On November 17, 2021, seven finalists will compete for $22,500 in awards in the Fall 2021 Skandalaris Venture Competition. In anticipation of the SVC finals, we are publishing a Q&A series with the finalists. Today’s featured team is Mozi.
Mozi is an app that brings value in creating a stronger community and increased student happiness. Moreover, it brings value to small businesses by promoting the usage of local businesses for these in-person activities. Mozi recognizes that many students feel isolated which can lead to depression. Their app works to bring back in-person interaction that’s been lost due to social media. The Mozi app connects students who want to do similar activities. This can be anything from finding someone to go with you to get Boba Tea to studying together to throwing around a Frisbee. According to Mozi, students are craving the type of community that the app helps create.
Number of Employees: 9
The Mozi Team includes: Founder Minju Lee (EN ’23), Co-Founder Zeb Smith (Lambda School), COO Claire Hortin (BU ’24), Chris Lopez (EN ’24), Ana Larsen (FA ’23), Hannah Ginsberg (EN ’23), Austin Moulder (BSBA ’21, MBA ’22), Elijah Stewart (BSME ’22, MS ’23), and Nicholas Giordano (EN ’20).
Total Funding (as of November 2021): $1000
What problem are you solving?
Idea came to my mind when I first found out that one of my colleague and WashU committed suicide during 2020 summer. Instead of sitting down and hoping for the best, I gathered a team together to tackle down the problem to its core and find a solution for it. Our solution is increased in in-person activity and making that very easy and accessible for students that are shy, busy, or lazy. We knew this was the right solution based on the research papers from NIH and our customer discovery.
What do the next 3-6 months look like for you?
We hope to win SVC and use the funding to hire a part time programmer to help us creating a production ready app. Then we will launch the app at WashU. We also plan to go for more competitions and use the fundings to scale into other schools.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting your venture?
“You always have a plan until you get punched in the face”- Mike Tyson We have plans but we need to really work on it and try it out because we will be faced with a lot of things that we didn’t plan for. Also, I have learned how to see future as something that I make instead of something that I wait for.
What do you love about being an entrepreneur?
Using the talent that I and my teammates are given to solve the problem that the world really needs to be solved.
What words of advice do you have for those starting a business?
Be in love with the problem, live, eat, sleep with the problem. Think outside the box to solve the problem. Don’t have a mindset of get rich quick, but instead think about honest and slow compounding growth.
What activities, student groups, professors, or classes had the biggest impact on you during your time at WashU?
The Skandalaris Venture Competition has made a big impact on me.
Website: https://ideabounce.com/idea/mozi/