million dollars to support this pivot.

Which one is your favorite?