At this year's TechCrunch Disrupt, founders Tade Oyerinde of Campus and Teddy Solomon of Fizz shared their invaluable insights into building and sustaining engaged online communities. Both leaders have successfully scaled their respective ventures – Oyerinde with his online education platform, Campus, and Solomon with the popular college social app, Fizz – by prioritizing user interest and fostering lasting connections.
Tade Oyerinde on Campus: Reshaping Online Education
Oyerinde's Campus is an online institution providing associate degrees in fields such as information technology and business administration, alongside certificates in specialized areas like cosmetology and phlebotomy. With over 3,000 students and more than 100 part-time professors, Campus is expanding its offerings. Oyerinde highlighted the introduction of à la carte courses, driven by employer demand for specific skills like 'vibe coding.' He foresees a future where continuous upskilling is paramount, envisioning widespread adoption of membership or subscription services for skill development.
“Everyone in this room, not just two-year degree-seeking people, will be able to go to Campus and learn with us,” Oyerinde told the Disrupt audience, emphasizing “live, online classes, taught by amazing people.”
To maintain affordability, Campus leverages Pell Grants. Oyerinde also noted the unique composition of his investor base, which includes prominent figures like OpenAI's Sam Altman and Discord's Jason Citroen. These billionaire backers, he explained, are less concerned with immediate profits and more committed to a broader mission.
“They don’t need the money,” Oyerinde stated, “What they really want is to fundamentally shape the way that education works in this country for the better.”
Teddy Solomon on Fizz: Engaging College Communities
Shifting focus to Fizz, Solomon detailed the social app's impressive reach, currently active on over 200 college campuses and having previously expanded into high schools nationwide. Since its 2021 launch, Fizz has secured over $40 million in funding from investors such as Owl Ventures and NEA. Solomon highlighted key features that drive engagement, including a robust peer-to-peer marketplace, which has facilitated over 100,000 listings, and a video posting capability that allows for richer user interactions beyond traditional text.
Looking ahead, Fizz plans to launch 'Global Fizz,' an initiative to expand its platform beyond the U.S. Solomon elaborated on these future plans during an appearance on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. Addressing monetization, Solomon informed the Disrupt audience that Fizz is primarily exploring advertising models, having already partnered with companies like Perplexity. While acknowledging the success of subscription models for other apps, he affirmed Fizz's current focus:
“right now we’re focused on our ads business, and we’re focused on building a great product that keeps our users around and makes them happy.”
He concluded by emphasizing a core philosophy:
“The users are everything.”
