Student-run Internet company gets big corporate investment

By Matt Matros

Can college students actually profit from the hours they spend surfing the net? For the five Yale seniors and one Columbia student who founded Student.Net Publishing, the answer is an unqualified yes.

Student.Net Publishing, established in November 1995 and based in New Haven, operates Student.Net, a critically acclaimed web site for college students. Last week, US West Interactive Services, a part of US West Media Group, acquired a 35 percent stake in Student.Net Publishing.

"We're thrilled to be working with a renowned company like US West Media Group," Stewart Ugelow, TC '97, president, CEO, and co-founder of Student.Net Publishing said.

Student.Net publishes articles by college journalists from the U.S. and Canada on topics ranging from politics to odd university traditions to humorous pieces about job rejection letters. The site can also find a match for even the most desperate Yale student through "Yenta: The Student.Net Matchmaker."

The potential market for such a web site played an integral part in the co-founders' vision for Student.Net. "We saw the opportunity and we had to jump at it," Jonathan Davis, TC '97, employee and co-founder of Student.Net said.

Ugelow said that the deal, which had been in the works for several months, will mean large-scale changes for the company.

In addition to increasing the number of Student.Net employees from 10 to 20, Ugelow's company will be relocating to Boston and launching its first formal marketing campaign.

"The investment allows us to take on projects that we wouldn't have been able to previously," Davis said.

The company is excited about the opportunities Boston can offer. "Boston is Collegetown, USA," Ugelow said. His company will have "ready access to a pool of college students." This will facilitate the marketing of Student.Net, as well as keep employees in touch with today's college students.

"Although we don't typically invest in first-round financing, Student.Net Publishing is a compelling partner for US West Interactive,", US West Interactive president John O'Farrell said in a press release.

The student-run company has not received outside financial investment any any point in its history. Now that the company has become such a quickly growing venture, Ugelow has decided to delay his return to Yale by at least three years in order to continue running it.

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