Tade Oyerinde and Teddy Solomon understand quite a bit about creating enduring communities.  

Oyerinde is the creator and chancellor of the online institution Campus, while Solomon is the co-founder of the college social platform Fizz. 

This year, they appeared at TechCrunch Disrupt to elaborate on the tactics that enabled them to grow their businesses while maintaining customer engagement. 

Campus provides associate degrees in fields such as information technology and business management. It also has certificates in specialties like cosmetology and phlebotomy. According to Oyerinde, there are over 3,000 enrolled students at Campus, and more than 100 professors are employed, at least part-time.  

Oyerinde mentioned that Campus opted to introduce à la carte courses because employers have been requesting classes that can equip their workforce with specific skills, such as vibe coding.  

He has recognized that many individuals seek to enhance their skills and believes that in the future, everyone will have access to some type of membership or subscription service aimed at skill development.  

“Not just those pursuing two-year degrees will have the opportunity to go to Campus and learn with us,” he shared with the audience. “We offer live, online classes taught by exceptional instructors.”  

Oyerinde utilizes the Pell Grant to maintain the institution’s affordability for a majority of individuals. Additionally, he has a group of billionaires on his company’s cap table — such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Discord’s Jason Citroen — alleviating pressure to prioritize profits above all else, he stated.

“These investors are not driven by financial gain,” he added. “Their real goal is to transform the education system in this country for the better.”  

On the other hand, Fizz functions on over 200 college campuses and previously operated in high schools nationwide. The company has secured more than $40 million in funding from investors including Owl Ventures and NEA.

Since its inception in 2021, Solomon indicated that the company has integrated features like a peer-to-peer marketplace with over 100,000 listed items, along with a video component that allows for more than just text posts. 

Currently, the firm aims to develop a product called Global Fizz to extend its reach beyond the U.S. Solomon elaborated on this during his appearance on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, where he outlined the company’s future direction.

Solomon mentioned that the company is exploring monetization options, particularly focusing on advertising. “We’ve collaborated with companies like Perplexity,” he revealed. 

“While subscription models have performed successfully with apps, our current priority is our advertising business, and we’re dedicated to creating a great product that keeps our users engaged and satisfied.” 

He emphasized that “The users are everything.”