The featured student entrepreneurs for March are Amin and Aina Phakhruddin, brother and sister duo and creators of the new short-form learning app, Sympl. Aina is a Junior and Amin is a Senior who has already sold one app on the App Store. Both are studying Computer Science.
MJ: What is “Sympl”, and where did the idea come from?
Amin: Sympl is a learning app for Gen Z, where information is shared through short-form content. The idea comes from our frustration with the current available learning resources, (textbooks, online courses, and long YouTube videos). They often fail to effectively answer questions, are long, lack demonstrations, and are sometimes quite boring.
Aina: Also, students are often more visual learners. We found that students we interviewed rely heavily on demonstration and prefer videos and visuals.
MJ: What else would like others to know about your entrepreneurial endeavors?
Aina: Entrepreneurship is rewarding; you learn a lot faster through experiences. Our mentors from the Startup Challenge, Nathaniel, Nicole, Ilya, Brian, Loren, and others, are amazing at bridging the gap between learning and experience. They are always there to guide us and help us do our best. They bring in mentors to help us advance in our businesses, and it is a truly valuable experience.
Amin: Entrepreneurship almost always takes more time and effort than one originally anticipates. I landed my first client as a web development and social media agency after hundreds of phone calls and cold emails.
MJ: Are there any other projects you are currently working on?
Amin: I’m also working on an app called Shukr – a gratitude journal that increases happiness. Journaling as a student allowed me to get higher grades, spend more time with friends & family, and make my first sales as an entrepreneur. I would love to give other students the same opportunities.
To stay up to date on the work that Amin and Aina are doing with their apps, Sympl and Shukr, you can follow Amin on twitter, @Amin_pha.