FindU, a startup designed to match prospective college students with the right university for them, won the 2024 Silicon Prairie Startup Week (SPSW) Pitch Competition last November. Since winning the $10,000 grand prize, the co-founders have established a limited liability company in addition to working on community initiatives on campus. 

Kenny Morales and Wilson Overfield are University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) sophomores and students in the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. Both are studying computer science, but Morales said he tends to jump back and forth between computer science and software engineering based on his interests. 

It started with a class assignment

The co-founders met in a freshman-level Innovation Processes class at UNL that teaches the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and innovation. In the classroom, they came up with the idea for FindU based on their own experience navigating the college application process without support.

Overfield said his college search was initially centered around looking up lists of the top computer science and business schools in the country. But after not getting accepted into his top picks, Overfield said he felt regret for not somehow discovering the “hidden schools” that could have been a great fit. Morales, a first-generation college student, said he didn’t even consider applying to college until thinking more about his mom’s dreams for him and the opportunities available at Raikes School. 

“We both come from lower income areas, and we have seen a bunch of people who have struggled with the process,” said Morales. “Imagine a first-generation student who doesn’t understand the process, doesn’t have a family member who does and doesn’t have the resources to actually get the help he needs.”

“How do you help?”

Morales and Overfield continued working on their project after the class — programming, designing, conducting interviews and gathering feedback from mentors and potential customers and stakeholders. Overfield said their progress motivated them to apply for the SPSW Pitch Competition as a way to check in with the wider startup community to see if they were on the right track.

FindU was one of 60 startups that entered the 2024 SPSW Pitch Competition. Entrants had to be based in Nebraska and operating for less than five years. From the 19 semi-finalists interviewed at the event, judges chose FindU as a top five finalist to pitch their startup live in front of an audience. FindU won the $10,000 grand prize.

Imagining a “cold-blooded, cut-throat competition,” Overfield said he was not expecting the supportive atmosphere that night and the advice they received from peers. 

“It was a worthwhile experience, and we got some validation and boost we needed to keep pushing us — to keep pushing the idea further and further,” said Overfield.

After the pitch competition

Following the pitch competition, Morales said they used their winnings to upgrade their computer equipment before putting the rest of the funds in savings as they wanted to be cautious with how they used it. Since then, the two have continued conducting interviews with school admissions staff and school counselors, primarily in Nebraska. They’re also refining their MVP further as they wait for approval from Apple to make FindU available on the App Store. 

Raikes School Design Studio Director Rob Nickolaus said part of his and the staff’s role in the honors program is connecting students with resources on and off campus to take their ventures and ambitions to the next level. He said they encourage students to explore events outside of UNL’s “safe experiences” and participate in the “real world,” such as pitch competitions and networking opportunities like 1 Million Cups. 

“That’s huge for students to see people who, to them, are like established professional adults who are going through the same struggles that they’re going through,” said Nickolaus.

Setting an example

Beyond their startup, Morales and Overfield have taken on initiatives to grow and support their campus community and make it an inclusive place for students of all backgrounds. From putting on cross-cultural potlucks to finding ways to mentor underclassmen, Morales said he and Wilson want to inspire others to pursue their own projects. 

“I think we’re in a unique position where we don’t come from picture-perfect places,” said Morales. “Because of that, people can look at what we’ve done and how far we’ve come and take inspiration from it.” 

One recent initiative was forming a UNL chapter of ColorStack, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing the number of computer science graduates who are Black, Latinx and come from underrepresented backgrounds. Overfield said in addition to their hosted workshops, they were looking to find potential guest speakers and possibly put on a career fair, with the goal of helping students find careers in tech.

Morales and Overfield said they enjoy the freedoms that come with entrepreneurship, especially being able to jump between different interests and problems to solve. 

“They kind of already are of the mindset that, ‘Well if this one doesn’t work out, we’ll just do another,’” said Nickolaus. “I really like to see that resiliency start to be built.”